The Red Cloud chief., 1888-10-12
MIDNIGHT INSTANT.

-"
q f5 -
An Unexplained Mystery-Marry.
Ing q Ghost.
] Ind never boon superstitiOus; I had
always believed that the seemingly
most supernatural occurrence could be-
satisfactorily explained by natural
phenomena II n could only make n
Nttlo rational investigation. And yet.
with all my skepticism and boosted
common sense. ! was Obliged to confess
TINT there r occasional mysterious
happenings which tho kcencst re-.
searches Of wisdom and experience
fail TO explain. One midnight I fell
into q dcep' study on this subject. Tho
place was n cosy room on the lower
aoOr OF q pretty country cottage.
had purchased tho propcrty--the
cottage and tho incloscd grounds sur
rounding it-0nly u fow weeks before.
And for moro than y year previous 10
that cvent II had been u%nOccupicd. II
had belonged In the past to q Mrs.
Morny-a widow. who had resided
there with an only child--a lovely
daughter. The daughter. Ethel Moray,
had been my nfinnccd vito. But In
. foolish moment We had differed
about some trifle; tho little difference
had been aggravated into q painful
Misunderstanding; Ethel was too proud
TO yield and I was too stubborn; and
90 our engagement was cancelled aud
We parted In anger and forever
i left the little country Village nj
once, and started for Europe. When I
returned from my prolonged tour. l
learned that Ethel was no longer
among tho living. Some months after
my departure she and hor mother had
left the village. They had started
with q yacht party for some point
down the southern cO,st; there had
been o tempest and a collision, and the
yacht had gOno down with all on
board. Only single scaman-stunncd
and half drOwned-had been rescued
TO bring tho story Of the doomed yacht
back to the village. And 80 II hap
pencd that their old residence had
been sold, and that ! became p~Ossessor
Of the home where my lost loved II
had dwelt from her childhood. until
the fatal day she Joined the doomed
yacht party. II was with n mourniul
satisfaction I sottled myself In a place
haunted by % many bitter.swoot mem.
0rics.
ut In . superb little villa. and would
he a bargain NJ double tho price. Put
some sober old couple In charge Of II.
and you will have u capital resort OF
your own for your summer Vacations.
or for any timc when you fool like
leaving tho city for u bit Of a hunting
or fishing or q breath Of country air."
said the real estate agent from whom
/ had bought II.
I had not yet succeeded In securing
q care-taker for the place. and In the
meantime I had restored the grounds
TO order and had rsiurnished tho cot
tage. The room ] had selected for my
own was tho which had been
Ethcl's parlor. I had desired to have
every thing ~ nearly ~ possible like
what II was during the happy summer
whom ! had met, w0oed and lost the
only woman I had eve loved. and tho
only woman ! should ever live TO love.
With tho exception OF u narrow brass
bedstead. oanOpicd with pale.blue net.
ting. the looked almost precisely
~ II did On that last bitter day when
We quarreled. and parted to meet again
no mOre. Perhaps with 40 much u
remind me Of hcr. I need not have
wondered that Ethel's presence some.
tines seemed very near me.
''but that wouldn't account for the
mysterious sounds Of approaching and
lVcceding footsteps In the deep mid.
night. Of whispers which seemed
'breathcd through the lonely silence. OF
the touch Of the lips upon my face" l
p0ndered al ! sat there on this partic.
,ulsr night. For those were the sounds
and fancies which had aroused me
from my slumber. night by night. eve
since ! had occupied the cottage.
would awake With u start. feeling that
u was no longer alone. that something
was moving slowly and surely toward
me.
On each occasion I had lain quite
'Sall. waiting breathlessly for the com.
ing OIL know not what. And ON each
oocasi0n I had heard those ehostly
footsteps moving slowly and steadily
up tho hall outside. pausing for q sec.
ond 1t the door. then crossing the
room and pausing again beside me.
Then ! could feel the light touch Of
lips. . sigh. u whisper would stir the
air. and then the footsteps would turn
back steadily and slowly. until all wa.
once more utter silence. but I had
secn no shadow shape. no phantom
prcsen' s--nothing but the moonligh,
oeaming brightly across the space be-
eweon the door and my bed.
On the first night OF this extraordi
nary experience l WAS 90 wildly i'm
pressed with the belief Of some person
having really entered the room that !
arose and inspected the fasteninRs o
doors and windows. But I discovers
svery thing precisely ~ ! had left It o,
pe1lsang. On several successive night