The true northerner., 1872-01-19


there, and turning as | reached the end
of the block, she stood there still but
oh, horror by her side stood again that
gloomy, fantastic shape, with high
crowned hat and dusty cloak, tossing
its arms about, and actually capering
with CHASTITY jollity AS | gazed, hor-
ror-stricken, the door opened, and she
passed in and disappeared; and the
mysterious figure, turning toward me,
took off its hat with a flourish, and
made me low mock obeisance then,
with a parting wave of the hand, 1t
stalked in after her. | knew that 1t
and would meet again but something
in my heart told me that had seen the
last of Alice Hammill.
"After reached home, | found that
my recollection of the weird figure,
though vivid enough, seemed more
like the memory of dream than of a
reality. Having escaped from its inn
mediate influence, | persuaded myself
it must be some extraordinary mental
or optical delusion and | went to bed,
resolved TO see whether a good nights
rest would not aid in dispelling it.
and strong, and determined to see Miss
Hammill at once, tell her all my fears
and fancies, and prove to myself and
her that it was all wretched deluslon.
So, having eaten hearty breakfast at
the Fifth Avenue Hotel, | set off, and
in quarter Of an hour stood on the
doorstep. | rang the bell, and the SER
want appeared.
al want to see Miss Hammill. Is
she in p
"'Yes, SIR returned the man but
she's very bad with the headache, and
can't see no one. The doctor says as
how she's out of her head, SIR
{" Do you mean to say she's insaneY
cried |, with a terrible throb of my
heart.
"'Not just that, sir replied he but
he says she must be kept quite quiet,
sir, for several days, and, more espe-
cially, not see any one she cared for,
SIR
" l turned away, sick at heart, and at
that moment felt again that nameless,
creeping chill, as if some unholy thing
had brushed past me. Impelled by a
dark foreboding, | looked down the
street, and there, standing clearly de-
fined in the crisp winter sunlight, | saw
the Thing again."
"What this very morning?" gasped
|, half expecting to see the grisly
phantom rise up between us. "Oh, not
this very morning, Browne?" But it
was no use.
"This morning" repeated Browne,
"about eleven o'clock. II stood there
beckoning to me impatiently, as if to
follow 1t. 1t stamped its foot impe-
r;ously, and pointed down the avenue.
And all at once a wild passion took pos
session of me. There stood the Thing
that had destroyed my happiness,
blighted ny love, perhaps purposed to
deprive mo of life itself. Ny whole
soul rose up in hatred and defiance. I
burned to rush after 1t and grapple with
1t, though death should be the forfeit
of the struggle. | did not care for
death, if | might have revenge. And
there 1t still stood, beckoning TO
me. sprang down the steps, and then
a CHASTITY chase began"
"Good gracious, Browne' exclaimed
/, piteously; "you don't mean to say
you ran after It?' But he did not hear
mel don't think he knew | was in the
room-so absorbed was he in the recol-
lection of his dreadful adventure.
"The figure stalked on in front of
me,n said he, "with long, easy strides,
once in a while cutting the most gro
tesque capers, fiinging out its legs, and
hourishing its arms abroad. 1t was al
ways about sixty yards ahead, and |
found it impossible to lessen the dis
tance. But the faster | walked, the
better pleased 1t seemed to be, skipping
with frantic glee along the frozen pave
ments, and ever and anon half turning
round to motion me onward still more
rapidly. Stop | could not was drawn
onward by an irresistible power that no
will of mine could modify or overcome.
But | had no desire to pause; my own
heart drove me like a goad.
"On we rushed Canal street was
passed; the City Hall was left behind
and at last the railing of Trinity Church
yard appeared, with the clustering
groups of time e.worn grave-stones behind
it. And then the strain that had been
drawing me onward ceased at once, like
the swapping of cord, and | realized
for the first time how weak and exhaust
ed was. But still staggered onward:
would see the end, though already
half suspecting what it was to be.
4" reached the gate of the graveyard
and looked through the bars into the
enclosure; and there, sitting on gray,
crumbling head stone, leaning with its
head on its hands and its elbows
on its knees, | saw 1t for the last
time. 1t looked at me with an awful
leer; a sombre shadow fell about 1t,
which the cheerful sunshine could not
penetrate; but the eyes Of the mysteri-
Gus figure emitted dusky, phosphores.
cent glare, Illuminating its features with
a pale, unnatural light. The face was
that of corpse already mouldering in
to its native earth, and as / looked 1t
seemed gradually to crumble away the
shadow grew duskier, until only the
phosphorescent gleam was visible; then
too that faded an icy gust swept through
the church-yard, and heard the clock
strike noon."
AS Browne concluded he sank back
in a chair, and began to shiver as if in an
aguefit. At such moment all personal