The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1889-06-21

81 have no very distinct recollection
/ of how the evening passed, but at ten
o'clock we were shown to our respective
rooms. Mine was on the ground floor,
and as | did not feel inclined to go to
sleep, threw myself on lounge before
a blazing wood-fre and gave myself up
TO a succession of pleasant dreams, In
/ which, | am proud to confess, young
/ lady in blue dress played the most i'm
portant part.
&. ~ had lain there about two hours, so
T that it must have been near midnight,
when noticed, for the first time, that
the storm was over, and that few
struggling rays of moonlight we're
streaming in through the window, max
I. VAR EIIT II00T.
'Ihad neglected to draw the curtain,
and as looked up, was confronted by
a face pressed close against the window,
and staring in at me with expressionless,
I pale-blue eyes.
at was the face of the man that had
seen but few hours before in his coffin.
There was the same softly curling gray
hair, the same closely cut gray beard,
and even the same odd scar over the left
eyebrow. Feature and expression were
alike identical Inexpressibly shocked,
rose to my feet, but as [ approached
the window, the figure retreated step by
step. He was dressed in long; gray
garment that tluttered in the wind and
took on strange shapes as the shifting
light of the moon fell upon its soft folds
or left them in shadow.
Il am ready to admit that l was
startled, but as there YVES nothing really
frightful in the appearance OF my strange
visitor. l raised the window and ad-
dressed him with careful politeness.
"'Well, sir, asked, what is your
wishp
''My question met with no response,
but the figure raised his hand, pointed
to his lips and then seemed to beekon
me toward him. The window was a
low one, and 1 leaped out, but as
landed in the snow, the figure turned,
and with one wild gesture, ran.
started in pursuit A few rods from the
house, upon the other side of the street,
was an old grave yard, its broken shafts
and head stones plainly discernible in
the moonlight.
"For moment I stood still, awed by
the silent majesty of the scene.
"Aboye me rose the sky, like the dome
of some spacious temple, its sapphire
roof supported on every side by pillars
of cloud, white like marble, or purple in
the distance like porphyry."
At this point in the narrative madam,
in an unguarded moment, leaned for
ward in her chair, but De Wolf, ignor-
ing this unconscious manifestation of in
terest, went on:
''Iust opposite the house was gap in
the fence which surrounded the deserted
burial place, and my ghostly visitor at
once showed his familiarity with his
surroundings by turning his steps TO-
ntdfTied aftef' lin Bn1 ne wa was fieet
of foot, and as the tall figure of the old
man glided in and out amongst the
broken grave-stones he seemed of no
more substantial essence than a slim,
gray shadow driven by the wind
''Once came so close to him that
put out my hand to lay hold Of his robe,
but my foot slipped upon piece of ice, /
and fell PROSTATE across a grave.
"a strange, discordant laugh fell upon
my ear. 1 rose to my feet. The tan, /
gray figure was inst beyond, still beckor- /
ing with its weird, white hand, through /
which the pale light of the moon seemed I
to shine.
~ made one more effort, and dashed
forward recklessly, conscious of nothing 4
but that dim, shadowy figure, forever
eluding, forever hooking me.
suddenly the ground beneath my
feet gave way. l felt myself falling
through space All around me was
darkness darkness so absolute, so
dense, that tried to grasp it as fell,
in an unTeasoning effort to lay hold of
something solid and substantial
by quick instinct perceived that
I had fallen through the top of some
ruinous old tomb. I CROPPED wildly in
the darkness felt the damp brick walls
that shut me in. the stone steps Shiny
With mold, and saw far above me,
through the opening in the roof, a white
face, distorted with laughter, peering
down at me In vain tried TO scale the
walls; then ! felt blindly for the door,
every faculty absorbed in one wild idea
of escape The melting snow oozed
through the broken walls and fell upon
my head. was knee deep in water,
and plunging about in fruitless effort
~ AAAh tlAS AODAT NOAHIAOuS al
the while, that was not the only occu-
pant of that loathsome place.
'At last my hands came in contact
with cold iron.
Il had found the door, but could 1
open it, With the desperation of des- 1
pair l threw myself against it. 1t
yielded, and found myself out in the
snow.
GLOW 1 ever got back to the house
and to bed cannot tell Three weeks |
after, woke as from soma fearful /
dream, and found myself in the same /
room where / had fallen asleep after
that eventful night. A gentleman whom
1 recognized as the village physician, i,
and a young lady in a blue dress, sat in !.
front of the fire, conversing in low +,
tones.
"Why am l heren l asked, and was !,
to find my voice so weak and !
For an instant l had an !
that /, too, had become a
ghost, in which caeo | should probably
brighten the young lady who sat by the {
fire. l
"But she looked up aud answered,
quietly: do not talk, or you will be ill 9
again. You have been very sick, but l.
you are better now. You must get I
well.
81 will get WE'LL remarked idiotic- /
ally, if you will go on sitting there by
the fire.
"Then fell asleep, and when awoke
again l was strong enough to recount the s
incidents of the night preceding my ill u
ness, and to listen to an explanation of Il
my remarkable experience f
'.Ahv" observed madam, drawing fl
long breath, ''then there was an explana- il
ion. after all. 1t was an hallunciation a
brain-feyer in an incipient i
itate7' p
''Not at ALL" said De Wolf. 'AIy t
friends followed my footsteps through a
he snow, found the broken tomb, and,
captured the ghost"
. "Ah, the ghost~ r,
''Yes. 1t happened that the man who fl
lad died had a twin brother who was a S
ieaf-mute and harmlessly insane. He