The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-07-25


listened intenSly, but heard nothing.
save the beating Of his own heart.
He said to himself, eft is all mere
imagination" and again endeavored
to compose kimseIf, and think of,
something else. He laid his. Head
once more upon the pillow, and then
he distinctly heard, for the first time,
the Majors well-known step. It was
not matter to be mistaken about.
The ferulef sound, the pause1for the
foot, the sound again, measured in,
its return, as If all were again in Life.
He heard it first upon the piazza,
heard It approach, pass through the
door from the piazza into the centre
apartment, and there it seemed to
pause; as if the figure of the depart
ed were standing on the other side of
that open door, in the room it had
so lately occupied.
l. Gordon arose. He went to the
window that opened upon the piazza,
and looked out. Phe night was very
beautiful; the moon had gone down;
the sky was of the deepest azure, and
the low dash. of the. waves upon the
rocks ut the foot of the bluff was the
only thing that engaged his notice,
except the extreme brightness and
lucidity of solitary star, that traced
its glitteringp pathway of light toward
him, across the distant waters of the
ocean. ALI else was still and repose-
full. cit is very remarkable" said
be; ''I could have sworn I heard iti''
He turned towards the door that
stood open between the two rooms
The Majors apartment was darkened
by the shutters being closed, and he
could distinguish nothing inside it.
He wished the door were shut, but
felt repugnance at the idea of clos
ing it; and while he stood gazing into
the dark room, the thought of being
IN the presence of disembodied
spirit rose in his mind; and though
Il brave man, he could not immedi-
ately control the bristling sensation
of terror that began to possess him.
He longed for the voice of any living
being; and though for a moment the
idea of ridicule deferred him, he de-
termined on calling up the officer
who occupied the other apartment.
He passed out on to the piazza,
and as he approached the other ex-
tremity of the building, the sentinel
on duty, perceiving him, presented
arms.
''Have You been long stationed
here?" said Capt. Gordon.
''Half-an-hcur," was the reply.
did you-did you happen to see
any one on the piazza during that
time?"
''I did not
Gordon returned at once to his
room, vexed with himself for having
been the sport of an illusion of his
own brain. He closed his door and
window, and went 10 bed.
He was now thoroughly awake, and
had regained, as he believed, entire
possession of his faculties. INV
old comrade," he said to himself,
''what could he possibly want of me?
We were always friends; why should
l have dreaded to meet him, even if
such an event could possibly be?"
A moment or two after these thoughts
had passed through his mind, how
ever, he was almost paralyzed with
dread by the recurrence of the same
weu-known step, that now seemed
pacing the dark and tenantless apart
ment! Appalled, at the sound. he
exclaims:
'.In the name of God, Hamilton,
is thai you?"
A voice from the threshold of the
communicating door addressed him
IN tones that sank deeply into hissoul:
Gordon, listen, but do not speak
to me. In ten days you will apply
for furlough; it Will not be granted
to You. You will renew the applica-
ton in three weeks, and then it will
be successful. Stay no longer in
Scotland than may be necessary for
the adjustment of your affairs. Go
to London. Take lodgings at No.
=, Jermyn street. You will be
+ shown into IN apartment looking
into q garden. Remove the panel
from above the chimney-piece, and
you will there find papers which es-
tablish the fact of my marriage, and
will give yoa tho address cf my wife
and son. Hasten, for they are in
deep distress. and these papers will
establish their rights. Do not forget
mer'
Capt. Gordon did not recoIlect how
long he remained in the posture in
which he had listened to the spirit of
| his IeDorte1 friend. b,,t uLa,, bo