The Arkansaw traveler. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1882-1???, 1888-11-10

was disturbed by the remembrance of
the stupid prophecy of 9 garrulous
old woman? The thought was too
absurd Aand I strobe manfully on.
Still, it was no good denying it, the
road was uncanny, and in my life
had never seen such strangely human
looking trees; each one of them seemed
to have theory of its own as to how
the sound of my footstep should be
echoed. AT length, just as the mex
plicable feeling that had taken pos
session OF me was becoming unbear-
able, heard the sound of run
ming waters, which told me that
Unjust be near the bridge. The thought
that I had only half a mile more
to go gave new life and energy,
and l walked rapidly on to the
solid stone erection that had re-
placed the rustic wooden bridge of
other days. The park was, as could
see, fenced of from the stream by an
iron railing. Just as / was in the
middle of the bridge, / had another
touch Of that queer, jerky feeling at
my heart that had had twice before
that night. To this day don't know
why / should have felt the sensation
then, for / could swear that, at the
moment | did feel it, there was no
thought of Arthur Dacre in my mind.
| stood still, frightened at the rate my
heart was beating, and, as / did 90, I
noticed something white glimmering
close to the railing. What it was /
could not tell, as the moon was hidden
by cloud; then, l will confess, the
remembrance of the tragedy which had
been enacted there twenty -seven years
before flashed into my mind. NV
heart beat more spasmodically than
before; / was conscious of a strange
choking sensation, as if something
were pressing tightly around my
throat, and l felt an uncomfortable re-
luctance to advancing further until l
knew the meaning of that white
CLEAN. In a moment, however, an
overwhelming sense of the absurdity
of my conduct rushed into my mind.
l took one step forward; but at that
instant the moon pierced through the
cloud that had enveloped it, and shone
down with clear, brilliant light, and
saw the white, CHASTITY face of dead
man turned towards me. The wish
had so rashly uttered as left the farm
was gratified; Arthur Dacre stood be-
fore me. His body was hidden by the
bushes, but his face / saw as clearly as
l see this lamp before me now.
l stood as one paralyzed. For my
life, l could not have moved an inch;
my heart seemed to cease beating, and
my brain reeled as an unutterable
sense of horror-not fear, but some
thing thousand times more terrible
penetrated my whole being. Iwould
rather face q hundred deaths than ex-
perience that feeling again. The fig
ure seemed to motion me to advance,
and then, as if it noticed my unwill-
ingness, it uttered cry 80 strange in
the unutterable piteousness of the sor-
row it expressed, that it froze my
very heart, and
remember no more until 1 found
myself lying on the grass, and heard
q rough, kindly voice muttering by
my side:
"Queer job, this! Lean on me, sir;
ye be all right now"
1t was Farmer Metcalf, who had
ridden after me to offer the loan ofhi
horse.
A serious illness, which my friends
attributed to over walking, was the
result of my adventure. and it was a
month before was able to leave Wal
The day before started
for town, Farmer Metcalf paid me a
visit. Evidently the good man had
on his mind. He hummed
and hahed, and twirled his hat for
some time in dire confusion.
~ kind o. guess. sir" he at length
began, eyed had bit GA fright that
night I found ye lying by the bridge.
That white thing, ye know, it give
me an ugly turn when first seed it;
but it was nobbut the squire's white
laced mare that had gotten its head
last in t'iron ratings !"-AH the Year
ID ,