The Old Hair Trunk.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1518, 5 February 1886, Page 3

The Old Hair Trunk.

The story I am about to narrate was told me by Mrs. 8 ,an excellent ss well as a charming woman. She believes every word of it, I am aure, and I shall make no comment on »*• probability. These are her own wows :

|'Yrtu have seen one of these old I air trunka, with the owner's initials in brass nails on the cover, which our ancestors used to carry about with them when they went on a journey ? " she began

" One of them was left me by Mrs. Fayette, afar away cousin of my grandmother, together witha quantity of other ola possessions, most of them merely valuable from antiquity and association. " It ras of an enormous size, and the men who were employed to carry it upstaira would not move it until it was emptied.

M I powesa a garret, as you know, and m that blessing to housekeepers unknown to the inhabitants of great cities, I stored my legacy. One or two old cloaks and a silk handkerchief were placed in its depths, the rest were loaned to the young people who were about to get up private theatricals in aid of the church, and carried off with great glee. " I had not seen the original possessor since my childhood. Then she waa an old woman past eighty, and with her yellow ivory complexion, white puff*, high nose, and antique gowns, was like a figure just stepped from an ancieni family portrait.

" She was merely a memory to me ; and though the fact that she recalled the little girl who used to eat her seedcake, and admire her old china, was proven by her legacy, I made no pretence for grieving for a death which simply recalled to me the fact that vuch a pernon had lived. I felt a little softened, that was all, and wished 1 had taken the trouble of visiting her in her last days, or had sent for her to visit me. " I make these remarks because it was only a few days after the arrival of the big bair trunk at our home that I went with mv husband to a ball. It was a fine affair. I had hid a special dress made, and though my baby was only su months old, I had no fear of leaving her with nurse, a respectable woman of fifty, who bad been in my mother's service.

" Ella was then just seven, and Arthur three, and both were good, obedient creature*. It is ten years •go, and £ila will be married in Spring. How time flies!

M Well, I wa* going to the ball. My trunk had been sent to an hotel, and we were to stay there all night, and come homo in the morning. I was very much pleased, for who does not like to play girl again after ten years or so of married lifn r—to g<> off with one's husband and forget housekeeping for awhile i " I left the house in good spirits, •od after a dinner and a little lounge, began to get ready. The hairdresser did my hair. My toilet became me. My husband surprised me with a beautifol set of pearli, and I never was in a merrier mood.

"I u«ed to be a good dancer—in fact, 1 am still, only it ben one's (ml* grow up, one drops dancing—and I bad plenty of partners. " 1 enjoyed the supper, and when it waa over, went into the dressing room to see that my hair was all right, and take 1 general view of my costume. ** Melt of the ladies were crowding about the glasses, but one in the corner was not in use. I approached it, and as I did to a lady stepped up and looked over mj shoulder. " Aa I sa-r that it was an old lady. I was about to step politely aside, when suddenly, with a strange chill commencing at my neck and running thence through all my body, cold as ice, yet tingling, if you can understand me, I recognised the face and form bo long unseen by me, of old Mrs. Fayette. •' Her hands were on my shoulders, and the poked straight in my face as ■he said these words :

"' Don't lose time staring at yourself here! Go home aud open my old hair trunk!'

" Then she was gone. I staggered back, and sank upon a sofa.

" My husband, waiting at the door for m»*. »aw me, and hurried in.

14 • What is the matter, my dear ?'

be asked

'* 1 told him ; and added, as well as I could speak for the chattering of mv teeth :

"' I must go home at once.'

"He was terrified for my sanitv, I think, but hen postulated. I might go to the hotel, and send for a doctor , bat g" home in an early morning train in ball costume I could not, he declared.

" For the only time in my life, I defied him, and refused to obey. 1 got my wraps, put then on, and wentdowD to where the carriage was waiting. "• To the railway station !' 1 commanded.

"He let me have my way ; only asking:

«• * What do you fear ?'

••' I don't know,' I said ; ' I have hid ft supernatural warning of some sort 1 1 must —I must look into the old hair trunk!'

" And then I fell into hysterics. " A fine time poor Henry had getting me home; iod when we alighted at our station, in grey dawn, •ad in the midst of the milk-cans and

market-men, it was well that we had not tar to go to reach home. " Bat an we opened our own gate we taw plainly that something was wrong. Lights still burning; men were standing at the door; nurse stood in the hall wringing her hands. "' What is the matter ?' I shrieked, " ' We can't find Miss Ella, ma'am.' she answered. ' She's gone !' M * She went to hide herself mamma," sobbed little Arthur, 4 and I tau't find her nowhere!'

" 1 In her little night-dress, and with bare feet!' moaned nurse.

"Then I knew what my vision meant

" 1 The hair trunk !—The hair trunk! I cried, and rushed upstairs to the garret. " Someone followed me with a light. I ran to the trunk and threw back the lid. On the silk counterpane at the bottom lay my little Ella, white, motionless seemingly dead. At the sight I lost consciousness. " My husband, as you know, is a physician. He knew what to do. My little one was not gone, but only going. Two hours more and all would have been over.

" But next day, as I lay in bed, unable to lift my head from the pillow, she perched beside Lie, and told me her innocent little story. " ' Arthur wanted to get up and play hide-and-seek, mamma ; and he's awful dood at finding. He gets warm wight awav, so I faught he'd never look in the garret, ' cause he's afwayed of the dark, and I ain't; and I went and dot into the big hair twunk, and then the cover wouldn't lift up, and I called, and nobody heard me, and I cwied, and it got bo choky, like the ewoup, aid then I wented to sleep, I suppose, ' cause papa said he faught I'd never wake up aden ; but Arfur couldni find me—could you, Arfur ? ' " Little she knew how very near her sleep had beer, to that which knows no waking. I took my little one to my heart, and thanked heaven for my atrange warning.

" I leave others to decide how it came, what it was, but I believe that the spirit of my neglected old friend came back to help me in my hour of peril; and I who never loved her before, love her now, aud hope to meet her in heaven and tell her so when my life here is over."