, 1873-08-03
SPOOkS.
Some Glimpses Of Ghost-Land.
II Not Supernatural, Mt Least ILL
exp1icnblo.

From Lipjnneaits Magazine FIR Au9nat.
It is no longer tho fashion to- oscon at talea Of tho
On tho contrary thoro Is grow
Ing tondonoy to investigate subjects which were
formerly pooll-poohod by moat persons claiming
to be we'll informed and capable Of reasoning.
It Is, however, without propounling any theory
or advancing any opinion that I rooord foW
instances Of apparently supernatural. ar at loaat
ino1plicnble, ocourroncos / can vonoh for tho |
truth of nearly all tho stories am about to
relate, ono Of thom only not being either my |
personal experience or narratod to me by some !
ono Of tho actora In tho scono.
NY first story Hhall hn ono tint was told to mo
by IN agod lady who was QUO Of tho friends Of
my youth, and who often mentioned this
strange incident Of her placid, yet busy,
lifo. sho WAS sensible, practical woman,
tho Inst porson in the world likoly to bo
led aHsray by m oyorllcatod imagination or
deceived bY halucinnttonH. Hor early youth
bud been passed In tho country, hor father being
wealthy farmer. Sho had formed q close in
timacy with tho daughter Of a gonleman living
Mt Bomo distance from her fathers farm, and tho
two woro seldom apart. An Invitation given to
my friond (whom shall call Mrs. IL to visit
somo relatives In noighboring city caused
brief separation between the two girls, and they
parted with many protestations Of enduring
affection. On tho day appointed for Mrs. L-'s
roturn she sot ont at tho prescribed hour. Tho
lattor part OF hor Journey waa to bo performed
on horseback. On bright sunny afternoon in
Juno sho found horse1f, about o'clock, drawing
road before hor sllo porcoiyeda female form waltz
ing rapidly toward hor, aud, to hor delight,
recognized hor friend coming, aa sho thought, to
moot her. .- -.
toa," was Mrs LIS thought as slo whipped
up her horse in her haste to groot tho dear ono,,
who WAS all tho moro beloved on account OF
their temporary separation. But as slio up
proachod tho figure, and before sho had lad
that her friond looked very pale and i'll. her
horse, IN unusually quiet, steady animal, soomed
struck with suddon terror, roaro1, slliod, md
finally plunged into hollow BY tho roadside
him. Whom she did suacoed in bringing him
back to tho level road, she found, to her aston
ishmont, that tho young girl ilnd disappeared:
Around lor lay tho open folds. before her and
behind her tho road all In tho bright luBtro OF
tho summon nfternoon,-hut no trace Of the
figure could Bho eeo. Completely mystiaod she
hastonod home, thoro to learn that hor friend
had ....--.-
DIED SUDDENLY THAT VERY MORNING,
Tho noxt Incident shall narrate was told mo
by Gormnn gentleman whose mothor WAS tho
heroine Of tho tale. His father had boon ap-
pointed to some public Office In small aerman
town, aud among tho emolumonts Of the place
was the privilege Of residing in q large old
fashioned, but Sory handsome mansion: Tho
husband and wife set off In high spirits to inBpect
their now abode, to which some portion Of their
furniture had already been transferred. They
went from room to room, inspecting and Pian-
ming, till thcy camo to m apartment tho ceiling
of which was o]aboratoIy decorated with plastor
Cupitls, baskets Of flowers, otc, modelled in high
rolicf, and with centre-pioce OF unusual size
| and maguificonco d smail table, tho only arti-
clo Of furniture tho room contained, wns placed
directly ,lndor this ccntre-riece. The young
vito. rather weary OF her researches, was stand
ing beside this tablo, and WAS leaning On it
whilo aho went on talking with hor hus-
baud, when suddenly n loud, tmplprllg voco
callod from down stairB, =" Caroline! Caroline |!
come down to me-comol"
"Who can that bo?" aslsod tho husband in
annhzemcnt. " fastonod all tho doors and Wln~
dova before wo loft the Lover e4:. rooms" ., :.
Again came tue loud call, this time with an nc
| cont of agonized ontreaty: sCaroilnel OH,
| Carolinel como down-do come"
| The young couple hesltatod no longer, but
hustenod down Btairs. Thorc was no one thore::
Doors and windows wore sceurely fastened, end
tho old house looked as solitary aa when thoy
had first entered il. -.
"very strango!" Baid tho gentleman but
now TINT we. are down hero, Caroline, suppose
wo take look at tho garden p SO they salliod
forth to examine that portion Of their new do.
main, but scarcely had thoy entered it whon they
| were startled by q loud crash within'the house:
Looking up, thoy saw volumes Of what appeared
to be smoke issuing from the window OF the
room they had just quilted, and, Tearing that tne
room was on tiro, they quickly returned to It
There was no fro: what had appeared to bs
smoke was only cloud OF dust, for tho massive
and elaborately-ornanlented ceiling had fallen
and tho heavy ,contre:pioco haa crushed to frag
mcnts tho table againat which tho young Wifi
had so lately been leaning. But for the warning
voice
HER DESTRUCTION WOULD HAVE BEEN INEVITABLE
NY informant went on to state that the pieces o.
the shattered table were preserved as eacro<
relics by his parents, md that his mother alwayt
declared TINT sho Ind recognized in tho mystic
rious voice that Of q deaE relative long bofor'
deeeasel. .....-... ........-,
It was once my fortune to pass some weeka Ii
8" haunted house." was quite young then,
mere schoolgirl in fact, and tho friend whom
came to visit WAS nlBo worry young and both oi
un wero too gay and frolicsomo to caro- much fol
whatever WAS strange or startling in our Sur.
rouniings. Not that VIC ever saw anything, IN.
friend herself, tho daughter OF the house, has
never done Ho, but tic sounds wo heard wer'
sufficiently odd and ine1pllcablo to fill us viii