Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-23
A DREAM GHOST STORY.
The nfarquise di Lanza Relates an Experi-
cnce Which Reminds One of DR.. Jekyl
and MIR. Hyde-No Resurrection of the

The marquise di Lanza Relates an Experi-
ence Which Reminds One of DR.. Jekyl
and MIR. Hyde-No Resurrection of the
Body.
As to ghost stories, most people have q
passion for them. know have. Those
which have from time to time written
three or four in number-I have dreamed
precisely as have recorded them, with the
exception that 1 have given names to the
characters which did not exist in the
dreams. never tried to invent a super
natural story. I simply put down on paper
what had come to me during sleep. As a
child preferred the weird tales of Edgar
Allen Poe to all others; read them yet.
The "House and the Brain" is marvellous
tale, displaying a very high order of genius.
1t is by far the best and most complete
thing of the kind I ever read. Bulwer's
Strange Story" too, always interested me.
As you have asked me for a short ghost
story, 1 will tell you an unwritten dream oil
mine which call ''The Phantom Doctor. u
I was spending the summer at Newport,
where had gone to recuperate from the
arduous duties of my profession, when
met q girl with whom 1 fell desperately in
love. Her name was Emily Gibson, and the
fact that she not only ignored my existence,
but that she was already engaged to another
man whom she evidently adored, did not in
the least cool the ardor of my passion, and
worshiped in secret.
One night 1 had gone to bed impressed
with that acute, mysterious sense of coming
evil which sometimes affects the most phleg-
matte persons. I was roughly awakened
after a time by loud rap at my door.
Springing out of my bed, I drew the bolt,
and inquired what was wanted. To my
utter astonishment Emily stood before me.
In few words she told me what was, wrong.
Her lover. Jerome, had been taken ill.
was physician, as she we'll knew. Would
come at once and give my assistance?
A SECOND SELF AT WORK.
When five minutes later I reached Je-
rome's apartment, I found him suffering
from internal pains of great violence, the
cause of which was unable 10 determine.
He became quieter after 1 had administered
some morphine and presently fell into a
profound sleep. Emily remained in the
room, and as 1 watched Jerome saw that
she regarded zoe intently, suspiciously. 1t
cut me to the heart to think was an object
myself comparatively alone with her at that
silent hour of the night intoxicated me with
joy. When returned to my room my pulse
was bounding with excitement.
For some time l tossed about unable to
sleep. When at last repose came dreamed
a strange and horrible dream. I heard
Emily's voice call me by name and summon
me to Jerome's chamber. rose and dressed
and went down the creaking stairs to his
door, which opened. He was lying in bed
and L myself watched beside him. No one
else was there. Oh, how 1 hated him, and
how loved Emily! How loathed his very
presence! A fendish impulse came over
me to kill him-an impulse that momen-
tarily grew stronger. My body, standing
on the threshold, saw nv spirit cautiously
measure a dose of poison from a vial. Then,
with blanched face, raised Jerome OH his
pillow, and, forcing open his clenched teeth,
I gave him the deadly draught. A look Of
unutterable horror came into the sick man s
iace-a look shall never forget. But fear
ful convulsions seized him. He writhed in
agony, and in moment lay still and rigid.
AwoKE IN THE HALL.
A wild delight possessed me. I cried
aloud and awoke. Good God not to find
myself in bed at all, but standing shiver-
ing in the hall with an empty vial clutched
in one hand, and the cool, gray morning
creeping through the window. For a
brief space I was daZed, stunned-horrifed
beyond measure. How came I here? Grad
ually I recalled the summons in the
night The incidents one by one came
back to me. I remembered had remained
below not half an hour. The frightiul
dream rushed upon my memory. 1 know
that had deliberately murdered James
l.; r
the woman he loved, and whose affection he
had won, for myseif. I had killed him
wantonly, ,dIabolicslly. Drops Of sweat broke
out upon me, as this AWFUL truth became
clear to my mind. 1 shrieked aloud and
made a wild dash down the stairs to
Jerome's room. The faint gray light of
the breaking day fell directly across his
motionless figure. I advanced with a
hating, staggering gait, and peered into
his face. 1t was ashen. My eyes glared
in horrible apprehension as 1 placed one
hand upon his forehead. The touch chilled
me from head to foot like ice. He was
dead, unmistakably dead. Then I fed from
The room, and for time knew no more.
will pass over the hours of desperate
agony that followed. Suffice it to say that,
although 1 feel perfectly irresponsible for
Jerome's death, 1 yet knew instinctively
that had murdered him. The empty vial,
my unaccountable presence in the hall, my
dream, all pointed to shocking and loath-
some reality. 1 knew that on my soul
rested the burden of this horrible crime.
Then came the second chapter in the trag-
edv. The trouble and excitement incident
to the calamity that had occurred in the
house caused Emily to be utterly prostrated.
l had not seen her since that fatal morning
when awoke to find myself branded as
murderer. Like il criminal 1 hid in my
room, overwhelmed with sorrow, remorse,
despair. Then remember heard that she
too was i'll, and that my professional serv-
ices were required second time. The mis-
cry that took possession OF me knew no
bounds. Twas in mortal terror now as to
what should do.
l shrank from the possible path into
which my other self-that hideous phan tom
of myself-might lead me. Yet dared not
refuse this summons. More dead than alive
1 found myself crossing the threshold oil
that dimly-lighted room. Again 1 pre-
scribed some remedy, just as had done for
Jerome. All the time my heart went out to
the poor suffering girl whose anguish 1 had
caused. loved her more than ever. 1
rushed away and once more sought forget
funess in sleep, and once more dreamed.
I saw myself steal on tiptoe along the
dusky corridor, starting back afrighted
when thought to hear a sudden footstep;
then emerging boldly from the moonlight to
the deep gloom of the staircase 1 passed on
to Emily's apartment. Through the open
doorway saw the interior, reddened by the
lamplight that streamed in Pickering rays