The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-08-20

OhlCO tAiiOos lOuL ViiiiCo, ufc UlulCSs SlA
timesl
"At the sixth stroke my door
opened" said the judge, when a man
in black entered"
Imagine my surprise. My first
idea vas that it was an attorney who
wished to see me on some pressing
business. ] heldmy hand ont TO him.
He paid no attention to the gesture,
but sat down behind my chair.
II did not need to turn around in
order to see him. | was in front of a
| glass, and in this glass / saw him.
Il got up and walked; he followed
me q few steps off.
II went to my table and rung.
My servant appeared, but he did
not see the man in black any more
than he had soen the cat.
= Il sent him away, and remained
with this strange being, whom | had
the time to examine. He was neatly
dressed, very polite, but very vague
in his expression. He carried his hat
in his hand.
"At ten o'clock / went to bed; so
that he might pass the night as com
fortably as possible, he sat down in q
chair in front of my bed.
"He, like myself, did not sleep.
cat last / saw the first rays of the
morning light peep through my blinds.
/ turned around onelast time towards
my man in black. He had gone, the
chair was empty.
'Until evening was rid ofmy vision.
'"That evening | was invited out to
HIy,Ynny aLI r oo1la1 ZInl,, - f. Hxro. ,as1,t,fao
before six; told him to lock the door
and take my dress suit out of my
bureau.
Gle obeyed me.
con the last strokeof six / fixed my
eyes on the door; the door open
ed and my man in black entered.
II went Immediately to the
door. The door was closed;
the hinges had not parted from
their fastenings. / turned around.
The man in black was behind my chair
and John was coming and going inmy
room without appearing in the least
concerned about him.
"It was evident that he did not see
the man any more than he had seen
the animal.
II began to dress myself.
wThen something very strange hap
pened. With the greatest desire to
please, evidently, my new friendbegan
to help John in everything he did. If
John held my coat up by the collar
the phantom would hold it by the
tails; or. if John gave me my panta-
looms by the waist, be would hold
them by the legs. Never had / beenso
officially served.
'It came time for me to 90 out.
s'Then, instead of following me, the
man in black preceded me, slipped out
of the door of my room, went down
stairs and stationed himself respect
fully behind John, who opened the
door of my carriage. When John
closed the door he mounted the coach
mans seat, who made room for him
at his right. Arrived at its destina-
ton, the carriage stopped. The foot
man opened the door; but the phan-
tom was already at his post just be-
hind the footnlan. Hardly had | set
foot on the ground when the phantom
4 quickly before me, brushing by
the butler who opened the door, look
ing back at me to see whether ! was
following him.
.SThen the thought struck me to
make the same test with my coach
mar which / had tried on John.
James / asked him, who was
the man on that seat with you?'
"'What man, sir, asked the coach
man.
aThe coachman looked frightened,
and stared helplessly around him.
"sNever mind said / hastily, i
was mistaken"
81 went into the house where / was
invited.
''The man in black had stopped on
the stairs. He was waiting for me.
AS soon as he saw me coming he en-
tered the room as if to announce me.
After had entered the front parlor
he LETT the room and waited in the
hall.
sAs to John and to James, the
phantom had been invisible to every
one.
seThen it was that my fear changed
to terror, and that | realized that /
was, IN reality, mad-hopelessly, in
curably mad.
From that evening | began to
change. Everybody asked me the
cause of my preoccupation; you, doc
tor, like the rest. But must return
to my story.
81 found my phantom in the hall.
"Asat my arrival SO ut my depart
ure, he ran before me, mounted the
c~oachman's seat, re-entered the house
with me, went in with me to my room
and sat down by my bedside in the
same chair as On the evening before.
Wishing to assure myself ii there
was anything real or palpable in the
apparition with a violent effort I
threw myself back into the chair. /
felt nothing, but in theglass / sawhim
standing behind me.