The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-08-21
STRANGE PHOTOGRAPH
BY Mary A. Blane in Frank Leslie,s.

ously delightful, and I slept, slept profoundly
] Il do not know how long--but was awakened
| by sense Of not being alone; a watched,
| startled feeling as white, swift-movng object
| passed along the tapestried wall opposite me
and disappeared! sprung up, and, lighting
my lamp, threw the rays from a strong Argand
burner through the room. / lifted the tapes
try. Nothing but oak panels, solid and sub
stantial enough, under my close gaze, I could
think of nothing which, moving outside,
might have produced this effect Within and,
| try as i would, could offer no solution Of the
odd apparition.
/ had come TO Penaces for twenty-four hours,
with my old schoolmate, Reynolds Herholf,
who, by marriage with his young Spanish mis-
| tress, lately orphaned, had become its master
| / always rather fancied mysteries I liked
fathoming them. considered myself first
| class amateur detective was in good spirits
ia vague looking forward to some pleasant
ness''-as L went down to breakfast.
| i made no mention of my little experience
during the night to my host, but I accepted
the removed invitation that 1 would lengthen
| the twenty-four hours to week.
"We'll have little hunting, Charlie, TO re-
| mind you of our boyhood," Reynolds said
"Yes." Igave light stamp TO bring down
my trousers-leg, and admired the mole on my
left check in my hosts handsome mantel mir
L
/ view to investigate, little thinking what sort
l would really "bring down."
| During my spare moments that day busted
| myself in attempting to invent something APP
| proXimately like the reflection | had seen on
the tapestry. Some ingenious servant, con-
| jeetured, had discovered this method for well
! coming the Penares guests. l constructed q
rude affair of pasteboard, with an opening fifty
! shaped This, l thought, with strong light
| within it, and carried swiftly, ought to give me
| my visitor. would try 1t when night came.
| The house was full of guests, and it was late
| before the building was quiet. | leaped easily
| to the ground, from the balcony below my
| window, and trusted to the lessons my limbs
had learned in boyhood to get back again.
The lights were not yet all out, 80 [ sat
| down to wait under the shadow of a friendly
maple. AS ! sat l observed dark figure
moving slowly along the southern wall.
"Ah! my friend of last night" / said, in
my own mind expecting every minute to see
"magic-lantern" performance. | watched
| closely. / could but dimly discern tho outline,
as it stood death-still, the head thrown slightly
back, as if the eyes were Watching closely
some point above them, Something white
| 1oated slowly down from an upper wine
| dow. A zephyr caught it; II rose again,
! and then descended obliqaely. I could see il
nova bit OF white paper4-at my feet. I
| heard a low, mutterod curse as the man CROPPED
! about on hands and knees in the darkness.
| Again and again he searched, but in vain. [
was on the point OF announcing myself and
offering him his billet-doux, as conceived it
to be, when the sweet notes of a mocking bird
fell on my ear--so wonderfully clear so per-
fectly initiated, as to command my profound
establishment and induce my silence. Three
times he repeated the warbling notes, and
then moved swiftly again to the wall. Mira
| bile dictu! again q white messenger fioated
| down. lie seized it, and disappeared in the
| darkness. "a maid and her lover" | said, in
| contempt Of my own curiosity, as | proceeded
to light my lantern and try my 'eifects."
| BAIL Nothing could have been less like the
| filmy, translucent vision Of the night before
! than my yellow, shapeless glare.
/ blew out the candle, and stood looking into
the darkness of my room. Ia! by Jove,
there it went again! The perfect outline of u
slim, white, human figure thrown against the
| dark silk tapestry Before my eyes it had APP
peared and disappeared. l could not tell
whence it had come or whittier IL had gone.
] climbed to the balcony, and again examined
the room thoroughly, but without forming the
smallest solution to my odd vision
The note picked up was after all, no love
1etter-a bit of waste paper, and ran as fol-
lows:
~ have read that we
Must not look back OF Elizabeth's reign to
See chimneys in use
You can imagine, that
White walls in those days were
Hollow mockcries indeed A
Twelve foot room would be
Midnight dungeon"
was soon sleeping soundy, and only wax
ened in time to prepare for luxurious 10
o'clock breakfast. l was unusually impressed
by Herholfs haggard appearance. lie
assured me that he was well; but to me he
looked feeble and worn. / wondered that L
had not observed it more on the day of my ar
rival.
A couple Of days passed, and once again I
had seen my strange visitor. Indeed, / had
attempted TO seize it, but it had melted out Of
my grasp, and left me, in true ghost-like
faGhion, clasping the waving tapestry / de-
termined on the first opportunity, to mention
~ rl,,1g III all 4I,n,a a
an explanation.
The figure that / had seen on the second
| evening from my seat under the maple had
| seen several times since. Sometimes it dis
| appeared in the wall of the house; sometimes
| it came out of the WALL There must 0e &C.
| cret door, but could not find it and why
| pair of servants should choose midnight and
mystery for courtship, IL such it was, could
not understand. As, for lost article we
look first in the possible and then in all i'm
possible places, so, having exhausted all means
Of discovering my silvery white, filmy, swift,
translucent nightly vision, determined TO
lose no indirect light, however disconnected
1t might appear, and was bent on discovering
the personalities and methods Of these nightly
interviews.
had unraveled the cipher o4 the note /
had found, and by taking the first word Of
each line read: II must see you. White Hol-
low, Twelve, Midnight"
/ sat, az has grown to be my custom, under
the dark maple. 1t was midnight and past
Inc wall as usual yielded It's figure. This
time, without doubt, woman's. She moved
swiftly down the garden-walk and out Of
sight. l took my place as nearly as possible
| where had first seen her, and waited. An
| hour had passed before / again heard the
| faint brushing Of her gown against the shrub
| berry. She followed the WALL from its south
| corner, close under the shadow OF the dark
! gray stone. The point where a jutting angle
! made almost blackness was reached, and by a
| swift movement, which came the nearest pos
! siblo TO being too late, l coDtriyed TO insert
q twig between tho edges Of spring
door as the woman's figure dissolved into
darkness. l applied my ear 70 tho narrow
| opening, and could hear quick footsteps along
q stone floor. At loDgth all was silent, and l
entered. The door swung nolselessly on its
/ hinges and closed behind me L found utter
! darkness and a damp odor for company.
! felt my way slowly and cautiously. Occasion
| ally the gallery widened somewhat but usu-
ally IL was barely wide enough for me TO walk
comfortably. There were frequent turns, and
! twice ! assembled narrow stairways, and at
length roathed the terminus Of the gallery on
what seemed the second floor OF the build
| ing. struck q match-I had but two, and
must be careful OF tbem-bdt there was MOTH
ing TO SEQ. Gully the narrow walls