Ghosts of Government House

by Judith Silverthorne

  Judith Silverthorne

  GHOSTS OF GOVERNMENT HOUSE

  © Judith Silverthorne, 2011

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the author or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777 April 2011

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Silverthorne, Judith

  Ghosts of Government House / Judith Silverthorne.

  Print ISBN 978-1-894431-63-7

  E-ISBN 978-1-894431-65-1

  1. Government House (Regina, Sask.)—Juvenile fiction.

  2. Haunted houses—Saskatchewan—Regina—Juvenile fiction.

  3. Ghost stories I. Title.

  PS8587.I2763G56 2011 jC813’.54 C2011-901761-X

  Cover and book design by Heather Nickel

  E-book conversion by Human Powered Design

  Cover composite image © Government House collection;

  © Madison Osterhout; © www.istockphoto.com/Martin Lladó

  Capuchin monkey © www.istockphoto.com/Simon Hartshorne

  Government House map © Government House

  Printed in Canada by Friesens Corporation in Altona, MB

  Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing

  Regina, SK.

  This book is dedicated to

  Samantha Bigeau and Jensyn Wallace Edwards,

  the inspirations for the two girls in my story

  And to Patricia Miller-Schroeder

  Also to my son, Aaron

  And especially to my mother Elaine Iles,

  my sister Darlene Ellis and my nieces Tayla, Zara and Shania;

  And to the memory of my father, Stan Iles.

  acknowledgements

  I am immensely grateful to Patricia Miller-Schroeder, who encouraged me to write this book from the heart and follow my instincts. She was there every step of the way cheering me on and offering support, a truly great friend!

  I am indebted to Alison Lohans for her excellent editing expertise on the final version and also for her many observations during the revision process, along with Sharon Plumb Hamilton and Anne Patton. Vital comments from these three Word Warriors have improved this book immensely.

  A huge thank you goes to Carrie Ross, Executive Director of the Government House Museum, and her daughter Thuraya for reading the original and subsequent version that kept me accurate and on the right track. Thanks also to Jennifer Fry for her perceptive comments.

  Lloyd Bagley has assisted me over the years, as have the many members of the staff at Government House. I thank you all for contributing your stories, for giving me many tours, and for helping me along the way with insightful details and historical points.

  Samantha Bigeau and Jensyn Wallace Edwards, you two are the best. Thanks for sharing your ghost detecting findings and knowledge, and for allowing me to use your first names for my characters.

  And a very special thank you to His Honour the Lieutenant Governor Dr. Gordon L. Barnhart for writing the foreword which follows.

  To learn more about the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, Government House, and the Government House Historical Society, please visit the following websites:

  www.ltgov.sk.ca

  www.governmenthouse.gov.sk.ca

  www.heritagesk.ca

  foreword

  Government House is a very important part of our history. Many readers might stop reading now because many people find history boring. History IS boring if you think of it merely as a collection of dates and statistics. History comes to life when we think, instead, in terms of story.

  One hundred years ago, when the lieutenant governor and his family lived at Government House, the building was bustling with activity. It was the residence of the vice-regal family, but it was also the home of maids, cooks, drivers and gardeners. All of these people contributed to the story of Government House.

  I am deeply fortunate to have my offices in Government House. Often, when I walk through the restored museum, I imagine what it was like when the lieutenant governor lived in the building, and met visitors at the portico entrance when they were arriving for important meetings or a special dinner.

  Ghosts of Government House is a wonderfully imaginative story. It is fiction, of course, but thanks to careful research, author Judith Silverthorne incorporates a great deal of history in these pages. I invite you to join Sam, J.J., Gabe, and Grandma Louise on this adventurous and exciting trip into the past. You will never again think of history as boring!

  His Honour the Honourable Dr. Gordon L. Barnhart, S.O.M.

  Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan

  Government House

  main level

  second level

  chapter one

  wouldn’t it be cool to live here?” asked Samantha. She brushed her long blonde hair out of her face and leaned over the balustrade on the second floor of the Government House Museum. Sam and her best friend Jensyn gazed down at the immense main hall. The gleaming hardwood floor of the old ballroom was almost as long as their school gymnasium.

  “You’d practically need a skateboard to get around,” said Jensyn.

  Sam laughed. “There’d be a hitch with the mats, J.J.” She eyed the large Oriental rugs scattered at intervals throughout.

  “And the furniture,” said J.J., flicking her brown hair over her shoulders. A vintage player piano and several antique chairs sat around the perimeter of the lower level.

  Sam heard sudden chatter coming from the last bedroom at the other end of the hall. The other kids from their community club had gathered there with their assigned visitor experience host, Lisa.

  “This was the home of six Lieutenant Governors starting in 1891 and the office of many more,” Lisa was explaining. The host’s voice droned on about the history of the government at the time. Their club leader, Mrs. Walker, listened intently.

  Sam rolled her eyes at J.J. Her friend giggled.

  Resting her arms on the banister, Sam stared at the chandelier lit scene below them while J.J. stood silently beside her. Soaking up the historic atmosphere of the magnificent place, Sam imagined the many families who had once lived there. It was way bigger than her house.

