News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-09-06

gand burner through the room. Iliftet
the tapestry. Nothing but oall panels
solld and substantial enough, under M
close gaze. / could think of nothing
which, moving outside, might have pro
duced this effect within; and, try as
would, | could offer no solution of tht
odd apparition.
L had come to Penares for twenty-foul
hours with my old schoolmate, Reynold.
Herhoif, who, by marriage with its
young Spanish mistress, lately orphan.
ed, had become its master.
The next morning made no mention
OF my little experience during the night
to my host, but accepted the renewed
invitation that l would lengthen the
twenty-fOur hours to a week
We'll have little hunting, Charlie.
to remind US of our boyhood, Reynolds
said.
eyes" I gave light stamp to bring
down my trousers leg, and admired the
mole on my left cheek in my hosts hand
some mantel mirror, and smiled to think
OF the game l had in view to investigate.
little thinking what sort would really
"bring down.
During my spare moments that day I
busted myself in attempting to invent
something approximately like the refiec-
flon had seen on the tapestry. Some
ingenious servant, L conjectIIred had .
- veredthis method for welcoming
the Fenarest guests. l constructed a
rude affair of pasteboard, with an open
ing fitly shaped. This, thought, with
q strong light within it, and carried .
swiftly, ought to give me my visitor. / /
would try it 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, so l
sat down to wait under the shadow OF
friendly maple. AS l sat 1 observed a
dark figure moving slowly ly along the
southern wall.
"Ah! my friend of last night" said,
in my own mind, expecting every min
ute to see q ''magic lantern" perform
ance. 1 watched it closely. I could
but dimly discern the outline, as it stood
death still, the head thrown slight Y
back, as if the eyes were watching close
~ some point above them. Something
H4ite hoated slowly down from an upper
window. A zephyr caught it; 1t rose
again, and then descended Obliquely.
could see it nova bit of white paper
at my feet. / heard low muttered
curse as the man grOped about on hands
and knees in the darkness. Again and
again he searched; but in vain. l was
on the point of announcing myself and
Offering him his billet doux, as l con-
ceived it to be, when the sweet notes of
a mocking bird fell on my ear-so Won
derfully clear, SO perfectly initiated, as
TO command my profound astOnishment
and induce my silence. Three times he
repeated the warbling notes, and then
moved swiftly again to the wall. Mira
bile dictui again white messenger float
ed down. He seized it and disappeared
in the darkness. "A maid and her
lover" | said, in contempt of my own
curiosity, as 1 proceeded to light my
lantern and try my ''effects!" BAH No
thing could have been less like the
filmy, translucent vision of the night
before than my fellow, shapeless glare.
/ blew out the candle, and stood look
ing into the darkness of my room. Hal
By Jove, there it went againl The per-
feet outline of slim, white, human fig
ure thrown against the dark silk tapes
tryl Before my eyes it had appeared
and disappeared. l could not tell whence
it had come or whittier it had gone.
/ climbed to the balcnoy, and again ex-
amined the room thoroughly, but with
out forming the smallest solution to my
odd vision.
The note l had picked up was, after
all, no love-letter-a bit of waste paper,
and read as follows:
II must see you. White Hollow, II
midnight -
l sat, as had grown to be my custom,
tazzn1aer the dark maple. 1t was midnight
and pas&. The wall, as usual, yielded
its figuI >. This time, without doubt,
woman's. Sc stb,e moved swiftly down the
garden waTss%s,ld out of sight. | took
my place as neSriy as possible where |
had first seen her, and waited. An hour
had passed before l again heard the
faint brushing of her gown against the
shrubbery. She followed the wall, from
its south corner, close under the shadow
of the dark gray stone. Tie point where
jutting angle made almost blackness
was reached, and, by swift movement,
which came the nearest possible to being
too late, / contiived to insert twig
between the edges of q spring door rs
the woman's figure dissolved iuto dark
ness.
applied my ear to the narrow open
ing and could hear quick footsteps along
stone floor. At longth all was silent,
and 1 entered. felt my way slowly
and cautiously. Occasionally the gal
lery widened somewhat, but usually 1t
was barely wide enough for me to walk
comfortably. / struck match-l had
but two, and must be careful of them
but there was nothing to see. Only the
narrow walls of secret passage! No
door to be seen 1 retraced my steps,
but the entrance had vanished. There
was but smooth stone surface L
pressed every spot in search of secret
spring, but in vain, and, after an hours
useless search, 1 cursed my own folly
and idle curiosity for having thus en-
trapped me.
struck my other match and noticed
that the little gallery here, at its begin
ming, was widened into a sort of a vesti-
bule large enough to hold table and