The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-08-30

| WdiIs Shall WalJs"
"Pray explain, Isaid blandly." "You
will wait until am afraidw
i "Preeisely. We ghosts can not hurt
Ipeople who are not afraid OF us. Our
power is only over the cowardly and su-
perstitlous-that is, over nearly all man
kind. Once man has the pluck to
stand up to Us we are poWerless."
my good triend," replied, ''let us
enjoy each others society without mu-
:ual confessions. l grant all that you
have said. II is very curious and inter
esting. Not, perhaps, quite so horrible
as might have expected, had l known
you were coming, but still-by the way,
you hail from the cemetery close byP
II do. All! villain and traitor, who
put me there? DO; and as 1 was TAX ing
an evening stroll 1 happened to look in
at your window, and saw the man mad
expected and most hoped to see. Hal
nal | shall make it hot Tor that man. So
l Will, too," he added, weakly, after
pause.
Imlde no reply, but went on smoking
as II he had been an ordinary visitor.
"W hen | was In that country ship
trading between Rangoon AID Ca cutta
there, what's the use OF raklng up the
old storyp
"None," I replied. "NOne at all unless
you like"
mo use talking. WHAT'S the good o
talk? Come to that L migut remind you
What went on, you know, at Yokohama.
Emp What you say to thaLW
i have nothing to say to that"
"LOrdl Lufdi Some meu will bra
zen out auythingl And what about the
Hong Kong buslness2 Who promised
whal-teil me that---if some one walked
the plank, and something was thingum-
bobbed-ehW
Here was very serious question. /
only shook my mead.
"ThingumDoDbed," he repeated.
"ScutLIed, you villain! and the coolies
sent to KingdomcomeY And after that
to round upon a man! Why did take
I TO drink? Why did l go of at thirty
six, with rum and water enough to float
King SOlomon's feet. WnyP why!
whyw
"uan't say, Pm sure. Shall we say
good njghLp
"If you are going to bed will go with
you. Man! now PYe caught you, do you
think 1 snail leave your
TDis was pleasant.
shut the windows and went up
stairs. He followed me. L undressed
and got in bed. Once there l shut my
eyes resol1tely and tried to go to sleep.
, This was impossible. Every ten min
utes OF so | 1elt Obliged TO open them.
lie was always standing by the bedside,
grave, stern, and resolute to do me mis-
, chlet, if he could-tt l dretc AFRAID.
You are still hereP / asked wnen
the clock struck two.
IL shall stay here" he added, $50 long
as you stay nere. l shall be with you
day and night. You snail never cease
to feel me with you. L will make sleep
impossible, and l will trouble your busl
ness nours."
There was little sleep for me that
night. Wnen the day broke l dropped
lor half an hour into a heavy uAcon
SC business, awaklng suddenly and with
horror upon me that at first uid not
understand.
rose and dressed. 1t followed my
movements, | saw the specLer now only
wnen 1t came INTO tne sunlight. Then
it was dimly visible, but only, think
to myself. | breaktasted and went int
the city. 1t came with me. 1t sat be-
side me in the train; IL followed me
through the street,; 1T was with me in
my office; it came alter me up the steps
OF my club.
The thing grew maddening. If for.
got it for moment, l heard a Whisp II
in my earl am here" i'll manag d
| 10 uA my dLUGullUu Ou LuG SuUlSCL III
lhand, that accursed voice began TO re
mind me that was neither to sleep nor
TO work, nor TO have any peace for the
res of my natural life.
,"WhaL you have done l shall do-and
worse, shall dog you'll shall haun!
you-l shall make remorse and despair
do for you what you did for her and to
me. will revenge myself and her."
What had | done to him? How was ]
to get rid of this accursed lunatic ghost
By what spell and cnarm could lay
him in the Red Sea.
The full misery Of the thing was ye
, to come.
The specter, in the afternoon seemed
to have left me. | even forgot its exist
ence, and dined ct mlortably. At 8
met my Eleanor, and persuaded her, moi
thinking of what might happen, to look
at some new furniture in what was go NJ
to be our joint house. She came. Notn
ing happened until we went into tne
garden. AS l led her up and down the
walk, her hand in mine, she suddenly
stopped with a cry.
"Alfred, who has been walking alons
, the sand"--tnere was an edglug of rec
sand TO the grayel-''Witn bare ieetH'
Hooked. There were otprints--great
gaunt otprints--parallel with my own
IL knew dL OuCe WudG was RUlHR W nap
} pen, and trembled.
! "Nothing, Nelly; nobody. Who should
walk in bare feet except a carpen er
Let us 60 in."
"AlfredW she cried; "see, they are
falling still, the footprints, as we walk
Take me Intake me awayP
1t was pleasant! The accursed ghost
was setting his long teeL beside mine
| keeping step, 50 that at every football o
mIne there was a new footprint OF his
L bore my girl half faintIng into the
house.
"What was it, Alfred? What was it?
am afraid. And see-see! On! Alfred
-A1red!'
With a cry Of fright she fell fainting
into my arms. Between us and the win.
dow stood revealed that awful figure
in its long white grave clothes, pointing
its long. bony fingers at me, but saying
no word.
} took Eleanor home. l implored her
to keep silence as TO what she had seen.
; soothed and pacitied her. l assured
her that it was fancy-that it was a
trick Of the itnaginaIion-that it was
some schoolboy deyiltry-anything to
keep her quiet. And thus L left her,
and returned, miserable and ma ddened,
TO battle with this demon who had fas I.
ened himself upon me.
10 off in, 1,n; 1 q.