The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-15

At jolly stag party at Yale, long gone
by, the chat developed lugubrious turn as
the evening wore away. The lights were
turned down till they burned CHASTITY blue,
the wine was circulated and conversation
was carried on in hushed, sepulchral whis-
pers Several comical spook stories had
already been told, of the nature where the
weary traveller sleeps in the haunted room
sacred to villainy and crime and is
awakened by the conventional tall, white
| specter, who stands by his bed and extends
over him a threatening, quivering, ghas ~
arm lie warns it to beware. lt Will not
beware, and drawing his pistols from be-
meath his pillow he fires twelve shots with
deadly aim. The specter vanishes through
the floor, and in the morning no finds his
poor, innocent, harmless shirt, which no
had hung ON a chair, perforated by twelve
great, staring holes.
A subdued but mirthful chuckle followed
each of these variations until finally u
! Notwithstanding fellow named Barber-a
youth with deep-Sunken, mysterious black
eyes that looked one through and through
| spoke:
you fellows may laugh your fll," said
he "but all the same there are more things
in heaven and earth than are dreamed of
In your philosophy. Something occurred
to me once which | fancy you would find
difficult to account for"
Tell us, Barber" said the crowd, in
chorus, ''and well do the accounting all
right"
"Well," said Barber, "you must know
that when ! was a kid of about Is, had an
uncle who lived up in Vermont His family
consisted OF his wife, a boy my own age, a
| hired man, and a cuoreboy named Eli. ELI
was quite a mechanic, and had gone round
| the pace cutting what are known as noon
| marks on everything within his roach. Be
sides these relatives | had brother older
than myself, who was fitting for college at
| East Hampton. Every summer | used to
so out to my unao's farm and stay few
| months. The spring was Is my mother
received a letter from my aunt which Incl
dentally mentioned that the hired man
| had committed suicide but without stating
| just how it had been done. That summer
was detained at home until August then
on my way to Vermont my brother met
me at the East Hampton station, aud men
tlonIug the suicide of the hired man,
stumped me to sleep in his room. Not
liking to take a dare, | agreed, and my
first request on reachi z the house was to
that eHect. They reluctantly acceded to it,
and ! retired for the night. When / woke
the next morning the sun was streaming
brightly through the windows, aud | could
see the shadow lie across one
of Ellis noon marks cut deep in
the sill. lay still for an Instant, too full
of sleepy excitement to stir | shall
never forget to my dying day that moment.
How the scent OF the cherry blossoms
drifted sweet and strong through the open
window. The next moment my reverie was
distul bed. There was a movement i'll the bed
beside me. Some one stepped over me and
| crossed the floor. 1t was man. He walked
straight up to little glass that was tackled
against the wall, and III which | saw his
face He had long nose, frowning eye
brows, and darkly sinister eyes He gazed
at himself an instant i'll the glass, aud then,
horror of horrors! 6 asped razor lying on
| the shelf beneath, and deliberately drew it
across his throat. The bright red blood
gushed out in living, puslting stream.
| 1t stained the glass a rich crimson and
| trickled in hideous little crawling streams
down the wall. The man turned and with
a sin5ularly steady step pas cd out and
down the stairs. AS he descended | heard
that awful drip, drip, drip of the falling
blood. | sat up and screamed. In an in
slant the bright room, the sunlight, and the
sweet scent from the open window faded
| from my senses and all was dark. Then | did
scream for keeps. The family came to ascer-
| tain the trouble. The story was told to them.
They listened incredulously. 1t must have
been all a dream, but the reality of it was
| JnaU OF no Ordinary cream, lot UAe Hlreu
man had cut his throat at high noon in that
very room at the season of the year when
cherries were blossoming, and more than
| that / had described his face with accuracy
| although had never seen it. D."
| A little hush of dread held the listeners
silent for moment or two after this weird
narrative. Then the boys attempted to ac-
count for the strange vision in a rational
way, but none could displace the feeling Of
awe that had crept into his heart.
Barber himself finally spoke 81 think,
maybe, boys, ought to explain little.
have ombellished that story little to make
it effective"
"Why, didn't you have that dream9" IN
dignantly inquired one of the fellows.
"W-ell, no; not exactly" said Barber.
Didn't your uncle's hired man commit
suicideM
"N-no."
Did you have an uncle"
mo-
Ever have a big brother who went to
East Hampton"
mo; I'm an only child"
The unanimous opinion of the boys was
that this man Barber must have ben liar