  She and J.J. had been looking forward to this special “after hours” tour of Government House—it was pretty cool to be there at night with just their group.

  Down the hall, the chattering suddenly ceased.

  Now the stately home was eerily still. It seemed as though it was on pause, waiting until the visitors left so that it might resume some unseen activity.

  “Sam, J.J.!” Mrs. Walker called, breaking the silence. “Keep up girls, so you’ll have time to dress up in Victorian costumes.”

  J.J. started forward, but Sam tugged her back. “We can dress up some other time. Let’s keep checking things out instead.”

  “We’ll get into trouble…” J.J. hesitated.

  “What kind of trouble could we get into?” Sam whispered, watching the others file into the interpretative centre. “We’re not going to touch anything.” She ducked into a middle room, pulling J.J. with her. “They won’t even notice we’re missing.”

  Moments later they heard the loud snick of the door closing.

  “Yes! Where do you want to look first?” Sam asked. “How about…”

  Suddenly, they were plunged into darkness.

  J.J
. squealed.

  Sam shivered. “The lights must go out automatically when everyone leaves this part of the house.” Her voice wavered.

  “Let’s go back to the group,” J.J. said.

  They eased themselves along the upper hallway, brushing against the wall to feel their way to the interpretative centre door. Sam felt the velour wallpaper graze her hands.

  Slap-slap, slap-slap, slap-slap, slap.

  Sam gasped and clung to J.J. as the sound of footsteps approached. “Can you see anything?” she hissed, peering over J.J.’s shoulder into blackness.

  “No.” J.J.’s cold hand clutched her arm.

  To their right, a tiny red glow from the exit light cast muted shadows at the top of the broad staircase. Suddenly, it too went out. Their breath seemed to echo in the vast, dark residence—it was like being deep in a cave.

  “Maybe it’s the host coming back,” J.J. said faintly as the footsteps came closer. “Or a security guard?”

  Sam shook her head and caught her breath. “There’s only one commissionaire on duty. He’s at the front door and isn’t supposed to leave his post.”

  “Maybe he saw us on a monitor and is coming to investigate.”

  In the blackness, Sam checked for tiny blinking security lights. But the broad hall and large centre well they’d just been looking down into were completely steeped in darkness.

  “Can’t see any cameras,” she whispered.

  Slap-slap, slap-slap, slap-slap, slap.

  “Well, whoever it is, they’re coming this way. In flip-flops.” J.J. huddled closer to Sam.

  Sam peered into the dark room. Who was it? “I still can’t see anyone.”

  J.J.’s grip on Sam’s arm tightened. “D-do you think it’s a ghost?”

  Sam felt a little shiver run up her spine. “Maybe…?”

  She pressed back tightly against the wall as the footsteps headed straight towards them.

  SLAP-SLAP, SLAP-SLAP, SLAP-SLAP.

  Sam sucked in her breath as the footsteps drew level with them. Her heart pounded. Beside her, J.J. squeaked.

  The footsteps went past, and on to the end of the hallway.

  Sam strained to see through the shadows. But nobody was there. She gulped as the footsteps continued— right through a closed door.

  J.J.’s fingers dug into Sam’s arm and didn’t let go. “Did you hear where those footsteps went?” J.J.’s voice wobbled.

  Sam loosened J.J.’s hold. “Let’s get out of here.”

  In silence, the girls edged along the hall as fast as they dared. When they reached the interpretive display area, Sam opened the door a crack. Subdued lighting cast an eerie glow. The power must have come on again. The girls darted in.

  All the other kids were gone.

  Sam wove through the display panels with J.J. at her heels. “Over here,” she said, ducking behind a gauzy curtained partition where a video presentation flickered on the wall.

  “We can pretend this is where we’ve been all along.”

  J.J. had barely joined her, when the host appeared. Lisa was dressed in a floor-length dark skirt and white blouse buttoned to the chin. Her dark hair was tightly pinned into a bun and she looked like a stern governess from Queen Victoria’s time.

  “I’ve been looking for you,” she said when she caught sight of the girls.

  Sam tried to smile innocently. “Uh, we kinda got held up when the power went out.”

  Lisa looked at them with a puzzled expression. “The power didn’t go off.”

  “It was out for about five minutes,” blurted J.J.

  The host shook her head.

  Sam caught J.J.’s eye and gave her head a slight shake. There was no point trying to explain. “Maybe it was a glitch with the video projector,” she said, gesturing at the display. Maybe the museum lights are on a timer, she thought. “Anyway, we need to get going.”

  “The others are waiting for you at the front entrance,” said the host.

  J.J. looked at her watch and gasped. “It’s after eight! My dad will be worried.”

  Sam grabbed J.J.’s hand. They skirted past Lisa, who watched them until they stepped into the elevator.

  “Phew, that was close,” Sam said, as the elevator doors closed. On the main floor she nodded good night to the commissionaire as they passed his station near the cloakroom.

