The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1885-05-08
Was it a Ghost?
BY ANNA w. YOUNG.
(COntinued.)


The voice now seemed very near,
and there was something so strangely
and terribly weird about it that my
heart began beating with unwonted
quickness.
"Where is it, girls?" / whispered,
springing up the steps. "What can
"Hush," Interrupted Blanche, ex-
tending her hand. My eyes followed
her gesture and in the white, open
space a short distance before US,
standing in the full radiance of the
moonlight, l beheld the ghost of a
human figure. AS stood transfixed
with surprise and something akin to
awe, the form took a more definite
shape. I could see the ghoslly face
with its waving hair and large hollow
eyes that seemed riveted on vacancy.
I grasped Carries hand. ''Can it
be?" she whispered in a low, trem-
bling voice. ''Do the spirits Of the
departed return to earth?"
My face had grown as white as
hers, and my heart was beating fu-
riously, but, even in that supreme
moment of mystery, I was about to
protest, when the melody changed;
there was no stopping of the voice,
only the tune elides into another, as
the snatches OF song Go IN q medley.
"In the Land of the Lea"-that
was the air, though we could not dis
t1nguish the wortls-that the appsrl-
tion sang. With the first line Blanche
and Carrie exchanged glances. The
latter was trembling violently, and
looked as white as death.
"Merciful Heaven!" she cried in
low, Mortified tones, "can it bel"
Then as the music rose clear and
distinct, Yes, it Isl feel lt-I know
it is poor Coral She gave an ago
nized cry and fell tainting to the floor,
and as she did so the song of the
phantom suddenly ceased. AS 1 as
sisted Blanche to lift Carrie into the
room my eyes turned involuntarily
towards the ''haunted spot;" but the
figure had disappeared, and only the
moonshine greeted my intense gaze.
"It is very strange, said Blanche,
as we discussed the mysterious visitor,
in subdued tones, Again and again
have l heard Cora sing sin the Land
of the Lea" in the same sweet, sor-
rowful way that it was sung tonight,
and, then, there was something in
that slight shadowy shape that re-
minded me OF her, fl rthe poor CIR
was terribly emaciated before her lon2
illuess terminated. 10 wonder that
Carrie in her present morbid state
imagined 1t was Cora singing once
again in her old home"
When Crarie revived, she made us
promise to say nothing about the APP
partition to the rest of the household
whose slumbers, it appeared. had no
been disturbed by the midnight sere-
nader.
eft it appears again, then you shal
have nv full consent to speak of it t.
the family and take steps to ferret ou
the mystery, if you please" said Car
rie next morning, half ashamed o
having revealed the deep under-cur
rent Of superstition inherent in an or
eanization so highly wrought as hers
| We agreed to keep our adventure
secret, but every night at twelY'
o'clock, we took our station at Carrie
door, and watched, half in earnest
half in fun, fer the phantom-shap'
But it was fully week before on
strange visitor returned, and then
did not appear at the mystic hou
when ghosts are supposed to wandC
from their charnel houses.
1t had been a ong, gloomy day;