Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-10-07

on him he was to marry wealthy
and accomplished young lady of New
York during the coming winter, and
hoped she would find q suitable life
companion among the rural beaus of
the county.
"That letter broke her heart. She
burned beneath it as some tender
plant willis beneath the too fierce rays
of a midday sun. Her parents guard
ed her with tender care, but to no
avail. To their entreaties to arouse
from her deep despair and forget her
false and treacherous lover she replied
only with a mournful smile.
"The young gentlemen-her former
suitors-were furious at her treatment
and vowed vengeance on the scoun-
drel who had so trihed with her pure
affections. Woe betide the lieutenant
had he ever returned to the scene of
his dallying. He would have been
torn limb from limb.
"As time progressed her mind SEEM
ed to give way, and often in the ten
der twilight she would steal away
from her family and betake her to
that little grove you see there to the
right. This had been their favorite
trysting-place, and through this she
had been seem to walk swiftly, wiring
ing her hands and uttering low moan
ing sounds, like a wounded dove.
One bright, beautiful morning in early
November she seemed to have become
entirely rational, and ordered one of
the negroes to saddle her horse, as
she desired to visit of the neighbors.
Her brother asked her if she did not
want some one to accompany her, but
she declined the offer and rode away.
Her horse came home at noon, rider
less, fecked with foam and trembling
with terror. A searching party was
at once organized and started out, the
agonized father leading it, while some
of the kindly women tried to comfort
the frantic mother. About FIVE miles
from home they found her under a
tall oak tree, prone upon the ground,
her body cruelty crushed, her golden
hair dabbled with blood, her sweet
blue eyes fast taking on the gray
shadows Of death. Tenderly her
father gathered her in his arms. Her
mind was entirely restored. "Do you
know me, darlingl" he said, while
the others gathered around. eyes,
dear papa" she replied 81 am hap
py now; l am going up there" point
ing to the sky, and then in a low,
plaintivc, scarce audible voice she
sang:
There's nae sorrow there, Jean,
There's neither cauld nor care, Jean,
The day is aye fair
In the land o. the leal.
Then in broken accent she told
them how her bride had broken, her
horse run away. and how she was
thrown against the tree whose sturdy
trunk was made sacred by her blood.
"Tenderly her pure young body
was borne back to the house of
mourning and buried under the great
trees she loved so well. They say
that her ghost haunts these parts, and
that often on moonlight nights parties
have seen her slender figure clothed
in spotless white passing swiftly
through the grove moaning and wiring
ing its hands. 1 have never seen it
myself, for 1 have no partiality for
spirits. Is there any wine left in that
bottle ?"
There was a midst in my eyes-it
might have been the cigar smoke, as
1 replied kindly but firmly: "No,
doctor, there is not, and it is now
1:30." The doctor retired to his own
room.
lit another cigar and took seat
by the open window. l could not
sleep; restless and moved out of my
usual cynicism by the doctors story,
l involuntarily glanced toward the
grove. Surely something was moving
there. There was n CLEAN of white
through the swaying vista of the trees.
Ny heart almost stood still. Could
it be possible that departed spirits
were allowed at sucl, uncanny hours
to revisit the scene of their sorrow
distress? At any rate / would inves-
tigate. Hastily throwing on my
clothes I stole down the stairs and out
oil the door.
1t was beautiful night. The air
was soft with the languor and glory of
summer. TIE beautiful river rippled
along, the moonlight sleeping on its
bosom like babe upon its mothers
breast. A soft breeze family stirred
the trees, but our bird or insect life
was still. Through the grove the
ghastly shadow was still fitting.
Softly creeping near, l entered its
somber depths. l turned back to the
ouse disgusted. In the morning the
doctor came to my room for his morn
ing cocktail. l hailed him with de-
-;s;,o to,ae UDoctor I've seen YOUR