The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-08-23
AT PINE COTTAGE
BY ANNE MANNING.

Dear Audrey" wrote her cousin. Z
with mother for week? want to go
to bennington for a visit and l sim
ply will not leave her in that dismal
house all alone, for Sukey is worse
than no one at all, with her .sperret
rappings' and her firm belief that
Pine Cottage is haunted. Come, like
the angel you are, and bring your
music SO that you can exercise any
spirits that might be at large. Let me
know when you can come and earn the
eternal gratitude Of your .bored-to-
| death Dora"
So Audrey smiled and packed . lit
tie trunk, not forgetting her music,
and took an early train for Quemiss,
the quaint Long island village where
her widowed aunt and cousin lived.
Pine Cottage was . low. red house
set back in a grove Of gloomy pines
that struggled out to . little inlet
Mrs. Petty and Dora had tried with
out success to make the place cheer |
full. There was . garden with many |
gay flowers, but no matter how many |
pines were sacrificed there was ever |
q feeling Of chill dependency over
garden and cottage.
How can there be shadows where
, there are no trees to cast themT
, protested Audrey the next morning as
she walked in the garden with her
: aunt Il don't see any shadows.
Aunt Ella; 1t is lovely"
' Mrs. Petty spread out her palms
+ with little helpless gesture.
: You have not been here long
! enough, DEAR" she said gently. You
, have not lived with the tradition of
S Pine Cottage as Dora and have ever
e since Uncle Potiphar died. Time and
S again | have wished that he had
never left the place to me, though
o goodness knows, | needed 1t sadly
S enough, for l was penniless at the
y time"
E. 1T ought to make you lovely
If home, Aunt Ella" said Audrey, her
lovely face warm with sympathy.
In Don't you think the idea of the place
TT being haunted has created shadow
lie an imaginary shadow
lp Perhaps" admitted the elder WON
e an moodily. IF anyone could lay our
re ghost, Audrey, it should be you with
your sunshiny nature. But you have
rl never seen the ghost of Pine Cot
he tage."
m NO, but l should like to-" declared
on Audrey. III confess to a great ant
- | H.; err IF all Hnrt9
he Do tell me the story. Dora merel!
er. shivers and turns pale when l asl
mt her about it and you never will sa.
right out what it is that haunts Pin
re- Cottage
rk- Mrs. Petty sat down on a ston
lat bench in the sunniest part OF the gal
en- den. Audrey dropped down on tn
grass at her aunt's feet and cuppe
ed her round chin in her palms.
lei. Uncle Potiphar had great-uncl'
Dt? Benjamin, who in his youth was
Ter very studious young man. Instead
t." engaging in the pleasures and pa
ar times of his own age he was alwa,
Dry sitting in some retired spot with h
ion nose in a book. They say that !
!. was q singularly handsome ar
Ali charming young man when ne choi
to make himself agreeable. which
Eve seldom took the trouble to do.
$50 Uncle Benjamin's youth pass
reg. without love and when he was fort
of five years old he lived all alone
last this cottage. Here he studied al
rom wrote his famous treatises, for
became a very learned man, but
ling never appeared to be quite happy.
the Then one day he fell IN love ]
, of the first time. Strange to say,
she chose q young girl Of the neighb
wen hood. a farmers daughter, who
she tastes were uniformed and who h
is nothing much to recommend her
his cept a sweet simplicity of nature
him a lovely face. The girl was hatteI
,ken BY the attentions Of Doctor Ben. az
and was called, and in time she promii
to marry him. Her parents were
d to lighted with the match and
oble iamin's relatives we're glad that
she was to end his solitary mode OF
ing.
4 as "Pine Cottage was refurnished IF
Ia in ton to bottom by the middle-a
owe lover, whose infatuation for
sweetheart was remarkable In
dis who had always appeared blind
the deaf to women. 1t was arranged
her the wedding was to take place In
newly furnished cottage.
mith THE day before the wedding
, my girl Stella Smith, eloped with
your Young farmer Of the neighbour
and was married to him the day
She hour she was to have welded
,ry. iamin. She left note for the j
i'd in bridegroom. saying that she G.
never marry man so much
.,sna. than herself; that she could not
him.
THAT night Benjamin drov
himself in the inlet Before he ,
WASH ont on that fatal errand he Gu
rts 10 the little cottage which he had
iarhi' rared for his bride and he vowed
as his spirit should haunt 1t until
SUNS day when young girl should
u Tue an old man and marry him in
IN ~ Cottage. There you have the sto
usu" What a sad story. Aunt Ella,
nus Audrey soberly. But has anyone
seen Benjamin's ghost?"
: Mrs. Petty hesitated.
I'VE have never heard or seen
sounds in the house, but we have
the oppression of shadow tina