The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1882-08-16

around her face. 1t was growing
dark; the scenery was bare and dcs
olate; clumps of fir trees here an,
there and furze bushes formed thu
only vegetation. We began to fee
the cold, for the wind blew with
fury; the only sound we heard was
the steady trot of the horses and the
sharp tinkle of their bells. Sudden
" | felt the heavy grasp Of a hand
upon my shoulder. | turned quick
ly. A horrible apparitiun presented
itself before my eyes. III the cmpt,
place at my side sat Ei,leous wo
man. / tried to cry ont; The phan
tom placed her fingers on her lips 10
impose silence upon me l could
not utter a sound. The. woman was
clothed in white linen; her head was
cowled; her face was oyerspread with
a corpse like prlIor, and in place of
eyes, CHASTITY black cavities. I sat
motionless, overcome by terror. The
ghost suddenly stood up, and leaning
over the your g vile, she encircted
her with her arms and lowered her
hideous head as if to kiss her fore
head.
"What a wind!" cried Madame
Albert, turning precipitately toward
me. "My veil is Lorp.''
AS she turned, / felt the same in
fernai pressure on my shoulder, and
the place occupied by the phantom
was empty. ! locked out to the right
and left the road vas deserted; not
an object in sight.
"What dreadful galer said Ma
dame Albert. "Did you feel it?" l
cannot explain the terror that seized
me, my veil was torn by the winds
as if by an invisible hand; Pm trem
bling STILL"
"Never mind" said Albert, smi
ling, "wrap yourself up, my dear, we
will soon be warming Ourselves by a
good fire. l am s4arving.'
A cold perspiration covered my
forehead; a SILVER ran through me /;
my tongue Glove to the ronf of my
mouth, and | could net articuIate a
sound; a sharp pain in my shoulder
was the only sensible evidence that !
was not the victim Of an haIlucira
ton. Putting my Eana upon my
aching shoulder, felt rent in the
cloak that was wrapped around me.
looked at it; five perccptibIy dis
tinct holes-visible traces of the
grip of the horrible phantom. /
thought for moment thet [ should
die or that my reason would leave
NE; it was, / think, the most dread
full moment of MY life.
Finally / became more calm; this
nameless agony had lasted for seve-
raj minutes, and do not think it is
possible for a human being to suffer
more than I did during this time
AS soon as l had recovered my sen
ses, I thought at first that ! would
tell my friends all that had passed,
but hesitated, and finally did not,
fearing that my story would brighten
Madame Albert, and feeling sure my
friend would not believe me. The
lights of the little city revived me,
and gradually the oppression OF ter
ror that overwhelmed me became
Tighter.
So soon as we reached home, Ma
dame Albert united her veil; it was
literally torn to shreds. hoped to
find my clothes whole, and to prove
to myself that it was all imagination.
But no, the cloth was torn in five
places, just where the fingers had
seized my shoulder. There was no
mark, however, on my desh-only a
dull pain.
l returned to Paris next day,
where / endeavored to forget the
strange adventure, or at least when ]
thought of it would force myself to
think it an Authorization.
The day after my return receiv-
ed letter from my friend Albert. -
1t was edged with black. l opened
it with fear.
His wife had died on the day OF
my return.
| ALL lawyers, doctors, bankers
merchants, clerks, school teachers,
students, seamstresses and others
who lead closely confined life
should alwayg keep on hand a bot
tie of Bailey's Saliue Aperiynt. Il
lis a never failing remedy for eich
headache. hahitual consultation