The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-10-04
u ss e,sss.
WITH A GHOST.

~ '' WITH A GHOST. 's
5-s L,
The situation is this: An unimagin-
alive man Of 30, whose days are spent
in business a new suburban villa - a
bright, sunshiny country; neighbors
Tall round one; and a new cemeteryia
hundred yards distance from the
house -,
To this house and to this man the
ghost came.
And in this wise:
It was in August. I was sitting af-
ter dinner, trying to get sentimental
over my approaching marriage, and
picturing to myself Eleanor in the
easy chair opposite me. The light was
fading, but as my eyes followed the
lines mechanically, and my thoughts
were elsewhere, that mattered little.
Outside the house there was stiffness
extraordlnary-no stirring of the
leaves no breath in the air no voices
from my kitchen; no sounds from the
houses ION either side, which were
locked up, their tenants being at the
seaside; not even the distant bark of
a dog or the distant roll of carriage
to show that there was another living
person in the world beside myself.
Then a curious feeling came over me
I suddenly realized that life may go on
in invisible, intangible forms looked
round me with shudder expected
something. The room became, with.
out warning. distinctly darker !; the
air grew chill 1 felt cold dews stand
upon my forehead. Remember that
up to this moment there was no reason
at all-none whatever-f0r alarm.
Yet I became unaccountably afraid. l
turned to the window for relief, and
there-there saw it for the first time.
It was standing outside the window,
dark shadow, clearly outlined against
the sky colorless, and yet it's draper
les were like white grave.clothes !;
shapeless, and yet, somehow, human
in appearance. And it had a face.
Deep.sunken and lustrous eyes, bright
with phosphoric splendor, showed me
hollow cheeks, lips that trembled as if
with passion, and frowning forehead.
When turned he raised his hand and
shook it at me beneath it's linen folds,
and when, with that singular move
ment remarked by all who have con-
versed and are familiar with ghosts,
"a movement in which the shape
neither glides nor walks, but change
place,-the spectre stood within the
room facing me. I am ashamed to say
that I was frightened.
$50" he said, with an angry glance,
81 have found you at last
made no reply. What was there
to say?
81 have found you at last, have I?
Now have you, what shall do to
you1''
I could only look hopelessly. He
pushed one arm outside the cerements
which covered it-a long, lean arm,
marked with tattoo representing ship
in full sail, surmounted by skull and
cross-bones. He shook his fist excited.
ly in my face. I noticed that the air
| was not stirred by his movements.
1t was odd, too, that I recovered my
courage as soon as he began to thereat-
en-.
His gestures became more threaten.
ing. He repeated twenty times run-
ming the question with which he first
accosted me: ''Now l have found you,
what shall do with you? It seemed,
indeed, as if he could say nothing
more.
"Come,'' I cried at last, "this is
fooling. What do you mean by COM
ing to my house like a mailman
Leave off asking what you will do with
me-. If you are ghost out of his
senses, say so if not, vary the mon
otony by saying something else. Can t
you swear. man? Can't you relieve
nature in the usual manner %
! He grOaned and Wrung his hands.
81 CAN'T he said. cit isn't al
lowed. wish could. What shall I
do with you? What shall do with
you :"
''You have asked me that hundred
times already. Bah you are ghost.
Ghosts can do nothing. used to be-
lieve that they did not exist. Now I
see that they do. But look here.''
took the poker from the fireplace
and passed it through him. hThen
I cut him down like a guardsman at
Waterloo. Then sliced him in t~o
like a soldier at an assault.of-arms.
At each pass of the weapon he ducked,
recoiled, and cried aloud.
''See, you cannot resist. I do what
I like,with you. What can you do in
return -
He raised his hand and struck at my
face. It was as if cold wind blew
upon my cheek. I could not suppress
a shudder. The coldlshiver came across
me. He saw it at once, and sprang at
my throat. To my surprise, what
was before as breath of cold air be.
came tangible. [ felt his cold grasp