  Outside the entrance, nobody was waiting for them. In the dark moonless night, all Sam could see were the taillights of the last car disappearing from the parking lot.

  “Now what?” Sam muttered to J.J. She stared at the old mansion they had been in only minutes before. The windows were dark vertical oblongs—except for a sudden glow from one room on the second floor. “Did you see that in the window?” she hissed. “Was it a person?”

  “A woman, I think,” J.J.’s voice trembled.

  A sudden rustling came from the bushes nearby.

  Sam’s heart skittered. J.J. clutched her arm.

  A dark figure in a hoodie leapt out.

  Sam yelped.

  “Shhh!” scolded a grumpy voice. “What took you so long?”

  “What are you still doing here?” Sam hissed at her twelve-year-old brother Gabe.

  “Don’t ever scare us like that again!” J.J. punched Gabe’s shoulder.

  “Where’d everybody go?” Sam glanced at the empty parking lot. They’d have to walk the two blocks home in the dark.

  “Mrs. Walker sent everyone else home. I volun…got stuck waiting for you guys,” Gabe growled. “Where did you get to anyway?”

  “We wanted to, uh, explore a little more, so we kind of…” J.J. stammered.

  “We kind of got left behind,” Sam explained in a hurry. “And J.J.’s late. We have to run.” She grabbed J.J.’s hand and pulled her down the dimly lit sidewalk.

  Gabe raced ahead, cutting across the grassy grounds.

  “Wait,” gasped J.J. “What will we tell my dad about why I’m late?”

  “We?” Gabe yelled back. “Don’t involve me in this.”

  “You already are,” Sam retorted.

  “Yeah, Gabe,” J.J. added. “You’re supposed to take care of us.”

  He stopped. “Fine. How about telling your dad the truth?”

  “I can’t tell him that! But I don’t want to lie, either,” J.J. said.

  Sam glanced at her friend’s panic-stricken face.

  “He knows where you were going, right?” Gabe asked.

  “Of course, she told him,” Sam said.

  “Well then, what’s the big deal?”

  “I told him I’d be home earlier!” J.J. protested. “You know how upset he gets if I’m even a minute late. Telling him what really happened would just make it worse.” She scuffed her runners in the grass. “Now he’ll never let me go anywhere at night again.”

  Sam patted J.J.’s shoulder. “You don’t have to give him every detail,” she said. “Just leave out the part about the ghost.”

  “Ghost? What ghost?” Gabe stared at the girls.

  Sam explained how they’d purposely lagged behind the rest of the group—and about the footsteps that went right through the door.

  Gabe rolled his eyes. “There’s no such thing as ghosts,” he said.

  “How come we heard footsteps then?”

  “I’m sure there’s a good explanation,” said Gabe.

  “Like what?”

  “A soundtrack or echoes from somewhere else in the building. Whatever.”

  “You’re wrong!” said Sam. “The sound went right past us. It was a ghost.”

  “Yeah,” J.J. added. “Can we go now? My dad—”

  Gabe laughed. “Just because you two believe in ghosts doesn’t mean there are any.”

  “We’ll prove there are,” said Sam, her tone challenging.

/>   “How?” he demanded.

  Sam put her hands on her hips. “You can make fun of us all you want, but we’ll show you ghosts exist. Won’t we, J.J.?”

  “For sure.”

  “You two are so lame.” Gabe strode ahead.

  “You won’t say that when you see the ghost.” Sam caught up with him.

  “Yeah, right.” He shrugged her off and kept walking.

  “Come with us next time, then.”

  “No way,” said Gabe.

  J.J. ran in front of him. “Pwock, pwock, pwock-pwock-pwock, pwock,” she said, flapping around Gabe like a chicken.

  “Okay, okay, enough!” he said. “How about if you can’t prove it…” he snapped a twig off a bush, “you have to stay home for two weeks so I don’t have to watch out for you.”

  “You’re on,” Sam said.

  “Wait,” said J.J. “What do we get when we prove there are ghosts?”

  Sam grinned. “That’s easy. He has to do everything and go everywhere we want for two whole weeks.”

  “Deal!” Gabe gave them a cocky smile.

  “Okay, let’s get a move on.”

  Sam led the way around the shadowy flowerbeds of the Edwardian gardens and through tall dark trees. Leafless branches scratched towards the black sky. At the wide paved entrance with its iron gates, they slipped through the narrow gate onto Dewdney Avenue. There wasn’t much traffic and they sprinted across, heading a block over and turning down the side street to their homes.

  Sam watched as J.J. crept up her front steps and eased the door open. Through the slightly parted drapes in the large front window, she could see J.J.’s dad slouched in his recliner. J.J. tiptoed past him and disappeared from sight.

  “J.J.’s dad’s sure grouchy,” said Gabe, taking the short-cut across the lawn to their house next door.

  “Yeah, ever since her mom died, he’s been extra hard on her.”

  Sam nudged past Gabe, racing to get home first. Gabe yanked her back by the T-shirt while he swung open the door and stepped inside. She bounced in after him, laughing and grabbing for his baseball cap.