The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-06-08

noon she would stop for five minutes to ask me
how was, chat pleasantly in her sweet, friendly
way, and go on with a little backward smile and
nod which made one feel the better for it,
Well, one afternoon when all the people in the
hotel had gone off for their usual tennis or tea
party, or ride or picnic, as the case might be,
Mrs. X came out, dressed less smartly
than usual. There was an air of preoccupation
in her whole form as she stood sharply silhou-
cited for a moment in the dim verandah against .
the oblong of bright sunshine behind. Then she
left the verandah by flight of small steps lead
ing to the steep path by the out-houses of the
hotel, and so up to the deodar slopes above it.
| must confess that was little disappointed |
at losing my wonted chat with her. However, |
was not deeply interested, and soon had forgot
ten all about it and lay in my chair watching
the evening shadows creeping over the "Khud'
and dreamily speculating on what lay beyond
the pink-tinged wall of snow that bounded the
scene. Just at dusk "jampan" stopped at the
foot Of the hotel steps and let down Mrs. Go
lightly. She tripped up the steps, and, without
noticing me as sat in the deep shadow of the
verandah, went along the corridor, and stopping
at Mrs. ks door, tapped at it and, as if in
answer to response from within, entered, say
ing, Il remember it quite distinctly "Dear Mrs.
X, how lucky am to find you !" And
then the door closed, and the corridor was left
again to twilight and to me.
Had l been to sleep and had Mrs. X--
come back unnotced by me! No for the same
long TRICKY that L was smoking when Mrs
X went out was still alight. just then
my attention was again diverted by the arrival
of native groom on the Mall at the foot of the
steps, and then came the sound of pony ridden
smartly along the road, and Capt. Peacock
pulled up and, throwing the reins to the Syce
jumped off and came up the steps three at a
time. He was a tall, good-looking man, and
about the most unprincipled devil | ever met.
"There will the eagles be gathered together"
was my mental comment. sHowever, he won't
find many people at home this jolly evening"
Past my chair he strobe and along the same cor
ridor to Mrs. X--'s rooms, and he too,
tapped at the door. ''Come in,'' was the silvery
response from within, and he entered and again
all was still. Curious | could have sworn it
was Mrs X who went out but must have
been mistaken, as these people have found her
at home.
The night fell and ''the freies danced in the
purple gloom'' and the tall altars of snow faded
and merged into the sky like ghosts; the passion
flowers closed their gorgeous blossoms, and the
chilly night breeze swept up the Khud and
around the hotel. The deodars stood up in
dark, distinct tracery against the starry night,
and the breeze played with their tassels and
shook the pine needles to the ground with a
rustling noise like the pattering of rain on au-
tumn leaves.
In about half an hour Mrs X--s visitors
left-frst Peacock and afterward Mrs. Golight-
! ly-with many backward mods and repeated
adieux to their hostess and soon lights shone
! ont and twinklel from tha alOwS dotted
about the hillside. The strains of military
band playing the "Livelong Indian Day. came
family from where they were dancing in the AS
| sembly-rooms, when suddenly the faint remnant
of daylight at the far end of the verandah was
obscured, and Mrs. X again mounted the
steps and returned to her rooms.
''Mrs X-, do l say? How could that be
She had never left her rooms Had | not seen
! people talking to her there but few moments
since? All India had recently rung with the
Gospel of Esoterc Buddhism, with weird tales
Of the ''astral form that can leave its tenement
of clay and wander at will; was this case in
point? l always thought that ghosts were only
associated with the dead, not with the living
Whatever it was, it was uncanny, jumpy! |
was sick man, remember, but think sound
one would have felt nearly the same. The whole
place seemed to change and to become big with
the supernatural.
The passion flowers rustled with restless
murmur, the night wind moaned meaningly in
the deodar BRANCHES; could any evil be at hand
wild flash of summer lightning lit up the
whole front of the hotel-the heavy patter of the
! first shower OF the monsoon sounded on the
rockery outside Another flash of lightning,
| and then white figure seemed to rise from the
ground and came stealthily toward me-
| clutched my chair, and sat breathing hard and
helplessly at it! stu was only hotel knit
mutgar, coming from the out-houses to begin his
evening work, but my nerves were quite upset.
and l was really thankful when the rest of the
llhitmutgars and "bearers' began to flock on
the scene-lighting the verandah lamps and
preparing the dining-room for table d'htte.
Next, the hotel residents dropped in one by
one; the long chairs filled, and 'gup" and
whisky-and-soda, or vermouth, We're the order
of the day-or rather night, But had had
enough of it, and was down the hill and back
at headquarters the next day. You may say
that l was a bit off my head with fever and
perhaps l was; but to this l can swear, that
Mrs. X-'s ghost go away up the hill, and
return to her rooms, when all the time she was
entertaining friends in her own quarters.
About three moths afterward, while enjoying
life in a Cashmere Valley, where there were no
ghosts and no fever l had long letter from one
of ours, which contained, among other things,
this piece of news:
There has been a frightful hare-up at
Barafghar Peacock and Mrs. Golightly whom
you saw there, fancy, have made bolt of it.
khitmutgar at the hotel told old Golightly all
| about it, 1t appears that Mrs k, who