The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-04-10
SELECT STORY.
A GHOST STORY.


at my usual occupation, when lady
and gentleman were announced--Mr
and Mrs Kirkbeck My new visitors
were strangers to me, They had seen
portrait | had painted, aud wished
for likenesses of themselves and their
children. The price | asked did not
deter them, and they asked to look
around the studio to select the size aud
style they should prefer. The inspec-
tion proving satisfactory, they asked
whether | would paint the pictures at
their house in the country, and there
being no difficulty on this point, an en-
gagement was made for the following
autumn, subject to my writing to fix
the time when might be able to leave
town for the purpose. This being ad-
justed, the gentleman gave me his
card and they left. Shortly afterwards,
on looking at the card left by the
strangers, was somewhat disappoint-
ed to tiud that though it contained the
names of Mr. and Mrs. Kirkbeck there
was no address. l tried to find it by
looking at the court guide, but it con
tained no such name, so l put the card
in my writing-desk and forgot for a
time the entire transaction.
Autumn came, and with it series of
engagements | had made in the north
of England. Towards the end Of Sep
tember, 1858, was one of a dinner
party at a country house at the con
fines of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
The party was numerous one, and as
the meal approached its termination
and was about TO subside into the des
sert, the conversation became general.
| should here mention that my hearing
is defective, at some times more so
than at Others, and on this particular
evening l was extra deaf-so much so
tina the conversation only reached me
in the form of continued din. At
one instant, however, | heard a word
dis nctly pronounced, though it was
uttered by a person at considerable
distaLce from me, and that word was
HI kbeck. In the business of the Lon
don season l had forgotten all about
the visitors of the spring who had left
their cs , without the address. The
word reaching me under such circum-
stances a.res.ed my attention and i'm
mediately ecalled the transaction to
my remembrance. On the first oppor-
tunity that offered l asked person
whom | was conversng with if fami-
ly of the name in question was resident
in the neighborhood | was told in re.
ply that a Mr.. Kirkbeck lived at A.
at the further end of the county. The
next morning l wrote to this person,
saying that l believed he called at my
studio in the spring, and had made ar
rangement with me which l was pre-
vented fulfilling by their being no ad-
d.ess on his card; furthermore, that l
should shortly be in his neighborhood
on my return home from the north, but
should be mistaken in addressing
Iirl, begged he you'd not trouble
himself to reply to my note. gave
as my address the postofiice, York. On
applying there three days afterwards l
received a note from Mr. Kirkbeck
stating that he was very glad he had
heard from me and that if would call
on my return he would arrange about
the pictures he also told me to write a
day before proposed coming, that he
might not otherwise engage himself.
1t was ultimately arranged that should
60 to his house the succeeding Satur-
day, stay till Monday morning, trans
act afterwards what matters / had to
attend to in London and return in a
fortnight to execute the commissions.
The day having arrived for my visit,
directly after breakfast took my
place in the morning train from York
to London. The train would stop at
Doncaster, and after that at Retsord
junction, where I should have TO get
out in order to take the train through
A. The day was cold, wet, fog
gy and every way as lisagreeable as |
have ever known day to be in an
English October. The carriage in
which was seated had no other occu-
pant than myself, but at Doncaster a
lady got in, My place was back to the
engine and next to the door, As that
is considered the ladies' seat, offered
it TO her; she, however, very graciously
declined it and took the corner oppo.
site, saying, in very agreeable voice,
that she liked to feel the breeze on her
cheek. The next few minutes were
occupied in locating herself. There
was the cloak to be spread under her,
the skirts of the dress to be arranged,
the gloves to be tightened, and such
other trifling arrangements of plumage
as ladies are wont to make before set
Ting themselves comfortably at church
or elsewhere, the last and most impor-
tant being the placing back over her
hat the veil that concealed her fea-
lures. | could then see that the lady
was young, certainly not more than
two or three and twenty but being
moderately tall, rather robust in make
and decided in expression, she might
have been two or three years younger.
| suppose that her complexion would
be termed a medium one her hair be-
ing Of a bright brown or auburn, while
her eyes and rather decidedly marked
eJOploNo WSiN hNaiiy bihSh' HS WI
or of her cheek was that pale transpar-
ent hue that sets off to such advantage
large, expressive eyes and an equable,
firm expression of mouth. On the
whole, the ensemble was rather hand
some than beautiful, her expression
having that agreeable depth and har-
mony about it that rendered her face
and features, though not stritly regu-
lar, infinitely more attractive than if
they had been modelled upon the strict
est rules of symmetry.
1t is no small advantage on wet
day and dull, long journey to have
an agreeable companion; one who can
converse and whose conversation has
sufficient substance in it TO make one
forget the length and the dreariness of
the journey. In this respect had no
deficiency to complain of, the lady be-
ing decidedly and agreeably conversa-
tional, When she had settled herself
TO her satisfaction she asked to be al
lowed to look at my Bradshaw, and
not bpinp n nro6ciant in that difficnlt