Little Golden's Daughter

order of the lake? Do ghosts have warm, living flesh and blood, and balmy lips, and blushes that come and go, and delicio

their little party, and so far he had been unable to learn anything at all concerning the b

could of course make no opening inquiries, but his little, carel

grace had literally carried his heart by storm. It s

r his friend, young Fred Glenalvan, had often assured him that his fat

deed a mystery, or if he had been fooled by

being, warm, breathing, living, whom he had clasped and kissed t

imself that he should dwell so persistently on that one thought, yet finding it so dangerously sweet he would not willingly have forgot

d at the appearance of the family ghost. They

fied, and declared that the rooms of the hapless Erma had been walled up long years before, and that all the roo

ged workmen to pull down the western win

on the haunted rooms almost continuously to-night. Everything

lled him to visit

m door opened had a corridor leading from i

orth under cover of the silence and the night to explore the dangerous region

e settling timbers and falling roof which Fred, and Clare and Elinor were unani

ppers, he opened the door and

light poured a flood of white radiance. Putting a convenient box of

longed to encounter the bea

y, guided by the moonlight that entered through the

hung in ragged, fantastic strips from the walls; huge rats scampered over the floor, frightened night-birds flapped against the wind

ad explored every room on that upper floor, when suddenly he discovered a lit

had stood open, swinging c

why his heart beat so strangely w

ssly, and entered, carefully

s burning, thick, dark curtains shaded the windows, a large rug covered the center of the fl

ed, and with difficulty represse

rown over the bed, outlined the cu

w nestled a sleeping face a

rich confusion over the pillow; the golden-brown lashes lay softly on the rosy, dimpled cheeks; the lips were

imself, as he gazed in astonishment and ecs

h to the bedside. He bent so near that he could hear th

to himself, with ming

next breath

rightened and angry she would be, w

st and most honorable

r his fascinated eyes from that be

gered on its innocent beaut

irst of my heart," he said wistfully to himself, while his heart beat fast with joy that he had

pulses thrilled at the remembrance of the tender care

rt of man, the enraptured lover bent his head and pressed a kiss as soft and li

temptation that had prompted him to that wrongful and stolen caress, a sh

yer of innercence! Get out o' this afore I kil

tling sight framed in the open doorway of an inner cha

n, stood before him, clad in a short night-gown of gay, striped c

her brandished arms, snapping black eyes, and furious face, made up a st

angrily upon her dismayed foe, "get out o' de room o' my i

was beginning to say, when, startled by Dinah's loud and angry tones, little Gol

terror when she saw the tall,

d she hid her frightened face on t

s all this mean?" crie

es of her eyes in reply. The intruder saw that it was imperative th

ever been placed in such a strang

im to retire at once; yet he could not bear to go and leave a wrong

and, standing there, said,

exploring the ruined wing of the hall, and I entered without a dream of finding it occupied by any living being. I had

against Dinah's shoulder, and the ol

he would agone out ag'in when he found dat a young lady occupied de room. But no; de first sight my ole brack

ematized the old woman's long tongue that had thus be

scarlet as he

entreat your pardon for yielding to that ov

old Dinah, in her fear and indignation fo

you see how you frighte

. The old woman was utterly unreasonable, an

where he spent the night brooding over the strange discovery he h