San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-09-18
A STRANGE PHOTOGRAPH.

luXurl0uSly dengnt1ul, anu sIePI' sieP.
profoundly-Id do not know how long-but
was awakened by sense Of not being
alone; q watched, startled feeling as q
white, swift moving object passed along
the tapestried wall opposite me and dlsap'
peared. I sprang up, and, lighting my
lamp, threw the rays from strong Argand
tapestry. Nothing but oak panels, solid
and substantial enough, under my close
gaze. could think of nothing which,
moving outside, might have produced this
effect within, and, try as | would, could
offer no solution Of the odd apparition.
/ had come to Penarse for twenty four
hours, with my old schoolmate, Reynolds
Herholf, who, by marriage with its young
Spanish mistress, lately orphaned, had
become its master.
] always rather fancied mysteries.
liked fathoming them. considered my
self q first class amateur detective. was
In good spirits-'a vague looking forward
to some pleasantness"- went down to
breakfast.
made no mention of my little expert
ence during the night to my host, but !
accepted the renewed invitation that |
would lengthen the twenty-four hours to
aweek.
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. 1.
1.-THE lights were not yet all out, so sat
down to wait under the shadow of
friendly maple. AS l sat, | observed a
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 it closely. l could but dimly
discern the outline, as it stood death
still, the head thrown slightly back,
as if the eyes were watching closely s2mo
point above them. Something white
hoated slowly down from an upper win
dow A zephyr caught it; it rose again,
and then descended obliquely. | could
see it nova bit of white papcr-at my
feet. l heard low, muttered 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 1T to
be, when the sweet notes of hooking
bird fell on my ear-so wonderfully 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 Mirabile dictul again
white messenger aoated down. He
seized it, and disappeared in the darkness.
"a maid and her lover,"I said, in con-
tempt of my own curiosity, as proceeded
to light my lantern and try my effects. ;"
BahI 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. Hal By
Jove, there it went againl The perfect
outline Of a slim, white, human figure
thrown against the dark silk tapestry
Before my eyes it had appeared and disap.
peared. could not tell whence it had
come or whittier it had gone. | climbed
to the balcony, and again examined the
room thoroughly, but without forming
the smallest solution to my odd vision.
The note had picked up was, after all,
no love letter-a bit of waste paper-and
ran as follows:
Ihave read that we
Must not look beck OF EEzabeth's reign 10
See chimneys in use
You can imagine that
White walls in those days were
Hollow r1ockerieS indeed
Twelve foot room would be q
Midnight dungeon.
was soon sleeping soundly, and onl!
Weakened in time to prepare for lUGuri
Gus 10 o'clock breakfast. l was UNUSUAL!
impressed by Herholfs haggard appear
ance. He assured me that lie was well
but to me he looked feeble and worn.
wondered that had not obser7cd it nor
OH the day of my arrival.
A couple of days passed, and once agar
had seen my strange visitor.
The figure that had seen on the see
ond evening, from my seat under tn
maple. | Lad seen several times since
Sometimes it disappeared in the wall 9
the house; sometimes it came out OF th
WALL There must be a secret door, but
%uld not find it; and why pair Of SCI
Wants should choose midnight and my!
terry for courtship, if such it was, coul
not understand.
had unraveled the cipher of the note
had found; and by taking the first woT
of each line, read: Il must see yoJ
White Hollow, twelve, midnight
sat, as had grown to be my custom
under the dark maple. 1t was midmgt
and past. The E=ou c a IsSval welded Il