American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-09-02

cut him down like a guardsmen at
Waterloo. Then sliced him in two
| like a soldier at an assaulted arms.
At each pass of the weapon he ducked,
recoiled, and cried aloud.
| " See, you can not resist. l do what
like with you. What can you do in
return 2'' J..
He raised his hand and struck at my
rface. 1t was as if cold wind blew upon
my check. l could not repress shud-
der. The old SILVER came across me.
He saw it at once. and sprang at my
| throat. To my surprise, what was be-
| fore as a breath Of cold air became tan
gible. l felt his cold grasp with his
long, bony fingers at. my throat. His
face, close to mine, was filled with an
eager longing for revenge. His lurid
eyes glared at mine. His teeth glisten-
ed in the twilight. 1t was but for a mo-
ment that was afraid. Then rallied
my courage, sprang upright, and looked
my spectral enemy in the face. AS
looked the tangibility of his fingers
weakened, the tightness of his grasp re-
Taxed, and his look changed from one
of triumph to that of baffled rage. Then
he fell back sullenly, and threw himself
into an easy chair, glaring round the
room.
81 never allow any one but myself"
said, "to occupy that chair. 1t is
mine. Please take another.''
He changed chairs Immediately.
evil this do?"
1t was one next to mine. begged
him to take one on the other side of the
fireplace, which he did at once. Then
I sat down and surveyed the situation.
I was alone, save an old woman, my
temporary factotum, in the kitchen.
The people in the houses round were
now all away for their holidays. l had
a ghost, presumably a lunatic of a dan
gerous kind, under my roof. 1t was
impossible to get rid of him, unless he
chose to go. You can not push, kick,
or throw a ghost out of window or
door; you can not lock him in one room
while you go to sleep in another; you
can not shut yourself up in your bed
room and defy him; above all, you
never,know what tricks he may be at.
Thinking OF thesethings, became con-
scious of another access of terror
slighter this time. My guest, however,
perceived it, and in twinkling was on
me again, with his skeleton fingers
round my throat. 1 shook him off;
that is, I regained my presence of
mind, and he covered back to his seat,
where he sat, his head on his arm, and
his long white clothes clinging to his
limbs, sight never to be forgotten
"Pray tell me what it MEANS" 1 said.
sit means that if you were afraid of
me, would throttle you like dog. 1t
means that 1 am sitting here waiting
for the moment when you will realize
who and what 1 am; the injuries you
have done me, the wickedness of your
life, the loneliness of your position, and
your presence with another world.
Ha! ha! see it coming! Your nerves
won't stand me another quarter of an
hour, and then I shall seize you by the
windpipe, and squeeze, squeeze, the
life-blood out of youl"L =
Presently he went on again:
"You will have to go to bed soon.
You can not sit up all night.''
"How long can you stay here?''
GAS long as please. Ho! no! no!
L can be with you, now 1 have found
you, morning, noon and night. When
you are nicely in your bed, shall be
sitting by the bedside, waiting for a
moments weakness When you are
at your Office in the city, shall be at
your elbow, waiting to find you off your
guard. At dinner I shall be behind
you. You will not escape me. Sooner
or later you will be afraid. The time
will come. I shall wait. 1 shall
watt
spray explain,'' 1 said blandly.
I" You will wait until I am afraid?''
"Precisely. We ghosts can not hurt
people who are not afraid of US. Our
power is only over the cowardly and
superstitious is, over nearly all
mankind. Once a man has the pluck
to stand up to us, we are 'powerless."
"My good FRIEND" 1 replied, "let
us enjoy each others society without
mutual confessions. 1 grant all that
you have said. It is very curious and
interesting. Not, perhaps, quite so
horrible as might have expected, had
1 known you were coming, but still
by the way, you hail from the cemete-
ry close by?
81 do. All! villain and traitor! who
put me there? do; and as was tax
ing an evening invisible stroll, I hap
pened to look in at your window, and
saw the man had expected and most
hoped to see. Ha! hal 1 shall make it
hot for that man. So 1 will, too," he
added, weakly, after a pause.
1 made no reply, but went on smok-
ing, as if he had been an ordinary Wis
itor.
"When l was in that country ship,
trading between Rangoon and Calcutta
there, what's the use of raking up the
old story?'
,"None," replied. "None at all, un-
less you ike.''
"No use talking. What's the good
Of talkP Come to that, might remind
you what went on, you know, at Yoko-
hama Eth! What do you say to that?"