Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-08-10
TIE GHAIST O. GHAIRLEE.

THE GHAISI u GHAlRLEE.
The Incident am about 70 relate occurred
70 myself when 90 whit 70 an old house far
in the xilds u Ro~hire. Scotland Is the
Land Of visions Few are the places that
have not some tradition attachsd 70 them
Gloomy and grim stand the old houses.
and there IL q cause for their forb,dding a.
psct. The s,lllen shallow Of past crines hangs
over them
Last autumn I was invited by my dear old
friend. the Laird o. Charlse, 10 make one Of q
shooting party ASSEMBLING there. Sport ID
good there, If anywhere, and, moreover, the
laird owned convey of pretty daughters, who
would be sure 10 make things lively and
pleasant
arrived then, at Ghairiee station full Of
hope and prepared for enjoyment l brought
with me my guns and my beloved violin,
without which never travel
Charlse itself Is q curious old house; the
passages run about it In an extremely com
plicated fashion, up one step 10 room, down
twb steps into il, and 50 oa. The hall Is
portion Of the old tower the walls Of i'm
mense Thickness Many additions have been
made by different lairds, long since gathered
10 their fathers
did not see all this the night Of my ar
rival--in soosh, 1t WAS - dark that could
distinguish very little as the dog cart spun
up the avenue; but | did notice the black
mass on my left As We turned very sharp
corner round "a block VI buildings, and on my
right, sullen roar as il angry waters boiled
over In a torrent 10 dash upon rocks In the
dark depths far, far below
The next moment We drew up before the
door, barred and studded with great iron
nails Light was pouring from the hail, and
the laird stood In the doorway surrounded
by bowling bodyguard Of terriers.
Whist, dogs Come in, laddie"
And my Old friend gathered into his an
cestral hall with highland hospitality. We
passed up u low stairway, and across thick
ly carpetcd corridor furnished with strange
pieces Of antique workmanship-frownin
cabinets and carved chairs from which uncan-
ny faces leered In the freight. The drawing
room was at the far end and there were again
two or three steps leading TO it alone. By
the side Of these steps and against the wall
stood fine old press OF marquetrie, quaint
ly inlaid and used, As | afterward learned,
for the slowing away Of odds and ends, OF
nothing and all things. 1t was here that my
violin soon found place, and laid it, in its
modern embroidered case, by the side Of a
quaint old lutte about which was twisted
faded, moth eaten ribbon.
This" said the laird's pretty daughter,
touching 1t reverently, has IA history We
keep it here-pretty as it is-because none Of
us like to look on it, But all this be-
longs elsewhere In my story.
Report had not exaggerated the charms Of
the old airds daughters. Four Of them he
had-the youngest, u charming child-the
eldest, already appropriated But there re-
manned the adorable second and the exquisite
third, and after day Of painful uncertainty
| fell before the first Of these two who was
called by the tuneful name OF Navis. and
who had n musical fever akin to my own.
Together we trllled and tumined and turned
leaves and played love songs and madrigals,
serenailes and sonatas, and when we did not
play We talked music, and when we did not
talk music, we talked-ah well suffice 1t to
say that the days hurried by and the weeks
few after them and had been a guest at
Ghairlee nigh on 10 a second month. and my
heart belonged To Mavis,
The cream Of the shooting was over and
the party much diminished. One or two men
only remained beside myself, and pretty
young wonan-a nelghbor OF the laird's who
had come for two weeks visit We were
gathered in the drawing room and somebody
asked for music | went out to the fire
lighted hall to the old cabinet to get my
violin, and Muvis went with me. We linger-
ed there, alone, for n moment just for the
sake of lingering It was then Mavis spoke
about the lutte | took it in my hands and,
AS | did SO, a thin. farnway wall OF melody
seemed to sweep past us and lose itself in the
dimness beyond the glow Of the freight.
what was thatf asked. sharply Then,
seeing that Mavis only trembled in reply, |
added. quickly, Il must have Jared the old
thing"
Put 1t down." said Mavis; lit is uncanny.
We never touch it IL belonged to the Ghaist
o Ghairle,"
ITO the ghaist'' cried |, laughing perhaps
not altogether artily-for though | GER
tainly did not believe in ghosts, there had
been something in that wailing strain to set
ones nerve, ON quiver; you Scotch lassies,
forsooth, must still believe in your ghaistsl
There was never decent bluided Highland
body without aaist in his castle' You
must introduce me some day to yours!n And
No, laughing and teasing her to bring back
the ros. to her cheeks, If, indeed. could,
lol her again TO the drawir-, room where a
hi'fNi All or Two OF my
loved music with my dear violin soon chased
the Ghast o Ghairlee from my thoughts.
My rooms were in the tower-in that same
black Pile OF stone round which | swept on
the evening Of my arrival, and my windows
looked out over the torrent which roared its
way ceaselessly from rock to rock to a shud-
derng depth. and then tore on In dark
sullen stream.
I hid ~IxIS Il
pressure of her little flngers-for they all
stood around us in the drawing room and
she did not offer to go out into the hail. and
then sprang lightly up the steps, humming
strain of the bit Of Beethoven we had been
going over.
The large corridor was Illuminated by a
lamp. A smaller passage led away from it,
and my room opened into this passage-now
in profound darkness. There were candle
sticks on a table at the head of the flight of
steps, but after | found out the way to nv
rooms and had grown accustomed TO it,
rarely stopped to light one, Tonight made
no exception to this custom, and went swing
ing down the passage toward my door
had found it, and was about to turn the
handle when saw before me, few feet dis
tant, man croucbiug, with his ear close
against the wall level with my door He
slowly turned his head and stared straight at
me. A more evil expression | had never en-
countered, 50 full was it Of threatening hate
and devilish purpose.
l stood fascinated, watching the man.
Presently. with hand outspread feeling along
the wall, he began creeping toward me; at
the same moment the dismal bowling of q
dog, apparently in one Of the rooms. became
audible This sound AID the action or his
part seemed 10 release m faculties. 1dashed
at him-rnade grab at his coat-struck the
wall, the man was gone
stood stupidity; the passage was dark as
pitch. Could he have slipped aside, and be
waiting to strikei
Then--t then, with q revulsion that sent my
blood curdling back to my heart. it shot
through me:
How did SIZE him, being in the darki
That he was there for no good was sufii-
ciently demonstrated; but how could | have
seen hint experienced q curious sensation
as 1t broke upon me that the man had be
held was not included in the census Of this
planet felt a tingling in my limbs and a
huuing in my ears. The sensation was
physical only-mentally, l may say there
WAS a complete and instant blank.
As the shock passed over pulled myself to
gether and retraced my steps down the pas
sAge and into the drawing room. II seemed
strange. that lighted room and the common