Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-09-10

While staying in n house with nurse
of such reputation and skill that her
name, if given, would be familiar to most
of the physicians and surgeons of New
England, writes Kate Sanborn in the Bos-
ton Beacon, the subject of conversation
one dull, rainy evening CHANGED to be the
strange, almost prepOsterOus tales of a
learned legal friend of mine, who had
such firm belief in the temperance of
dead friends, or, as he would say, friends
who have passed over" and not any
more dead than we are, | should consider
him semi-insane on this point, if his head
were not so clear on every other theme, a
lawyer, well known throughout the coun-
try for his eloquence, his judicial fairness
and his well-balanced mind. Well. after
we had oh'd and ah'd and pooh -poohed
(rather shivery. however, at tines, as 1
told of his interviews with Charlemagne
and Shakespeare, and his letters from
Webster and other old friends, and his
conversation in the moonlight on the pi-
azza of her old home with the beautiful
daughter of an intimate friend, a girl
who had left this planet two years ago,
my stock of wonder was exhausted, and,
turning to Mary Rogers, pretty, black
that may be-, sympathy, and strength,
with uncommon commonsense and a
steady contempt of nonsense, q woman
to whom q really bad case" was a de-
light, and on whose GOODNESS and dexteri
ty the surgeon relied as be performed his
most difficult operations, said:
Mrs. Rogers, you must have been
through a host of tragic experiences.
Have you ever seen a ghost: Have you
ever seen the dead appear: Haven't
you some thrilling story that is all true
with which to scare and yet enthrall
usy"
And of course the little circle Joined in
an eager chorus, "Oh, yes, dear Mrs. ROg-
ers, do give rs one. This is Just the right
kind of night and just the time" And
one of Us rose and turned down the gas,
as was beitting, while the Jolly nurse
laughed and said amiably:
Yes, l have had many strange and
mysterious experience; one must have,
watching with the sick and dying for
over twenty years; but a. to ghost. and
returning spirits. do not believe in them
nor would l allow & nurse trained by me
to repeat such nonsense, whatever she
might fancy she saw"
But just one, one little bit of a ghost
story, just for this one night See, the
light is just right, and We are depending
on it." l pleaded.
We'll, there is one strange story-one
night in my life which comes back to me
at this moment, so vivid, so real, that l
think / can give it to you. At any rate, l
Will tell it Just as it is stamped on my
memory: no e1ageratioa or romancing
Just the plain facts"
We instinctively drew e little nearer
and she began:
4 was called TO Salem in the summer
of 1878 to take charge of lady who was
about to undergo serious opera
ton. The following night 1 was sit
ting on the bed tanning my
patient. as ii was extremely warm
and close. About midnight, when all
in the house had retired I vas startled
by loud rap thrice repeated, which
seemed to come from the head of the bed,
but naturally supposing that some one
had come 20 the open door Just back of
my chair to inquire how the sufferer was