cavalry where the captain was looking eastward down the town from the same favoured the long perspective of houses declined and they in the highway across the the white of road disappeared over grey s bridge a quarter of a mile off to plunge into rustic shy shades and solitary up hill and down for one and twenty till it exhibited itself at park comer as a smooth bland surface in touch with a busy and fashionable world to the had recently arrived the � th a regiment new to the locality almost before any acquaintance with its members had been made by the a report spread that they were a crack body pf men and had brought a a changed man splendid band for some reason or other the town had not been used as the of for many years the various troops stationed there having consisted of casual only so that it was with a sense of honour that everybody � even the small from whom the married hired tables and chairs � received the news of their crack quality in those days the still wore over the left shoulder that attractive attachment or half coat hanging loosely behind like the wing of a bird which was called the though it was known among the themselves as a it added to their l women s eyes and in the eyes of men also the who lived in the house with the window sat during a great many hours of the day in that for he was an invalid and time hung heavily on his hands unless he maintained a constant interest in proceedings without not more than a week after the arrival of the his ears were assailed by the shout of one to another in the street below have ee heard this about the they are haunted yes � sl ghost troubles em he has followed em about the world for years a haunted regiment that was a new idea for either invalid or the listener in the came to the conclusion that there were some lively characters among the � th he made captain s acquaintance in an manner at an afternoon tea to which he went in a wheeled chair � one of the very rare that the state of his health permitted showed himself to be a handsome man of or thirty with an attractive hint of wickedness in his manner that was sure to make him with good young women the large dark eyes that lit his pale face expressed this strongly a changed man though such was the of their rays that could think they might have expressed sadness or seriousness just as readily if he had had a mind for such an old and deaf lady who was present asked captain what s this we hear about you they say your regiment is the captain s face assumed an aspect of grave even sad concern yes he replied it s too true some younger ladies smiled till they saw how serious he looked when they looked serious likewise said the old lady yes we naturally don t wish to say much about it no no of se not but � how well the � thing as i u call it follows us in quarters or town abroad or at home it s just the same how do you for it h m lowered his voice some crime committed by certain of regiment in past years we suppose dear me how very horrid and singular but as i said we don t speak of it much no no when the was gone a young lady a long suppressed interest asked if the ghost had been seen by any of the town the lawyer s son who always had the latest news said that though it was seldom seen by any one but the themselves more than one and woman had already set eyes on it to his or her terror the phantom mostly appeared very late at night under the dense trees of the town avenue nearest the it was about ten feet high its teeth with a dry naked sound as if they were those of a skeleton and its hip bones could be heard grating in their during the darkest weeks of winter several timid s a changed man persons were seriously frightened by the object answering to this cheerful description and the police began to look into the matter whereupon the appearances grew less frequent and some of the boys of the regiment stated that they had not been so free from ghostly for years as they had become since their arrival in this playing at ghosts was the most innocent of the amusements indulged in by the choice young spirits who inhabited the red brick building at the top of the town bearing w d and a broad arrow its far more serious � relating to love wine cards � were talked of with no doubt more or less of exaggeration that the captain included were the cause of bitter tears to several young women of the town and country is true despite the fact that the of the young men wore a more staring colour in this old fashioned place than they would have done in a large and modem city ii regularly once a week they rode out in marching order returning up the town on one of these occasions the romantic flapping behind each s shoulder in the soft wind captain glanced up at the a mutual nod was exchanged between him and the person who sat there reading the reader and a friend in the room with him followed the troop with their eyes all the way up the street till when the soldiers were opposite the house in which lived that yoimg lady became in the balcony they are engaged to be married i hear said the friend who � and never � 