St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-06-21
A TROUBLESOME VISITOR.


A TROUBLESOME VISITOR.
Mr.. Penoyer Pevensey entered his apart,
ments on -th street in a leisurely manner,
carefully hung up his coat and hat in the
hallway, and, setting aside his dripping
umbrella, glanced about the luXuriously
furnished room with visible satisfaction.
Then, drawing before the cheerfully glow
ing CRATE an armchair, he seated himself
with one of those signs to which one gives
vent when conscious of having gone through
something disagreeable, and anticipating q
| quiet rest.
Mr.. Pevensey had indeed gone through
most trying experience. On that very even
ing at precisely $50, he, bachelor OF
eight and twenty, and not i'll Hooking (whict
fact added in no small degree to his self
complacency), had proposed to the charm
| ing Miss Emory, and was even now trying
| to regain his scattered ideas and explain tC
himself how it had all happened. One thing
| was certain-that from that time on he was
| fettered, and could no longer proudly boast
of his freedom from the gilded chains OF
Hymen. Mr.. Pevensey, as he thought OF
this, involuntarily heaved another and
deeper sigh, and slowly shook his head sew
eral times. 1t was plainly to be seen thai
he was not in that lOvesick condition
wherein young people are supposed to alb
jure food and shun sleep, and superficial
bachelor observer, merely knowing the fact
of his engagement, would have sworn thai
he had been beguiled and entrapped by
means of those subtle arts and devices
known only to females. Be this as. it may,
the fact remains that Mr.. Pevensey was in
rather irritable mood, and, after ruminat-
| ing on his impending fate for half all hour,
he lighted cigar and opened the ''Rever-
les of a Bachelor with the desire to ex-
| tract few drops Of consolation there
from.
The rain beat dolefully against the win
dow. The clock, to offset this, kept up a
ticking. and, at intervals, an equally pleas
ant and melodiouS Ginning, all OF which
sounds fell upon Mr.. Pevensey's ears I'M
needed, for he had gradually fallen into a
dreamy state of half consciousness. The
fire burned low; and the red-tinted globes
overhead shaded and subdued the light, as
it revealed the half-recumbent figure of the
bachelor thus passing from revery to Slum-
Der.
Patter-patter, tick-tick. patter--
sAhemw said voice at his side in pref
atory way.
Mr.. Pevensey started up and looked
about him. Close by, with his chair tilted
back and his legs stretched out toward the
blaze in most comfortable and degage
manner, was seated ghost of the male
persuasion-a transparent Semblance OF a
mana veritable spirit.
Mr.. Pevensey gasped and each hair be-
gan to look about for its Individual end on
which to stands. The ghost noted these
signs of trepidation at first with a smile
and then with wheezy chuckle. Finally
he bloke out in a hollow cackle.
81 say Pen, old boy" said he as soon as
his visibility had sufficiently subsidized,
''don'tyou know me? Pembroke, you know
Pembroke died last week."
This was said in husky, rafting voice,
but in the most cheerful manner imagin-
able. Mr.. Pevensey gradually regained his
composure; his hair subsidized and in five
minutes from the time of the ghosts queS-
ton was able to give an audible answer.
"Ah, yes; o yes, ha, ha! know you,
Pembroke-yes, knew you all the time"
s'No you didn't" said the ghost, ''you
were too confoundedly frightened. Here
he stopped to chuckle again. ''But say,
Pen, wont hurt you, you know"
sol" said Mr.. Pevensey, ironically, his
courage by this time quite returned-''you
wont?"
mo" said the ghost, reassuringly; 81
wont. Now, I'll tell you why | came. He
stopped, took from ghOstly cigar-case a
shadowy cigar, lit it with an invisible match
and began to send forth volumes of ghostly
smoke. After the fifth puff he continued:
''You have forgotten it. but [ haven't.
Don't you remember one night twelve years
ago, when we made a VOW over skull?"
A glance of intelligence was now discern
ible in Mr.. Pevensey's eyes. He was get
ting interested.
''That whichever one should die first
must"
appear to the other, finished the ghost,
nodding, and blowing smoke from his nos
trils. Ergo, here 1 am"
II must say, Pembroke, that you chose
| the worst time you possibly could for the
interview, tonight of all others; but then, y
he continued as if eXcusing Pembroke,
''you didn't know"
so, but did," answered the ghost, with
difficulty keeping down refractory chuckle:
81 happened to be there myself"
''And saw me make an awkward fool OF
MYSELF" !.
"Well, if you want to put it that way, ]
suppose 1 did; l was invisible then,
you know, quite invisible"
Mr.. Pevensey groaned aloud. To make
all awkward foo. of ones selfis bad enough,
but to have disembodied spirits acting as
invisible spectators of ones folly is mad
dening.
Its all right" continued the ghost, "1'm
num-"
Don't" said Mr.. Pevensey in wheed.
ling tone, ''don't tell any one-I mean any
other ghost; why, if they should get hold
of it, l would be the laughing stock OF
Jupiter
Mr.. Pevensey stared. ''You don't NEAR
to say you live on the planet JUPITER" he
asked.
The ghost nodded. eyes, we do" sale
he, taking long pull at his cigar,
Mr.. Pevensey sank back again, merely
remarking, ''Well, I'm bowed"
''You see," explained the ghost, sits
this way: You die and go to Jupiter; ther
when your time comes you return to the
earth and live over again; now I was Os.
sian once, you know"
''Ossian" exclaimed Mr.. Pevensey, as
| tonished. 'sThen who have I been; who
was / laSt?"
The ghost was evidently embarrassed
| by this question. He looked at Mr.. Peven
sey then at the fire, and knocked the ashe.
| off his cigar but did not answer His cues
| toner became impatient.
''Of course, don't expect have been al
Ossian; was probably some humble citi
zen, or perhaps an honest artisan" This
was said as an encouragement and
starting point for his vis-a-vis.
''You used to live where she does now
Miss Emory, you know"