The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-09-09

L made no reply, but went on smoking as If
he had been an ordinary visitor.
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. unless
you like"
sNo use talking. What's the good of talk
Come to that, 1 might remind you what
went on, on. you know, at Yokohama, eh
What do you say to that?"
II have nothing to say to that"
Lord Lord Some men will brazen out
anything! And what about the Hong KONG
business? Who promised what-tel me
that-if some one walked the plank, and
something was Dgumbobbed-eh ?"
Here was very serious question. 1 only
shook my head.
"Thing umbobbed," he repeated. "Scut-
tied, you villain! and the coolies sent to
upon a man! Why did 1 take to drink
Why did 60 off at thirty-six, with rum and
water enough to float King Solomon's feet ?
Why? why? why?"
''Can't say, am sure. Shall we say good
| night?n
'.It you are going to bed I will go with you.
Man! now Pve caught you do you think !
shall leave you?"
This was pleasant.
l shut the windows and went up stairs.
| He followed me. l undressed and got into
bed. Once there shut my eyes resolutely
| and tried to go to sleep. This was impos-
| sible. Every ten minutes or so l felt obliged
to open them. He was always standing by
| the bedside, grave, stern and resolute to do
me mischief, if he could if grew afraid.
'You are still here?" asked, when the
| clock struck 2.
Il shall stay here," he added, $50 long as
| you stay here. shall be with you day and
night. You shall never cease to feel nae
with you. 1 will make sleep impossible, and
will trouble your business hours"
There was little sleep for me that night.
When the day broke I dropped for half a
hour into heavy Inconsistencies, awaking
suddenly and with horror upon me that at
| first 1 did not understand.
rose and dressed. 1t followed my move
| ments. saw the spectre now only when ii
| came into the sunlight. Then it was dimly
visbly, but only, think to myself break
| tasted and went into the city. 1t came with
me. 1t sat beside me in the train; it fol-
lowed me through the streets; it was with
| me in my office; it came after me up the
steps of my club.
The thing grew madenning If I forgot it
for moment l heard whisper in my ear
81 am here" If managed to fix my atten-
voice began to remind me that was neither
| to sleep nor to work, nor to have any peace
| for the rest of my natural life.
'What you have done 1 shall do-and
worse. shall dog you; 1 shall haunt you
| I shall make remorse and despair do for you
what you did to her 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 charm could lay him forever
in the Red Sea?
The full misery of the thing was yet 10
come.
The spectre in the afternoon seemed to
have left me. even forgot its existence
| and dined comfortably. At s I met my
| Eleanor, and persuaded her, not thinking Of
what might happen, to look at some new fur
niture in what was going to be our joint
house. She came. Nothing happened until
we went into the garden. As led her up
| and down the walk, her hand in mine, she
| suddenly stopped with cry.
"Alfred, who has been walking along the
| sand"-there was an edgDg of red sand to
| the gravel-"with bare feet?''
l looked. There were footprints-greai
gaunt otprnts-parallel with my own.
knew at once what was going to happen, and
trembled.
Nothing, Nelly; nobody. Who should
walk in bare feet except carpenter? Let
us 60 in.''
''Afred!' she erie /, 'see, they are falling
still, the footprints-as we walk. Take me
Intake me awayP'
1t was pleasant! The accused ghost was
| setting his long feet beside mine, keeping
step, so that at every football OF mine there
was new footprint of his. I bore my girl
half fainting into the house.
'What was it, Alfred? What was il? ]
am afraid. And see, see! Oh! Alfred-Al-
| fredp
With cry of fright she fell faiuting into
my arms. Between us and the window
| 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, implored her to
| keep silence as to what she had seen. !
soothed and pacified her. assured her that
it was fancy-that it was trick of the i'm
| aginatiOn-that it was some school boy devil.
| try-anything to keep her quiet. And thus
| l left her, and returned, miserable and mad
dened, to battle with this demon who had
fastened himself upon me.
| He was sitting in my chair, with his abom-
nable head, as usual, in his hand.
II allow you to 60 away with the GIRL"
he said, because 1 do not wish to do her
any harm. But she shall never marry you
remember that. ''WretchP' he rose from
the chair and approached me with threaten,
ing gestures-"wretchl Was it not enough
to interfere between me and her. You try
to murder the happiness of another innocent
| girl! Can you ruthlessly-"
| "Good heavens. l cried, almost beside
myself with rage. ''What have I done to
you, devil or lunatic, that you should perse-
cute me in tlis way?"
"He asks me what he had donei Think
| of Madagascar, villain of the deepest dive,
Think of San Francisco, pirate and crimp.
Think of the Liverpool docks and Polly. Joe
Kirby-Joe Kirby, you were always as brazen
liar as ever stepped, but I did not think you
wOnld brazen it out to me-"
A thought struck me.
You call rue Joe Kirby. l am not Joe
Kirby at all. l never heard of any Joe Kir-
by"
He laughed.
eff you are not Joe Kirby" he said, 81
will eat my hat-I mean of course"
"Come, this is triling. 1 say that you
mistake me for some one else. What makes
you think me Joe Kirby?'
because you are"
"Nonsense. How long since you saw Joe
Krbyw
''Ten years."
'..What was he like when he left you?'
&hdSh tuC cduC Observation-Disclosures
look, reddish hair, stumpy figure, fat cheeks,
just like yourself"
clad this devil of Joe Kirby any
marks?"
'Tattoo marks like mine, on the right arm.
did him mean Joe. He did me-"
drew up my shirt and showed him nv
arms, white and free from any tattoo mark
at all.
He was stupefed.
''Well-Pm-no-''m dashed. And you
amt Joe Kirby at all? Lord! Lord! what a
fool you must have taken me for"
II did,"
"And me to 60 and let out all the little Sc
crets. Mate, you hold your tongue about
that Yokohama business"
81 never thought much of ghosts" I said.
GLOW shall think still less Of them"
GO on" he said, ego On let me have it."
"Why couldn't you ask, before you came
laundering into house with your Internal
long white sheet? Why couldn't you put the
question before you began %
''Why, indeed?" he echoed. Look here,
mate,Pm very sorry for this little mistake-I
am, indeed. And frightening the young lady
and all. What shall do now to make things
square again?"
stDo? What can Won do Init on rioht