The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-09-23
DAVID ARRETT's GHOST.
(From the Chicago journal. J

David Arrett had a ghost.
As his own peculiar, personal property, il
gradually became a relentless, prosecuting
ghost-a noiseless, shapeless, tireless phantom
floating around him by day and by night, by
sunlight moonlight, gaslight, by light of all
kinds, and ever casting an underlined shadow
across his path, so that his eyes never escaped
the knowledge of its presence. SO long had
this ghost been his close companion that he
looked for it in all places, at first with dread
apprehension, and finally with chilling GER
tainty, and SO by degrees became a man noted
for the strange habit Of suddenly turning his
head to the right OF left or behind him, as if
seeking somebody or something he expected.
vet did not wish to see; and seeing what he
feared, looking away with a shudder This
characteristic made him an odd and marked
person at parties, where he seldom went-in
crowds, which he seemed to seek for relief
or alone on the street. where his head moved
as if on pivot. Not one knew the cause of
these remarkable actions; his friends, charit-
ably disposed toward the afflicted fellow,
called his disease 4 "nervous Affection" and
regarded him with generous pity
SO David Arrett continually struggled
against, yet ever carried about his ghost,
whose shadow, invisible to every one but
himself, froze little by little, his stream Of life,
with its tributary rivulets of hope, faith. gen.
crosity, ambition and love. This was the
mental and physical condition Of a man not
more than thirty-tive years old. Study him
from almost any point. and he was mystery.
He comes back to me from the past as knew
him when we were together in the bank-he
a teller a -keeper-fve long years ago.
forget his crime-if such it were-his punish
ment, his life of torment as eventually knew
it, and finally his relentless prosecutor, the
Phantom always fitting before his eyes. | see
him at the counter man of common height.
his fine auburn hair pushed back from his
forehead, his thin, white, beardless face full
of fine wrinkles, emotionless as marble; his
hazel eyes, frigid with the horror which they
tirelessly gazcd, glance from side to side, or
at the little crowd before his window, while
he mechanically waits upon man after man
Now and then the thin lips close tightly. as if
the body were racked with a sharp pain. and
his long fingers clutch the money with jerk
as if he would tear it into fragments. He
does his work quietly, promptly, without sign
of WEAKNESS, day in and day out, month after
month, growing paler, more gaunt, more
given to reveries, and to the icomprehensible
glance he casts from side to side even while
at work He had no intimate associates, kept
bachelors apartments, and, out of bank,
roved the streets at all times of night, as if
trying to wear his body down to nothing, and
then Slip of the fetters which bound him.
During our two years of labor together in the
bank we had no conversation other than the
ordinary greetings of the day and such infor-
nation or instruction as the business required.
1t was the same with the other clerks; yet
every one liked and ptied him. 1t was the
oldest of odd business companionships. 1t
was often question and study with me how
it would end.
One night we happened to be alone, and he
said to me suddenly, "You have noticed my
queer actions? You have talked about them
with the other clerks at the bank, with people
who knew me?"
Taken by surprise stammered out an awk-
ward admission of the truth of his conjecture.
"You know there must be a cause for them.
That cause | want to give you. am an Eng,
lishman. In England was clerk-a ragged.
starving one, on fifty pounds a year. With
this princely income for support married my
landlady's daughter. She was frail, feeble
little woman, but as pretty as picture. low
ing, confding, thinking no one in the world
equal to her husband She worshpped me-
We were to live with her mother until our
fortunes improved. At the end of year our
wealth had retrograded and we were in debt.
l bitterly realized that way of living would
very soon put me in a debtors prison My
wife's mother was doing very well; she was
able to support us, but | could not endure
even the thought of such charity. After a
week of thinking, my decision was made.
My crime had its inception in my first act |
fled to this country, working my passage My
intention was to secure a situation and rs
soon as it could pay me enough to support
two people then to send for my wife. twas
two years before that happened. Iwrote her,
sending money; it was the first letter since
my fight. waited six menths and no answer
came | said to myself then, either my wife
is dead or she will not live with me, or she is
married again. Wouldn't that be your opin-
ion in such case?"
'Doub:less."
Looking at me sadly, Arrett continued, Il
didn't care whether she came or not''
you're not going to prove yourself a
scoundrel?" I cried, springing to my feet.
'If so save your words. I'll leave now"
''No! MOI You have been very kind,
must confess as well to you as-well, as well
to you as to the police. It's one or the other.
Win YOU listen?" placing his hand gently up
to my face. / sat down. He went to the
window and, as if ashamed to comfort me,
continued his story with his face to the dismal
night.
GAS have said, did not care whether she
did or did not come. was in love again. II
was with Mademoiselle Zula, danseusc at a
Bowery theater | worshipped her for a
mouth-then offered my heart.'
"She cured you of that passion with whole
some physic, I'll warrant" exclaimed,
"She laughed at me numerically for a
quarter of an hour 'Arrett, she said, as
stood in the door to go, and pulling my ears
as if were a child, 'Arrett, you couldn't keep
me in Sweet Pea, Jockey Club, ETC., for a
month. You're crazy and-looking me an
grily in the eye-you're married already and
she pushed me gently out of the room. The
next morning started for this place. hadn't
been here a week, in fact had only the day
before obtained a situation, when / received
letter-from my wife. She was on her way
to America. Ny letter had just reached her
and she was hurrying to me. Now, Sir.
what do you think did?"
"You hurried to meet her in New York >
Il had spent all my money and could not
afford to give up my clerkship, which had a
large salary
You wrote to her to come to you?"
81 did not"
"You're villain, them"
81 know it. do not become anpry at this