The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1888-11-17
COURTED BY A SPOOK.
Curious Ghost Story Told by an Elderly
Kansas Lady.

There is an old-fashioned cottage across the
river, in which dwells an old maid who per-
sists in calling herself Mrs. William Varney,
although she has never been married. Her real
name is NJ Carrie Dey, to address her in
that manner would excite her seemingly i'm
perturable nature as nothing else would.
Years ago in a certain village on the Hudson
River she loved theological student, who was
a handsome man and a wealthy one. When
he completed his studies he deferred taking his
ORDERS and travelled i'll the Orient for three
years. There the study of occult science at
tracted him. and when he returned the mania
for discovering the elixir of life had become
so strong as to supersede all desire for the min
istry. Everything was absorbed in this one
ambition barring his love for the sweetheart
of his student days.
This seemed intensified to such degree that
he nearly abandoned even his relatives, and
what time he did not devote to strange man.
ners of seeking after queer herbs was spent by
the cosy Old-fashiOned fireplace in courtshlp.-
She was the daughter of a farmer, and had her
tidy little parlor always the neatest in which
they spent the major portion of their long win
ter nights, he trying to teach her the strange
lore of Eastern philosophers and arts OF the
jugglers
One night he left her and was never seen or
heard of in the body afterward DiGgent in
quiry was made, but all to no avail. Her love
had been very sincere, and her grief was in
consolable. Only one thing kept her from
sinking into dependency. He had pinned
pearl brooch at her throat on the last night and
had promised that if she wore that constantly
he would return to her dead or alive when
ever she should sit by the fireplace and con-
centrate her whole mind upon him calling him
mentally.
The story she tells of the result of her mani
festations of faith in his mysterious instruc-
tions is a strangely romantic one. She had ar
ranged her parlOr precisely in the manner in
which it best pleased him. Every little token
of esteem from him was conspicuously placed
on a small centre table. Everybody had been
banished from the room a CHEEKY fire of hick-
ory logs built. His wOnted chair was drawn
up in front of it, and in the still hour of mid
night she seated herself and fixed her thoughts
upon her absent lover. But few minutes had
elapsed when strange, weird coldness pervad-
ed the room, followed by intense darkness, de-
spite the freight glare. This gradually sub
sided, when a deep roar, as of thunder, seemed
to shake the very earth.
Quiet then resumed, and the door was softly
opened. Lifting her eyes for the flrst time,
she beheld her lover and, waiting until he care
fully closed and locked the door, she rose to
receive him. His eyes beamed with the same
old tenderness, and he seemed to be the identi-
cal glad lover as ofyOre in every respect. But
as she embraced him, with the fervor of long
deferred but restored love, her arms closed,
seemingly nothing but space intervening. A
halfmocking smile played on his lips as she
sprang back in amazement and despair. He
seated himself, bade her be seated and explain
ed his long absence and present condition.
On leaving her long ago, it appears he had
fallen into the river, drifted under the ice,
drowned and had been carried to sea. Only
his spirit was present. She says that that
grew to be fully satisfactory, and that after the
night was spent in an old-time courtship he
vanished just as the gray dawn was stealing
over the snow-clad hills. In keeping with his
request she had moved from her native town
to Kansas, and his spirit responded to her call
whenever she desired. She is still a hand
some, CHEEKY woman of 49, and one of rare
good sense.