, 1891-01-23


deed, as it grew darker and darker they
became more and more noisy, and al
last in the dim twilight they began to
dance the most strange dances, imagin.
ing themselves fairies, elves, etc.
Now, my friends" said Maria, in a
voice of eIuberant gayety; now | will
approach you as the White Lady, OF
whom the late gardener has told US SO
many strange tales. But you must
come with me to the other end of the
garden-there, by the walls of the old
tower"
Thus speaking she enveloPed herself
in a white shawl, and away she flew,
followed by a swarm of merry, laugh
ing girls. Scarcely had Maria reached
the old dilapidated wall when she stop
ped suddenly, and becoming motionless
as If p~aralyzed in all her members, e1-
claimed, in a hollow voice. DO you see,
do you seer
The sound Of the clock striking at
that moment the hour of nine increased
the terror with which Maria's manner
inspired her companions.
DO you see2-the fgure-cIose to
me-strctched her arms after mel You
SEE
The girls did not see anything, but
overcome by terror they all ran away.
One only remained with Maria, and
this vas her sister Augusta. She tried
~ uke her in her arms, but Maria felt
to the ground as ~lifeless. At that mo
ment tine household, who had been
alarmed by the cries of the girls, en-
tered the garden and hastened to the
spot where Augusta and Maria still re-
manned. Maria was carried into the
house and restored to her senses, but
she still trembled violently as she told
them that at the she had
reached the wall of the tower she had
seen ar aerial figure, surrounded by
vapor, close at her side, and that the
figure had stretched out its hand as IL
to catch hold of her.
The only plausible conclusion which
the family could arrive at was that
Maria had been deluded by some curi-
Gus phenomenon produced by the pecu-
liar twilight Of IN evening in the month
of June. She recovered from her
fright on the same night so entirely
that her friends lost all their apprehen-
sions Of i'll consequences resulting from
it. The following evening the family
were assembled in the parlor, talking and
laughing in their usual manner The
colonel was smoking his cigar, his wife
engaged in knitting; the governess
had, just as usual, let fall some Of her
last pinch Of snuff over the face Of her
pet, and the dog sneezed violently;
Augusta was laughing merrily, when,
as the clock struck nine, Maria suddenly
jumped of her seat and, apparently
horror struck, cried: There she isl
There-close before NEEDN'T you sect
There, at my sidei"
However, nothing was TO be seen.
Maria, as on the preceding evening,
tainted, and on recovering her senses
she told her friends that she had again
seen the aerial figure, wrapped in vapor,
which stretched out its hand toward
her. The family became alarmed. The
colonel went for a physician, his wife
20 the clergyman and Augusta
spent the whole night in watching Ma.
ria The evening of the following day
looked forward TO with the greatest
anxiety the doctor and the clergyman
were present, and at the same hour
Maria saw the same vision.
When the fainting was over there
only one calm person in the as
and that was Maria herself.
She smiled at the fears of her father,
andeavored to quiet her mother and
followed the advice of the doc
tor, and listened to the admonitions of
the clergyman. But as, each succeed.
ing evening, the hour of nine was
marked by II repetition of the scenes OF
the former ones, and as the prescrip-
tons of the doctor, the admonitions of
The clergyman, and the cares of the
were proved TO be useless, the
poor girl vas declared TO be laboring
under the influence of a fixed delusion.
Other physicians were consulted,
other medicines prescribed, other moral
remedies tried but all in vain. As
regularly as the hour of nine arrived as
regularly arrived the phantom to the
Imagination of Maria. At last the
poor girl, wearied by prescriptions and
ldmonitions, duplicated her parents
with tears in her eyes to leave her to
herself, as the figure, having nothing
Of n terrible nature in its appearance.
not cause her any more alarm. She
had become used to it, and the only
unpleasant feeling she experienced was
A kind of weakness when the phantom
had vanished. The fumily complied
with the wishes of Maria. The only
Drecaution they took was to make her
into her own room at 8 o'clock.
10 that strangers might not witness her
peculiar state of mind.
Thus the family regaincd Its usual
tranquility. The father resigned him.
self to the unhappy state of his daugh.
ter; the mother deplored in silence;
dog, as usual, inhaled an overdose
Of snuff Augusta became as lively and
as spirited as before, and Maria as mel
ancholy as if she felt doomed to pass
her life in the companionship of he
phantom. Such was the state in which
found and left this family.
Some time after my departure the
became acquainted with a cele-
brated physician who had "A reputation
for curing mental decisions. He was
said TO work in a sly, cunning way, al.
wayB endeavoring to overreach the
madness and outwit the fixed idea.
When the colonel coudded TO the ply
stefan the state of mind of his unhappy
daughter fla Ipatpr I,prhal ,,J Iii