St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-12
WHAT DID HE SEE?
The Weird Experience of John
Leslie One Winter Night.


Leslie One Winter Night.
1t had been bitter cold day. From
early morn the snow had fallen, and the
wind had blown it into huge drifts, so as
to almost prevent travel.
John Leslie sat in his kitchen, in front
of bright fire. He never went into
the parlor, though othere was a
rather grand one ut the other end of the
houSe-that is, for the country.
His thoughts were not of a pleas
ant nature this evening. Try as hard as
he would, he could not shut out the
vision of the fair-haired girl who in
days gone had graced his home with her
dying. had placed her in his armS-a
wee babe then-and begged that, come
what might, he would never cease to
love and care for their child.
The snow of many winters had fallen
upon her grave, and the then babe had
grown into a woman; had been wooed
and won by the man she loved; had
married him, and the father who had
promised SO much to his dying wife had
driven her from his home on account
thereof.
John Leslie had not married the sec
Ond time. He had engaged house
and as things had gone on about as
we'll as he cared to have them, lie was
contented and happy.
If grace Leslie had not married he
would have felt that his Lines would
have fallen i'll pleasant places" but the
man that she had chosen was one that
he deteSted, and he declared ''that he
would sooner see her dead than his
Wife"
Grace Leslie had proud spirit and
al indOmitable will beside; SO when
she found that entreaty was Of no avail,
she thrust defiance in the old mans
face and married Edwin Thor.
Thor was q good-enough sort of fell
iow-bore good character for honesty
and other virtues, but he had once made
a bargain with John Leslie which he
considered little close. and from that
hour Thor lost caste in his eyes.
The old man was strong III his preju-
diceS, and when he had formed one
against man he was as firm as rock;
and iii this case even the tears and en-
treaties of his dearly loved child failed
10 move him.
So they had gone out into the world,
each strong in hope Of what the possible
future might bring them; and if their
bark, SO richly freighted, should drift
out of the channel and strand upon
some Isle of Shoals" it would not be
the first one. Then, too, they had love
at the helm to guide-and love is brave!
This night, as John Leslie sat by his
fire, there came to him longing for the
sight of his chiid's face once more.
Once CT twice he almost fancied her
present with him and turned about in
his chair and gaZed out into the room.
aS ii he expected to see her.
Then, when he would fail into half
doze, he would dream (?) that some
where out III the night she was holding
| close to her bosom babe and struggling
through the snow trying to reach his
home. Then he would shake this thing
off with a mighty effort and try to ban
ish all thoughts of her from his mind.
But Somnolency cannot so easily be
shaken OF. and sitting by cosy fire on
cold winters night does not help the
matter much. and from time to time the
old man would fall into dose, and each
time the face of his daughter appeared
before him and her eyes would look SO
pieadingly into his that he would waken
with sudden start and call her by
name.
Once he thought he had heard her
voice in accents of entreaty, and the
words she uttered were:
''Come to me! oh, my father, come to
me. or | shall die"
Then be arose and went to the door
and opened it and looked out into the
darkness that lay all around him, shut
ting out all objects from view. He then
listened, too, with an intentnesS that
surprised him, as if he expected the
form of his child to come to him from
out the blackneSS beyond. He saw moth
ing, but he could hear the wind signing
| among the trees that stretched out
| their great fibrouS limbs, like arms of
some huge skeleton, that sought to
strangle him in its grasp, and the pat
ter, patter of the falling snow against
| the window paneS. -i-
"A dreadful nightw he said. ''I'm
glad that no onerous duty calls me out
| closer about him and sat down once
/ more in his coy chair by the fire.
| 1t was not long ere he was doing
| again.
| This time the vision % his child was
! as clear to him, lie said. when he told
me the story, land her voice as natural
| as when he saw her i'll life"
| The words she uttered were these:
sob, father, why did you not come to
NE? 1t is too late now for me; but vii!
you not save my babe, which is asleep
| upon my bosom beneath tie snow al
| yOGr very gate"
81 followed my child through the door
! ont into the snow. down to The very spot
where she had indicated. And there
oh! God! | found her own dead self and
the little, wee babe she had told me of y
God knows" he said, Il would have
given my own life to bring hers back
! again; but that could never he, for she
was dead hours before J. reached hel
side. If | had only needed her first ap
peal, then I could have saved hcr!''
l ventured to ask him then If he be
lieved that she had come to him in tlt
spirit form.
- do not knew" vas his answer
''but she was as real To me as in life
my own darling Oracle. fair hair an(
aliw
John Leslie gave his only child The
cOstlieSt funeral that the place in which
he dwelt had ever seen.
The strange story had drawn togethe
| a great crowd of people. and many wer,
the questions asked of Mrs. Long, tilt
! hOuSekeeper, in regard to it, but Sh
i could not answer them.
Years have passed into oblivion sine,
the night on which; John Leslie's chill,
| came back to his very door and died
and on which lie heard her appeal TO
! help.
That the form of his child did appea
to him he as firmly believes to-day a
he did then.
Whether it was her sister that he say
; he does not pretend to say, nor do
but only ask those. if any there be, VIII
can solve this mystery:
''W hat did John Leslie see?"