The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1867-10-23
A GHOST STORY.

The following is simple narrative, taken
down in short hand from the lips of the mar
rator He is man now getting on in years,
who, distrustful Of all other peoples expert
ence verging on what we impertinently term
the supernatural, scarcely even ventures to
believe his own. As IA statement at first hand
of an appearance testified to by the narrator,
and corroborated by his wife, both living, it
has seemed to me, while simply TRANSFERRING
the notes, to possess an interest often wanting
in more artistic stories of artificial manufac-
ture. go
Ny wifes sister, Mrs. NJ, was left widow
at the age Of thirty FIVE, with two children,
Of whom she was passionately fond. She car
red on the Diapers business at Bognor,e es-
tablshed by her husband. Being still a very
handsome woman, there were several suitofs
for her hand The only favored one among
them was Mr. Barton My whenever liked
this Mr. Barton, and made no secret of her
feelings to her sister, whom she frequently
told that Barton only wanted to be master of
the little haberdashery shop in Bognor He
was man in poor circumstances, and had no
other motive in his proposal of marriage, SO
my wife thought, than to better himself s1'
On the 23d of August 1884, Mrs. M. ar
ranged to go with Mr.. Barton to picnic par
ty at Goodwood Park, the seat. Of the Duke
Of Richmond, who had kindly thrown open
his grounds to the public for the day. My
wife, little annoyed at her going out with
this man, told her she had much better remain
at home to look after her children and attend
to the business Mrs. NJ, however, bent on
going made arrangements about leaving the
shop, and got my wife to promise to see to
her little girls while she was away "a y '..s.vt
I The party set out in four-wheel phaeton
witha pairiof ponies driven by Mrs. NJ, and
gig for which | lent my horse iiid = s..is
Now we did not expect them to come back
till nine or ten O'clock, at any rate. men
ton this, particularly, to show thatssthere could
be no expectation Of their earlier return in
the mind of my wife, to account for what fol
lows. ...5.,a Y,.. t,eel TEX
Al 6 o'clock that bright summers evening
my wife went out into the garden to call the
children. Not finding them, she went :, all
round the place in her search till she. came
to the empty stable; thinking that they might
have run in there to play, she pushed open
the door; there, standing in the darkest cor
ner, she saw Mrs NJ. My wife was .surpris-
ed to see her, certainly, for she did not ex-
pect her return so soon; but, oddly enough
it did not strike her as being singular to see
her there Vexed as she had felt with her
all day for going, and rather glad in her wo-
mans way, to have something entirely differ
ent from the genuine casus beH to hang a
retort upon, my wife said, well Harriet,
should have thought another dress would have
done quite as well for your picnic as that
best black silk you have on" Ny wife was
the elder Of the twain, and had always as
sulmed little air Of counsellor to her sister
Black silks were thought a great deal more
Of at that time than they are just now, and
silk Of any kind was held particularly incon
sistent wear fora Wesleyan Methodist, to which
denomination we belonged.
| Receiving no answer, my wife said, Cob
4 we'll Harriet, if you can't take word OF re
proof without being sulky, Til leave you tf
YOURSELF and then came into the house tf
tell me the party had returned and that she
had seen her sister in the stable, not in the
best of tempers. At the moment it did not
seem extraordinary tome that my wife should
have met her sister in the stable. 7*''-' +'.'
| Il waited doors some time, expecting
them to return my horse Mrs. M. was my
neighbor, and living so close, and being. al
ways on friendly terms, wondered that none
| Of the party had come in to tell us aboutithe
! davis pleasure. II thought would just rui
in and see how they had got on. 10 my
great surprise, the servant told me they hae
not returned [ began then to fell anxiety
about the result Ny wife, however, having
seen Harriet in the stable, refused to believe
| the servants assertion, and said therewas nj
doubt of their return, but that they hac
probably left word to say that they were. not
come back, III order to offer a plausible, ex
cuse for king further drive, and OBTAINING
1 nv horse for another hour or So fig 'il
I At eleven O'clock, Mr.. Pinuock, my broth
er-inglaw, who had been one Of the party
came in apparently much agitatcd.. As sool
| as she saw him. aud before he had time tt
| speak ,my,wife seemed to know what he hac
to say. .sisf 753s.e ssa
| "What is the natter she sa' d. Some
thing has happened to Harriet, kuow!' !
I ss:Yes,", replied Mr.. Pinnock. IF yol
1 wish to see her alive, you must come with MT
directly to Goodwood."
| From what he said, it appeared that one
of the poniesshad never been properly broker
| in, That the man from whom the turnout wa
hired, for the day, cautioaed j Mrs M. respect
4 ing It before they started; and that he hae
lent it reluctantly, being the only pony Il
! match.he had in the stable at the time, ant
\ would not have lent itat all'had henet know
Mrs. NJ. to be a remarkably good whip. Or
reaching Goodwood, it seems, the gentlemen
I Of tie party had got out, leaving the ladies t
take drive round the park in the phseton
I One or both. Of the ponies smust,hayea takcl
fright ,atlsomethipg in the road for Mrs, N
| had scarcely taken, the reins when the ,po!nie
SHE'D. Had there been plenty Of room sh
| would readily mastered the difficulty, but
7 was IN anarrow road, where a gate had FOB
4 structed the way sSomeimen rushed.to opel
I the, gate :; too Late The three other ladie
Jumped out at the beginning Of the accident
but Mrs. NJ. still held on to the reins, seek
;,,. 10 noptral her nonIeS until finding it, wa