Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-06-30

"Howly Moses but what's come O. the
| Teddy, at all? She was in here five MN
utes ago, and she couldn't a. got out at the
front door without my seein' her"
"What did she look like % inquired.
"Faix, she was tall, slim, nice-looklng
Teddy, wild black eyes, an black hair, az
white face wild no more red in 1t Than
chalk"
My own face must have lost its color, for
felt sudden nervous shock, and bne
blood chilled, as it were, in my veins. rs
elbow was she dressed ?" inquired.
ssBlack all over, an long Grape vell.
This was Mrs Crowle's dress. She had
been still in widows weeds when knew
her.
"Bridget," l said. don't mention tbi.Se
your mistress. 1t might dissrub her. L
And though found the Sally Lunn done
an uncommonly good humor, from making
certain dry-goods bargains down town,
could not enjoy my tea, and went to bed
moody and bewildered.
could not doubt that Bridget had seen,
or fancied she had seen, what she describ-
ed; and yet what did it all mean?
1t might indeed have been some other
lady than Arabella Crowle, but why should
a strange lady call to see me at my home,
and how did she enter and leave the house
Three days after this, on entering my
Office one morning my clerk said, briskly:
'There was q lady to see you last even
ing after you left. She said she would call
again"
"What lady ?'' ] inquired.
"Well, think, it was the lady in Grape
veil who came about month ago on busi-
ness, and was so excited when she left. In
fact I'm pretty certain it was the same"
| suddenly sat down in my Office-chair,
feeling very faint.
"What did she say?" asked, wiping
the starting moisture from my forehead.
"Only that she'd call again. l didn't see
her till looked up, and there she was
standing inside the glass door. She was
very pale and quiet" continued Gibbs, re-
fectively, as if mentally contrasting this
state with the visitors former ''excite-
ment.'
'She looked and moved like ghost.''
s'Don't be fool, Gibbs,'' exclaimed
with sudden and unwonted irritation
"There are not such things as ghosts.'
'I don't know" he answered, with a
doubtful shake of his frizzly red head
GIVE heard of strange things happening
now and then. My grandmother-'
"Your Grandmother be-hanged p
muttered under my breath. as l slammed
down the lid of my desk, as if by ccident,
but violently enough to make Gibbs start
and forget his ghostly "reminiscences. And
all that day was Sc nervous and excited
with watching the office door, and listening
to the footsteps and voices of the people in
the outer room, that l found it impossible
to properly attend to business.
That evening, after tea, to quiet my ex-
cited nerves, l walked with Deborah in the
garden, up and down a bowery walk, which
was sort of boundary line between our
part of the house and that lately occupied
by Mrs. Crowle. 1t was warm, delicious
summer evening, and the scent of roses and
jasmine filled the air with fragrance, while
the cool white lilies cleaned like silver in
the moonlight. Generally I enjoy these
things, buS tonight l had no thought for
them. Alhorrible incubus seemed hang;g
over my life. Gould it be possible that
Arabella Crowle's vindictive threat was be-
ing fulfilled, and that the rest of my life
was doomed to be haunted by her ghost, or
spirit, Or apparition, or swhatever it might
be, which now seemed dogging my daily
steps? But ghosts How weak and fool
ish I was becoming !! Of course I knew
that, though could not explain to myself
the mysterious visits which had lately oc-
CURED, there could be no such things as
ghosts. And with this thought, |, with
contemptuous smile, lifted my eyes from
the ground and saw looking over a rose
hedge, exactly facing me-the ghost of
Arabella Crowle.
1t was only momentary glimpse, for the
next instant the apparition had vanished;
but i'll that moment I saw it plainly in the
moonlight. There were the large black
eyes fixed upon me, the white, marble-like
complexion, the well-formed features the
tall slender figure, all in white, only half
of which 1 had seen above the hedge. It
was either Arabella Crowle, whom I had
seen dead and buried, or else her ghost!
Dorathy's exclamation aroused me.
"What was that? l thought l saw
something white just there Did you? ?'
Eyes; II saw the ghost of Arabella
Crowlep %
Good gracious, Oliver! What do you
mean ?''
And then l told her all that 1 had hither-
to withheld from her knowledge. She said
nothing, but took my arm, and all in flut-
ter of agitation hurried back to the house,
and, on entering, locked and barred the
door after us. As if anything could here
after keep out Alabella Crowle's ghost.
was sitting in my room, unwilling to re-
tire, glancing about and starting at every
slight sound, when I heard my sisters
voice from the top of the stairs.
"Oliver! I don't believe word of it!
That is, don't believe its ghost I'll
find out tomorrow"
She met me the next evening with
countenance of portentous solemnity, seat
ing herself opposite me in the parlor, while
Bridget arranged, with more than usual
elaborateness, the tea-table in the next
room.
SOLVER" she commenced, 'I we seen
that ghost again.
"Where?'' I inquired, staring around.
She patted me lightly and soothingly
on the shoulder
cover in the next house-Mrs. Crowle's
wing"
"Have you been there?"
eyes. resolved to go over and inquire
of old Ailsa. She showed me into Mrs.
Crowle's parlor, and there, standing all
white, right under Arabella Crowle's por-
trait on the wall, saw ghost!'
"What did you do?-wh-what did it do?s'
My sister stroked her chin delicately with
her forefnger.
II introduced myself, and said under
stood she wished to see my brother on busi-
ness. To which she assented, and informed
me that she was Isabella Crowle."
"You mean Arabella.'
81 mean Isabella-Miss Isabella Crowle,
twin sister of Mrs. Arabella Crowle, who
married her cousin, Richard Crowle, and
died in this house six weeks ago." said my
sister, with great emphasis and dehbera-
ton.
I drew a long breath of surprise and re-
lief, though as yet but half realizing the
truth.
''She wants to see you about the house, :"
continued Deborah, in her most matter-of-
fact tone and manner. "She wishes us to
purchase it. She is her sisters heiress,
though 1 have an idea that Arabella Crowle
was no kinder to her than to most other
people. The lady seems very nice and
sensible woman, and somehow feel inter
ested in her, poor thing! She's been sup
porting herself by teaching in a young
ladies seminary, to which she proposes re-
turning after vacation"
"But-how did she get into the house
that day?"
81 had gone out, and Bridget forgot to
Ioo ,1a, rfxxyta