It was the sound of laughter and children’s voices that caught my attention. Curious, I materialized in my old bedroom and went out into the hallway to peer over the railing by the grand staircase. The voices had come from the Great Hall, where the house tours gathered. Yes, there were two children scampering about, to the distraction of their parents. An older boy and a tousled haired little toddler who reminded me of my own daughter at that age.

I found it extremely annoying that one of the bathrooms on my dorm was permanently closed. Especially since the cause was an urban legend. An urban legend, I tell you!

My stepmother was vile. I guess most kids think that when their father remarries. But in this case, it was true. She only married Father because he was rich, and she hated children. There were three of us – me (Marie), my middle brother Richard and my youngest brother Charles. We were the price my stepmother Gerta paid for being rich. And we were all that stood between her and inheriting Father’s money when he died. So she took steps against us.

Today started way too early! Up at five a.m. in the dark to get to the airport by 6 a.m. I flew out of Newark, NJ. First stop was Minneapolis with a quick layover and then on to Missoula, Montana. Total travel time door to hotel was 10 hours, but it was only 2 pm Mountain time! The shuttle driver who took me to the car rental place gave me a ghost story lead, telling me about a downtown Macys building that was supposed to be haunted. Then I rented a Subaru Forester SUV and drove to my hotel. It was a lovely place called C'mon Inn, and was built in a rustic style with log staircases and balconies, the head of an elk over the fireplace and about 6 hot tubs and two pools. (Did I mention the waterfall?)

A sheep herder from Montana fell afoul of the law and hired a lawyer to get him off if he could. The lawyer realized that it was an open and shut case, and advised the sheep herder to pretend that he had a bit of Sheep Herder's Complaint.

In the middle of St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park is a small island halfway between two shores. Many moons ago now, there were two tribes living on either side of the lake. While there was no direct warfare between them, the two tribes avoided one another and had no dealings one with the other.