The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-08-10


suit Your Excellency.'
| "'Why not 9
- 1t is too large and chilly
IS there fireplace in it p
| -Oh; yes, it is in the picture gallery
put Your ExcellenCs would do tnuch bet
ter to proceed half league further, where
81 am exhausted interrupted the
! Count, piqued by the old mans evident re
luctance, and insist up,j;, having a fire
built in the picture-gallery; aud sleeping
there to night
81 pray Your Excelency not to insist,
oecause", because-, in Short the
gallery is haunted y
=" is that all, my good old friend :? laugh
ed the Count Il have often desired to meet
| a ghost, and consider myself qui in luck;
so let your wife cook me comfortable
supper, and do you build me a roaring
fire.
1.-The old man was forced to obey, though
sorely against his will, and he did so NUT
teriug, with fears and regrets. In short
time he was ready. The gallery had been
originally a very handsome apartment, but
the pictures had all been removed, and the
dIscolored, denuded walls, with here and
| there a tarnished frame. made it dreary
enough. A large, old fashioned India
| screen, relic Of former magnificence, was
drawn around the fire and there, within IA
placed the Counts bed aud table with mis-
| supper. have forgotten to say that lie
| was not entirely alone, being accompanied
by large and ferocious English bull-terrier
namen Bob, whom he considered iuure than
match for any German ghost, and on
| whom, to tell the truth, I've rather relied for
discovering what he believed would prove
| an imposition.
"The supper good and the cheerful
| warmth of the fire, together with the IA
tigues of the day disposed hin, to fall asleep
at the table. He was fast becoming un-
conscious when the growing o: his dog
| suddenly reused him. He started from his
chair and looked round nothing was to
be seen, but the H,e had sunk to embers
! and the room rapidly becoming cold.
| tie raked the Goals together, put On some
more logs and settled himself to another
easy doze. Again the dog gave token of
| uneasnesS again he rallied his senses and
peere0 into the long, gloo,ny room. This
| tine he SAW something. AT the very end
nf the gallery he perceived r whitlsh mist
or cloud without shape (; he watched it,
and after a few moments that this
gauzy mist seemed slowly advancing up the
room. He called out. 'Who is there9'
| No answer was returned, while the mist
| slowly, steadily advanced and a sensa: ion
of intense cold, like n sharp wind, appeared
TO precede the progress of the cloud. You
do not answer he SAID then ] viii set
my dog you. AT him, Bob : Bob
rushed at the cloud. but had no sooner
reached it than he suddenly returned To his
master, his tail between his legs, and Nhin-
ing with fear.
..The Count thought this curious, but
| was not alarmed. The cloud advanced, the
cold Increased, and a second time lie made
the dog dash at the unknown adversary,
though with manifest reluctance on the
part of the animal - leave his masters
side. Again Bob ran whining back, his
hair standing erect with fear and his tail
between his legs.
| "And still the white cloud glided toward
| him, and the sensation of cold became in
tense. The dog would noS stir, the
Count took him by the neck aud threw him
at the appearance. The third time lie
| rushed back shaking with he vehemence
of his terror, and crouched under the
farthest side of the bed. The Count was
| now fairly frightened, so he jumped INTO
! bed all dressed and pulled the covers over
his head, while the lasg thing he saw was
this cloud close upon him and he was con
scious of = deadly cold that chilled him to
| the bone.'N
'N ell,' said the American lady" "is
that all f? What else did he do ?''
my dear young lady" said the Russian,
"that is all, and, III the Count place, You
would probably have considered it amply
sufficient to give what you Americans call
| a realizing sense Of a ghost. He lay still
till the morning, and confessed to me that
he never before or stree bad passed
comfortable a night. The terror came
upon him suddenly and was overpowering;
| his reputation for bravery was well enough
established to allow him frankly To confess
that he had been horribly frightened.
II don't attempt tu account for anything
in the story. but simply relate 1t as my
friend told it to me. If you feel dis
| / n
friend assured me was a personal experience
of his own"
We were unanimous in requesting anoth-
| er dose of horrors, we we've beginning TO
feel the orthodox shiverinv that makes
ghost story so effective and half induces
one to believe that n phantom is standing
| by ones side Invisible
trhis story is not very terrible, F" he said.
'.but is curious as being sort of warning
captain lt---nH was a gay Russian
officer, who had no particular religion. but
went To the Greek Church, because in St.
Petersburg Ger ain observances are expect
ed Of the army He was intimate with
Captain K, who. though by no means
"a religious man, was more strict, and occa-
sonally endeavored ." persuade Captain
R-off to pay more attention to the rules
, of the Church. Some quarrel in a cafe over
game Of cards with an Austrian officer
led TO a duel on ks part and R-aof
was one of bis seconds. k----- fell, NOR
tally wounded, aud expired on the field,
AS he was dying he gave his watch to his
friend, saying, This is my last gilt to yon,
dear R--off and l beg you to keep it
with extreme care, not only for my sake,
, but for your own Let nothing persuade
YOU either TO sell or give it away, and if
YOU should be so unfortunate as to lose 1t
Won must watch your actions with fearand
trembling for the twenty four hours imme
dia ely following the discovery Of the loss.
Let no tempta ion induce you to CON nit
The slightest siu du ing that time, and be
careful not to run into any danger because
-. Here the blood bubbled up into
poor ks mouth, and in few moments
all was over.
'R---off took the watch, and for the