News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-11-08

been very i'll with brain fever, was to
ask no questions, but keep quiet, take
all the rest could, and | should be my
own old self in good time.
But all advice could not keep me from
thinking, thinking of my old friend, his
terrible crime, his fearful death, and his
reappearance to me, in ghostly shape,
ON that eventful " "hangman's day
Had 1 really seen Toms spirit, or was
it but the hallucination of tired, fever
ish brain, the beginning of that long
sickness which had kept me within
these four square walls? The more [
thought of this matter, the more firmly
convinced was [ that the spectre existed
merely in my Imagination and giving
way to these thoughts, [ closed my eyes,
! to open them again on hearing some
| slight, unusual noise in the room.
| Again [ saw the doctor by me, but at
| his side stood that figure which was
once the human, living body of my old
friend. Was dreaming, or again under
spell, or had the grave really given up
its dead, my friend kept to his compact,
and 1 was III the presence of a spirit?
Spite of the doctors demand that
should keep still, could not do so, for
l felt as though l should become mad,
indeed, did [ not, in some way, solve
| this wonderfully strange mystery.
"Tom - said, in as loud tones as
my weak state would permit, "do I
really behold you in the spirit, come
back to tell of the mysterious hereafter,
and SO fulfil the compact we made in
our early days?"
The reply came full and free: 81 am
here in the flesh, alive and well. Keep
still, now. and everything shall be ex-
planned in good time"
With that [ had to be contented; but
as l grew better the mysteries were
cleared up one Ly one, and these [ must
now relate.
My friend had not been hung; but on
the very day he was about to be execu-
ted a pardon came setting him free.
That morning the maid, who professed
to have seen the murder committed, was
taken suddenly and alarmingly i'll, and
being told that death was not far off,
made confession that she had found
Toms dagger, and had herself committed
the heinous crime through jealousy and
unrequitted love. Everything seemed
to work in her favor to shift the deed
from her own shoulders on to those of
my friend, but her, sin found her out at
last, and she died in tormenting agony.
As soon as Tom obtained his freedom,
he started in quest of me, and found me
as had been stated. Had been willing
to read the papers of that day, l should
have seen the account of Toms release,
and been saved fright and a long ill
ness. Ofcourse, he supposed L had done
50, and had no idea of frightening me,
and he thought 1 was still insane when,
at the asylum, 1 mistook him for
ghost.
Tom has never married, for the girl |
he once loved deserted i'm when the |
shadow came upon his life; and I am |
glad to say that he has lost his doubts |
as to q world beyond this, or the ruling
of higher power than a mere earthly |
one; for he saw that his rescue from an
ignominious death had been brought
about by special Providence.
As we are both in the best of health,
md likely to live for many years yet, 1t
must be left to the future to see If our
,oyish ghostly compact will be kept
Yankee Blctoio.