The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-06-27

ner-au WeTt tuOSc VI Ills hiohes. ~
man felt again ashamed to hint his sus,
picions so he determined to put bold
face on it and accompany the other into
the street. -.
Before they had gone far he himself
learnt to despise his own fears so
thoroughly did the easy and straight
forward talk of the one at his side as
sure him that this time it was no tricky
| phantom but real, living man and
brother" beyond doubt. Still, he re-
| Trained from mentioning the incident OF
an hour before, lest he should be laughed
at or disbelieved.
They passed the open place, the plane
tree. and reached the bath. To their
| surprise-Osman's mt least-its door
stood wide open, and the entrance hall
was fully lighted up yet no one APP
peared to removing within; the head bath
| keepers accustomed place was empty !;
nor did any attendants come forward to
meet them. But the bathing wrappers,
towels, and other requisites were al
ready put out some hung up, some
folded in their proper places every
thing was neatly arranged and fit for
use. "They must have got the bath in
order, and then, finding that nobody
came, have turned in again for a nap"
said Osman's companion. Well, till
some one awakes, we had best change
our dress, and make ourselves comfort
able, for the meantime, in the heating
room.
Osman agreed, and the two exchanged
their out-of-doors dress for the costume
ordinary In an Eastern bath, consisting
of very toga-like wrappers, and went
| into the large vaulted inner room, which
was also lighted up and ready warmed.
Here they lay down on the raised stone
dais against the wall, with dome-like
roof some twenty or twenty-five feet
overhead, and the lamp hanging down
from it in the center.
While they thus reclined at esae,
waiting till either q servant or some
other bather like themselves should en-
ter, Osman, who had now no doubts in
his mind as to the real and bodily iden-
tity of his companion, could not resist
the temptation of recounting to him the
previous adventure of the night. SO he
told him he had been awakened and be-
guiled out of doors by phantom exact
ly resembling in voice and shape the
friend now beside him, and how they
had almost arrived at the bath, when the
spectre betrayed itself for what it really
was by the portentious feat already de-
scribed. The other listened without
interrupting the story i'll apparent aston
ishment, till, as the narrator concluded:
$50, he subjoined, I" it hung the Ian
tern it was carrying on the top of the
big minaret, did it a.? Do you think he
could have managed this ?" and with
these words he lifted leg and foot,
which suddenly heightened out as the
arm had done before, and with kick
struck the very highest point of the CEN
trail vault above them, scattering to
pieces the lamp where it hung.
Osman leapt up terrified, as well he
might be, and found himself alone in
pitch darkness, for every light i'll the
bath had been instantaneously extin-
guished. However, as he had often
been in the building before, and was
thoroughly well acquainted with it, he
managed, i'll spite of his trepidation, to
find his way to the door, in bathing
costume as he was, into the open air,
leaving his own clothes, which he did
not venture to search after, behind him
IN the entrance room.
But as he crossed the open space be-
tween the coffee-house and the bath he
looked back, and to his horror saw the
dim and distant top of the minaret with
in the fortress once more lighted up by
the spectral lantern hanging there.
Chill and trembling he at last got back
to his own house. There he found his
wife asleep; and much was she sur
prised when he awoke her to see him so
quickly returned, and in such a strange
attire. He now made clean breast of
it, telling all that had happened to him
that night from first to last, and adding
that when the day was up he would re-
turn to the bath and fetch his clothes
from where he had left them.
But hardly had he finished his nara
ton, when, to the alarm of both, the
same rap that had been heard before
was repeated outside. Osman's wife,
naturally enough, entreated her husband
to pay no attention to it. But, like
Tam-o' -Shanter in a similar case, he
would not take advice.
All, gentle danes it gaes me greet,
To think how monte counses sweet,
How monte heightened, sage advices
The husband frae the wife despises
But to our tale. Osman, who was by
no means coward, and whose metal
was now fairly up, swore that he would
see the matter out to the end besides,
added he, the dawn must now be near,
and it could hardly be phantom again
this time. So he got up, went, in bath
ing apparel as he still was, to the house
door, and opened it. Sure enough,
there stood his friend or what seemed
his friend, waiting. "What is the mat
ter with you," asked the figure, "that
you stare so at me? And how came
you in such dress? "My own wear
ing clothes are at the bath, " replied the
man and forthwith proceeded to give
an account of all he had seen that night,
and how he had been twice spectre
tricked, thinking to himself, Z" If this
time it be a phantom, too, like the
others, I may as well provoke it to show
its true character at once, before we 60
further" But his friend, on hearingal
this, expressed the utmost establishment.
"Me," he said, "why, have only this
minute left my house, and l was going
quietly myself to the bath, when it oc-
Cured to me that 1 might as well pass
by your door and take the chance of
calling you up, in case you might not be