Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-02-09

sonably ask. That question l cannot
answer. Why l sat still, as if bewitched
or under some irresistible influence, |
cannot tell, but so it was.
! "And it-came always ripping in, till
| fast 1T began to rise as il still came on,
and ! saw that figure tall, graceful
woman's figure, was slowly advancing,
| backwards of course, into the room, and
that the waves of pale silk-a very deli
cate shade of pearly gray l think it must
have been-were in fact the lower portion
of which hung in deep folds from the
| lady's waist. She moved in-I cannot
describe the motion; it was not like or
binary walking or stepping backwards
| till the whole of her figure aud the clear
profile of her face and head were distinct
| ly visible, and when at last she stopped
and stood there full in my view, just,
5ut only just, beyond the door, saw-it
came upon me like hash-that she was
no stranger to me, this mysterious WISH
tant! l recognized, unchanged, it seem
ed to me since the day, ten years ago,
when | had last seen her, the beautiful
features of Maud Bertram.
81 should not have said unchanged
There was one great change in the sweet
| fac. YOu remember me telling you
that one of my girl fiend's greatest
charms was her bright, sunny hapei-
ness-she never seemed gloomy or de-
pressed or dissatisfied, seldom even PEN
siye. But in this respect the face | sat
there gazing at was utterly unlike Maud
Bertrams. Its expression, as sheer
it'-stood there looking, not towards nae
but out beyond, az if at some one or
something outside the doorway, was Of
the profOundest sadness. Anything so
sad l have never seen in a human face,
and trust l never may. But | sat on, as
motiouless almost as she, gazing at her
tixedly, with no desire, no power perhaps,
to move or approach more nearly to the
phantom. | was not in the least fright
ened. | knew it was a phantom, but
felt parsly zed, and as if / myself had
somehow got outside of ordinary con
ditions. And there / sat, staring at
Maud, and there she stood, gazing before
her with that terrible unspeakable sad
ness in her face, which, even though
felt no fear, seemed to freeze me with a
kind of unutterable pity.
II don't know how long l sat thus, or
how long / might have continued to sit
there, almost as if in trance, when sud
denly | heard the front door bell ring. 1t
seemed to awaken me. / started up and
glanced round, half expecting that
should find the vision dispelled. But no;
she was still there, and | sank back into
my seat just as heard my brother com
ing quickly up stairs. He came toward
the library, and, seeing the door wide
open, walked in; and l, still gazing saw
he ,f
in the doorway as you may walk through
q wreath of mist or smoke, only-don't
misunderstood me-the figure of Maud
till that moment had nothing unsubstantial
about it. She had looked to me, rs she
stood there, literally and exactly like a
living woman; the shade OF her dress, the
color of her hair, the few ornaments che
wore, all were as defined and clear as
yours, Nina, at the present moment, and
remained so, or perhaps became so again
as soon as my brother was well within
the room. He came forward, addressing
me by name, but [ answered him in a
whisper, begging him 20 be silent and TO
sit down on the seat opposite TO ME for
moment or two. He did so, though he
was taken aback by my strange manner,
for ! still kept my eyes fixed ON the door.
| had queer consciousness that if /
looked away it would fade, and | wanted
to keep cool and SEQ wGGt womb happen.
asked Herbert in a low voice if he saw
nothing, but though he mechanically fol
lowed the direction Of my eyes, he shook
his head in beTilderment. And for a mo-
ment or two he remained thus. Then !
began to notice that the figure was grow
ing less clear, as if il were receding, yot
without growing smaller to the sight: it
grew fainter and wagner, the colOrs grew
hazy. | rubbed my eyes once or twice
with the half idea that my long watching
was making them misty, but it was not 90.
NV eyes wore not at fault-slowly but
surely Maud Bertram, or her ghost, melt
ed away, till all trace of her had gone. |
saw again the familiar pattern of the car
pet where she had stood and the objects
of vhe room that had been hidden by her
peries-all again in the most common
place way; but she was gone, quite gone
"Then Herbert, seeing me relax my in
tense gaze began to question me. l told
him exactly what / have told you. He
answered as every comhon sensible per
son, of course, would, that it was arrange,
but that such things did happen some
times aud were classed by the wise IN
der the head of optical delusions.' l
was not we'll, perhaps, he suggested. Been
overworkingY Had | not better see 4
doctor? But shook my head. | was
quite we'll, and l said so. And perhaps he
was right, it might be an optical delusion
only. had never had any experience of
such things.
"Ail the same said shall mark down
the date
Herbert laughed and said that was
what people always did in such cases. Ii
be knew where Mrs. -- then was he
would write to her just for the fun Of the
thing, and aGk Der Co be SO good as TO
looL up in her diary, if she kept one, and
let Us know what she had been doing on
that particular day-'the 9th Of April,
isn't iti' he said when ! would have it
her wrath had paid me visit. let him
talk. II seemed TO remove the strange,
painful impression painful because of
that terrible sadness in the sweet face.
But We neither of Us ksew where she was,
We scarcely remembered her married
name! And so there was nothing 20 be
done except-what 1 did at once, in spite
of Herbert's rallying-to mark down the