The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-10-13
MY MIDNIGHT INSTANT.
An Unexplained Mystery-Marry-
ing a Ghost.


| had never been superstitious; | had
always believed that the seemingly
most supernatural occurrence could be
satisfactorily explained by natural
phenomena if one could only make a
little rational investigation. And yet,
with all my skepticism and boasted
common sense, was obliged to confess
that there are occasional mysterious
happenings which the keenest re-
searches of wisdom and experience
fail to explain. One midnight | fell
into deep study on this subject. The
place was a cosy room on the lower
floor of pretty country cottage.
l had purchased the property-the
cottage and the inclosed grounds sur
rounding it-only a few weeks before.
And for more than a year previous to
that event it had been unoccupied. 1t
had belonged in the past to a Mrs.
Moray-a widow, who had resided
there with an only child-a lovely
daughter. The daughter, Ethel Moray,
had been my affianced wife. But in
foolish moment we had differed
about some trihe; the little difference
had been aggravated into a painful
misunderstanding; Ethel was too proud
TO yield and | was too stubborn; and
so our engagement was Cancelled and
we parted in anger and forever.
l,f+ ~
once, and started for Europe. When I
returned from my prolonged tour, l
learned that Ethel was no longer
among the living. Some months after
my departure she and her mother had
left the village. They had started
with yacht party for some point
down the southern coast; there had
been a tempest and a collision, and the
yacht had gone down with all on
board. Only single commissioned
and half drowned-had been rescued
to bring the story of the doomed yacht
back to the village. And so it hap
pened that their old residence had
been Sold and that l became possessor
of the home where my lost loved one
had dwelt from her childhood, until
the fatal day she joined the doomed
yacht party. 1t was with a mournful
satisfaction l settled myself in place
haunted by so many bitter-sweet men,
cries.
ut is superb little villa, and would
be bargain at double the price Put
some sober old couple in charge Of it.,
and you will have capital resort of
your own for your summer vacations,
or for any time when you feel like
leaving the city for q bit of a hunting
or fishing or breath of country air, -
said the real estate agent from whom
/ had bought it.
| had not yet succeeded in securing
q care-taker for the place, and in the
meantime ! had restored the grounds
to order and had refurnished the cot
tage, The room | had selected for my
own was the one which had been
Ethers parlor. | had desired to have
every thing as nearly as possible like
what it was during the happy summer
when | had met, wooed and lost the
only woman | had ever loved, and the
only woman 1 should ever live to love.
With the exception of a narrow brass
bedstead, canopied with pale-blue net
ting, the room looked almost precisely
as it did on that last bitter day when
we quarreled, and parted to meet again
no more. Perhaps with so much to
remind me of her, need not have
wondered that Ethel's presence some
times seemed very near me.
''But that wouldn't account for the
mysterious sounds of approaching and
receding footsteps in the deep mid
night, of whispers which seemed
breathed through the lonely silence, Of
the touch of the lips upon my face"
pondered as | sat there on this partic-
ular night For those were the sounds
and fancies which had aroused Inc
from my slumber, night by night, ever
since | had occupied the cottage.
would awake with start, feeling that
was no longer alone, that something
was moving slowly and surely toward
me.
On each occasion / had lain quite
still, waiting breathlessly for the com
ing of knew not what And on eacf
occasion l had heard those ghostlJ
footsteps moving slowly and steadily
up the hall outside, pausing for a sec
ond at the door, then crossing the
room and pausing again beside me-
Then | could feel the light touch OF
lips, a sigh, a whisper would stir the