Page 119 of Ghost

“I don’t think so.”Mason scratched his head again, startled when he felt the short hair.“He didn’t say where they came from, only that he thought they would be like what was here.You think they are the same ones?”

“Only the candelabra.It looks identical.”Francis bent over and looked more closely.“Ah, not quite identical.The tiny little cherubs were not on the one I remember.”He stood up.“The one in the dining room had rosettes instead of the cherubs.”He smiled.“However, had I not looked at it closely, I would not have known.”

“So, you think it’ll work in the dining room?”

“Oh yes, certainly.”Francis shook his head slightly.“I am glad that you are taking such special care to choose things that would be like it had been when I lived here.”

“I...want it to be like it was.”Mason wanted to say he wanted Francis to be comfortable here in his own home but choked it back.

Francis turned to face him.“Mason, this is your house now.You do as you wish.”

“I know.”Mason was having a difficult time trying to avoid Francis’ gaze.“What about the one for the stairwell?”

“It is not the same, but it does look of my time.”Francis looked at the rest of the fixtures.He pointed to one of the larger light fixtures.“That is for the main parlor?”

“Yes,” Mason answered.“The other smaller ones are for the bedrooms.He only had the two that looked right.He’ll try and find two more.What was in the master bedroom?”

“There was one in the middle of the ceiling, not too dissimilar than the two you have here, and then two on either side of the interior wall.My mother had her dressing table between them.”Francis leaned over for a closer look.“They were, of course, gas lit back then.”

“A lot of older homes kept the originals light fittings and just had them wired for electricity.That was pretty common in parts of Atlanta, too.”

Francis nodded.

Mason had put all the things he’d bought in the other, smaller, front parlor, which would have been considered the ladies’ parlor.

Mason motioned around the room.“I’m thinking I might make this my office.It’s just big enough for a desk and some chairs.”He giggled a little “I’ve decided to take your advice and invest in a cell phone and a computer.Ellen said I should take your advice since you knew how to make money.”

Francis laughed.“My dear sweet cousin.It is true, however, I was very good at business.I learned a lot from my father.”

“What other advice do you have?”Mason was suddenly thinking it would be a good idea to keep Francis around if for nothing else than advising him on business matters.

Francis scowled for a moment.“Always keep up with your record keeping and keep your ledgers balanced.One small mistake can cause many problems down the road.Always look at new ideas and keep up with the changing times.”He nodded and looked into Mason’s eyes.“I have no doubt, whatsoever, that you will make a very astute businessman if you follow those simple rules.”

A tear appeared rolling down Mason’s cheek.“I really don’t want you to go.”

Chapter Forty-One