American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-07-08


often also they that see the ghost are
to diei"
"Indeed P Heaven be merciful unto
usi"
81 saw only the trail"
But saw quite near and distinctly.
[ was slumbering-suddeply 1 heard
something rustic. awoke, and saw
the White Lady floating past me!-she
was terribly tall-and dressed just the
same as on her picture in the Knights
Hall yonder-the white silk dress, the
chain, the frill, the gloves in her hand,
the padded sleeves, and the barret with
feathers-God be with us! who is it to
be? Not our most gracious master,
hope. Hank! Isn't there something
stirring in the corridoryonder?- !"
Jasmin pulled the Chamberlain into
his room and slammed the door. He
felt that the Chamberlain in a swoon
was sliding from his arms to the floor,
and, having true servants constitution,
he did likewise.
About the same time the room of the
little Prince was ringing with con-
fused noise. The Baroness and the
nurse were simultaneously startled out
of their DOING by current of air that
extinguished every light in the room.
By the light of the moon, shining softly
through the lace curtains, both of them
saw distinctly the White Lady moving
away from the cradle of the child. Dim
as the moonshine was, they saw (and
later, testified on their oath), that the
ghost was dressed exactly like the por-
trait in the Knights Hall, with the
white silk trail, the red border, the wide
sleeves, the big frill, and the head-dress.
The Baroness and the nurse flew
to each other, shrieking loudly,
and clinging to each other trembling.
Only after the White Lady had disap-
peared behind the door drapery, the
two women recovered their speech.
"La Dame Blanche!" said the Baron
ess, crashing her teeth.
"Whom does it mean?"
"Not the Prince, 1 hope!"
Both approached, hesitatingly, the
cradle-but the child lay there alive,
only it was whimpering piteously. They
cried for light and alarmed the whole
castle. They came and searched with
out being apparently able to detect any
thing.
Next morning the whole residence
knew that the White Lady had appeared
in the castle; and at the same time the
little Prince had taken i'll suddenly dur
ing the night; the flourishing child had
within few hours been turned into a
yellow-faced, sick little thing, whose
features death had altered entirely, a
real changeling.
That evening the ghostly apparition
was the public talk everywhere, even
in the club-room of the "Golden
Duck" There the chief of the district,
Mr.. Felington, the acknowledged Free
thinker of the residence, declared: "All
this talk about the White Lady is sheer
nonsense! The Chamberlain probably
quenched his thirst too freely, and the
groom followed his example. The Bar
oness Larghetto got the heartburn, and
the nurse is hysteric. The White Lady
is nothing but piece of stupidity! You
don't even knew who she really is.
Some say that her name is Perchta OF
Rosenberg, and that she is Bohemian
lady; while others claim her to be q
certain Agnes of Orlamunde, a noble in
fanticide. But we know better the true
meaning of all this. The whole story
has its origin in the mythology of ou1
ancient German forefathers: Frau
Perchta, the white, the brilliant, was
the Goddess of Snow, and her appear.
ance bodies death to the sovereign OF
the world, the Summer, and for this
season.
The learned Free-Thinker was inter
rupted by the host, who with great agi
tation entered the room and cried:
Gentlemen, the White Lady was
right! Just now the little Prince
Ernestus died"
And such was really the case. The
little Duke was dead. The healthy
child of yesterday had faded away sud
denly beyond all comprehension. And
now he lay dead on bed of state, deck
ed with silk and velvet. The pool
Duchess could not endure it. An apo
plectic fit sent her three days later to the
grave, after her child. In her last par
oxysms she had been crying constantly
'sMy child is not dead! 1t was not my
child that died! I do not recognize the
body. They have put dying child in
to the cradle!''
Thus she expired.
The Duke of Gerolstein himself was
so overcome by these events that he
nominated, as his successors, his left
handed step-brothers, the sons of the
Countess of Sauran, and soon after his
life was also extinguished, like burnt
down candle.
The oldest son of the Countess Saurar
succeeded now to the throne. On the
day of investiture, as the old Countess
was walking with long velvet trail
through the corridor of the castle, the
Chamberlain, who just happened to be
in waiting again, soliloquized
ssStrange, how the Dukes mother re.
sembles the Dame Blanche as she ap-
peared to me that night!''
Astonishing the New Cashier.