Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1890-06-03

thin far-away wall of melody seemed to
sweep past US and lose itself in the DIM
ness beyond the glow of the freight.
"What was thatgv / asked sharply.
Then seeing that Mavis only trembled in
reply, added, quickly: . must have
Jared the old thing"
"Put it down" said Mavis; cit is un-
canny. We never touch it. 1t belongs
TO the Ghaist o. Ghairlee."
"To the ghaistv' cried /. laughing
perhaps not altogether heartily, for
though / certainly did not believe in
ghosts, there had been something in that
wailing strain to set ones nerves on a
CULVER; you Scotch lassies, forsooth,
must still believe in your ghaists. There
never was a decent bluided Highland
body without a ghaist in his castle. You
must introduce me some day to yours"
And so, laughing and teasing her TO
bring back the roses to her cheeks if,
indeed, could, | led her to the drawing
room, where a merry crowd and an hour
or two of my beloved music with my
dear violin soon chased the Ghaist o
Ghairlee from my thoughts.
My rooms We're in the tower in that
same black pile of stones 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 shuddering depth and
then tore on in dark sullen stream.
bade Mavis goodnight with hur-
ried pressure of her little fingers-for
they all stood around us in the drawing
room, and she did not offer to go out
into the hall, and then / sprang lightly
up the steps, hunming a strain of the
bit of Beethoven we had been going over
The large corridor was illuminated by
lamp. A smaller passage led away
from it, and my room opened into this
passage-now in profound darkness.
There were candlesticks on table at the
head of the flight of steps, but after l
found the way to my rooms and had
grown accustomed to it rarely stopped
to light one. Tonight made no excep-
ton to this custom, and went swinging
down the passage to my door.
had found it, and was about to turn
the handle, when / saw before me, few
feet distant, man crouching with his
ear close against the wall level with my
door. He slowly turned his head and
stared straight at me. A more evil ex-
preston had never encountered, so full
was it of threatening hate and devilish
purpose.
stood fascinated, watching the man.
Presently, with hand outspread, feeling
along the wall, he began creeping toward
me. AT this moment the dismal bowling
of dog apparently in one of the rooms,
became audible. This sound and the ac-
ton on his part seemed to release my
faculties. ] dashed at him-madea grab
at his coat-struck the wall; the man was
gonei
stood stupidity; the passage was dark
as pitch. Could he have slipped aside
and be waiting to strike?
Then-then with a revulsion that sent
my blood curdling back to my heart--it
shot through me.
How did see him, being in the dark
That he was there for no good was suf-
ficiently demonstrated, but how could
have seen him? experienced curious
sensation as it broke upon me that the
man ! had beheld was not included in
the census of this planet. i felt ting
ling in my limbs and a buzzing in my
ears. The sensation was physical only
mentally, l may say, there was COM
plete and instant blank.
AS the shock passed over pulled my
self together and retraced my steps down
the passage and into the drawing room.
It seemed strange, that lighted room and
the commonplace occupants.
Ny step had been almost noiseless ON
the thick carpet of the corridor, and no
one had noticed my approach. stood
perhaps for minutes in the doorway,
shadowed by a portiere, and gradually
the perfectly natural and human express
sion of the room and the people, chat
ting pleasantly, with the clear lamplight
full upon their familiar faces, sobered
my excited senses, and began to feel
that / had come very near making my
self supremely ridiculous. What saw
or what l now believed / had fancied /
saw-was one of those strange optical
illusions born of mental exaltation, and
taking, as is usually the case, a most un-
expected and unfamiliar form. had
been carried away by the music-by the
presence and close sympathy of the girl
deeply loved, and had seen no heaven
born vision, but something directly OPP
posed to every image which just then
should have possessed my mental vision.
had seen a stealthy, creeping, lurking,
murderous-yes murderous-that is
what was written In every line of the
evil face and crouching form-murder
Ishuddered from head TO foot.
Then pulled myself together again,
and thankful that my return to the
drawing room had been unobserved, /
determined to depart as quietly as lad
come. This had managed successfully,
and lighting q candle, this time at the
head of the staircase, entered the pas
sage leading to my room and reaching it
in my usual prosaic manner. Although
now thoroughly convinced tEat had
l. Al - 4. ~.