Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-05-17
BRENNER'S PASSION.

fellow in the world you'd suspect of be.
lfeving in ghosts, isn't hel Great six footer,
all muscle and Drawn, perfect digestion,
easy conscience, and the merry hearty
laugh OF achild. But all the same he told me
/ one day last summer yarn 50 queer that
] coming from any one else, it would have
seemed 10 mean touch in the head. We
were up at his mothers place, near Little
/ town, and lying out under gnarled old
apple trees in the sweetest old fashioned
/ orchard you ever saw, with the summer
night puising about us and good cigars TO
soften our hearts, "Jimt" said Rodney. 80
suddenly thatl jumped, 'Do you believe in
/ ghosts1'
why, never thought much about it {"
/ | said, thinking it over. "If there areguch
things, they never bother me. Do they
you"
Eyes, they bother me That is, one
does"
He was so solemn that stopped laugh
ing. "Tell me about il, old chap | gaid
IL was just light enough for me 10 see him
straighten up and throw away his cigar
III give you the story in his own words, as
near as | can.
ut is nearly fifteen years ago now, b" he
began, 'sincc IL happened, but it's all M
clear 10 me today M if IL had taken place
last week. Fact IL, can't get it out OF my
head, though I've Travelled 10 forget it,
worked like "A dog, hoping TO drown the
recollection, and once actually went TO an
authority on brain trouble 10 see if !
wasn't slightly non compos mcntis, but be-
laughed at me, even when ! told him my
story, and assured me whatever was the
explanation Of my mystery it, did not lie in
a diseased brain
well, 10 begin again, it was in rs, last
Of September. | had business in a little
place IN eastern Connecticut, IA sleepy, tedi-
Gus village, totally uninteresting except
for its age. My business was 10 look up
evidence 10 be used ia lawsuit which ia
TOlvcd nearly the whole site Of the town.
and had been % the Office Of one josiah
Durham, the oldest inhabitant and zen
sral repository Of information regarding
the whole county When ! was leaving
saw passing his door woman in an IN
usual dress Though the glimpse / had
had Of her was 50 brief that could not de
eide what IL was that struck me as peculiar,
was 80 impressed by her appearance that
cut old Durham short and took after the
lady, She was walking briskly, but /
caught her presently just where the village
street merged into tho country road and
followed her ~ closely "a dared
That she was young, her erect carriage
and superb figure told me, but as she never
turned her head, however slightly, and wore
In addition awide brimUed bonnet circlipg
her face like half moon, could not catch
glimpse u her cOuntenance | tried re-
peatedly 10 0Yertake and pass her, but with
out seeming 10 hurry herself, and without
betraying any knowledge Of my pursuit,
she managed % keep about the same dis.
lance before me. As do not know much
about wOmen's clothes, / could not make
out for some minutes what WA queer
about hers, but at last ] hit on what had
been haunting my memory ever since / first
saw her
ut was n picture Of my grandmother
taken in her bridal drcss-Ill show 81 10 .
you tOmOrrOw-that the woman reminded
me Of, only her gown was black aud bad
big sleeves coming u the elbow, and her
arms were covered with black Melted
gloves that showed the white flesh and .
their beautiful round shape She walked
with pretty swinging movement, which
yet had something Of stateluess In H., and
In spite Of her odd, old fashioned gown,
long and straight and narrow IN the skirt
and short In the waist, she was as striking
and handsome figure a. you can imagine.
Il followed her nearly half a mile. when
she paused at a gate in q low white fence
bordering the road, and opening IL en-
tered, when ! raw her disappear among
the tombstone ! found thickIy clus-
tering in the Enclosure. / was in the
village graveyard, which spread itself
over several miniature hills and ues-
tied In their mimic valleys, and IL was
these inequalities, | concluded which con
,eaied her from me. / found an old man
1t work cleaning a stone, and when / bad
seen the lady out Of sight | paused and
isked him who she was. The old chap
raised himself and peered about him.
which ladyP he said. Where has she
soneP why, she passed within foot Of
you,' ! told him. Nay he persisted. No
ady had passed him. 50 giving him up A.
Iopelessly stupid looked the place over
'arefully, and falling 10 see any one about
inally went home.
THE next day | was Just coming out Of
he postofiice when my lady passed me
Igaiu, and this time / saw her face. II was
hat Of young and beautiful woman of
'erhaps twenty-five or year or two more,
With big black eyes yelled with white,
hinged lids; mouth as red ~ a rose and
small, daintily curved nose as sensitively
lostriled as race horae's. | turned 70
nan standing at my elbow Who Is that
adyP asked him
" That lady. sir, Is Mrs. Harker,' he an
wered, but saw that he was looking AZ a
tout woman in the act of entering a car
iage.
no, no. ! said, i mean the lady who
ast passed u.s. lie glanced up aud down
he well nigh deserted street and then at
ne Better go sleep IL Of, old boy he said
indy, 'or IL will be- snakes next time
stead Of woman / raised my arm 10
mock him down, bat rejecting that had
objected myself b the impertinence by
ddressing a stranger, merely left the fel-
1w 10 believe as he liked.
During my stay in Wye had secured a
Dom In the house Of an old couple named
'axton, and 81 was Mrs Paxton whom ]
ext questioned about the lady In the an
Iluatxed drcra The old Iadv droprnd knx