The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-07-23
A GHOSTLY COMPANION
How Tom Harrington's Uncle Is
corted Him to His New Home.

Come at once Mr.. Thomas Warning
ION is dangerously i'll and wishes to see
you"
This was a telegraphic message which
4 received one cold January morning
about six years ago. Surprise was my
chief feeling at the moment, for Mr..
Thomas Warrington had never been
more than a name to me, although he
was my uncle. had never seen him.
and had never felt any particular desire
to do so, not from any dislike or grudge
bore the old man. but simply becausel
had forgotten all about him.
Certainly he was my uncle, my ia
theirs elder brother, but for yearfbefore
my fathers death there had bee4 q feud
between them relating to a small estate
which my father claimed, and which
my uncle, though a rich MAJ with much
property, also claimed A court of Law
settled the matter after much delay and
anger on either side. Ny uncle was able
to pay for expert counsel, my father was
not. for, except this small estate which
caused the quarrel, he had nothing but
the precarious income Of an author. Ny
uncle fought hard. egrasping old mar
that he was. and won his case. But this
had all happened so long ago, In the days
of my extreme youth, that ! had never
given a second thought, certainly never
a serious one to the story. Hard words
had passed between the brothers. | be-
lieve. very hard words, and my uncle
had sworn loudly and deeply that he de-
tested the sight OF my father, and hoped
never to set eyes on him or his again as
long as he lived.
Perhaps you think it was unusual for
a young man Of ne means never to give
a second thought to an uncle who was
the possessor Of money and lands, but ii
really is a fact, and although my uncle
was rich and childless, | knew that he
detested me and my connections. and
his estate was unentailed. | myself was
a very young barrister. with enough to
think about, and, up to the present. as
much as | could do to get through my
examinations.
Some friends of mine were talking the
other day about strange things which
had happened to them, and it set me
thinking about the only really strange
thing that ever happened to m and ]
record the circumstances, hoping that
some reader may be able to afford me an
explanation
Well, to go back to the telegram. l
was certainly very much surprised, and
for a minute or two stood staring at the
slip of pink paper in an absent minded
sort of way. Then it occurred to me
that | was wasting time. The telegram
demanded my presence, and had no
time to waste. looked at my Brad
shaw, found that ! had an hour before
the next train started, SO ate my break
fast calmly. and packed a -portmanteau,
feeling glad for the first time since l had
become a full blown barrister that no
pressure of work detained me in town.
soon found a corner seat in a smok-
ing carriage, and resigned myself to a
fairly long journey ON this cold January
day. | had taken my place in very good
time, so amused myself by watching the
people hurrying to and fro, and was a
good deal attracted by a white haired
old gentleman who slowly passed back
ward and forward at short intervals be-
fore the carriage in which | sat. and
who, every time he passed, seemed to
look at me with q far away expression in
his eyes. | was beginning TO feel inter-
ested in the old fellow. when the train
started, and | soon forgot all about him.
By bad luck the train which | had
managed to catch was a terribly slow
one, which stopped at almost every sta
ton big and small. and was surprised
always to see the same white haired old
gentleman passing to and fro on the
platform every time W. stopped. He
never passed without looking at me with
the same faraway expression in his eyes.
At the first few stations | scarcely no
ticed him, but after q bit | began to
wonder who he was and why he paraded
about in that manner, and took a sort of
lazy interest in him, plying the poor old
fellow for having to travel on such a
bleak day.
The journey was certainly a tedious
one, but | found a good deal to occupy
my thoughts-my uncle, whom ! had
never seen; the old quarrel; the chances
of his relenting in the matter of my
fathers estate. for surely he would not
summon me from London for no other
purpose than that | might make personal
inquiries as to his health.
The day wore on, and the short winter
afternoon began to close in. We had
passed most of the larger and buster
towns. and were coming to villages and
small stations. AL my fellow travellers
had left the carriage. being mostly bust
ness men they had reached their several
destinations in the larger towns, and !
sat alone in my corner, when h old
white haired gentleman, whom ] was be-
ginning TO look upon as rather eccentric,
turned the handle of the carriage door.
came in, and sat down in the corner OPP
posite to me. He said not a word, but
gazed out at the landscape in a dreamy
manner, while | took the opportunity to
examine his appearance more closely.
He was tall, thin and looked emaciate,
with clearly cut features OF a waxec
color, and wonderfully blue eyes He
wore an old fashioned. low crowned silk
hat. and a long. thick coat with a fr
collar. The expression of his ace re-
minded me of some mi but could not
remember OF whom / did not notice all
this NJ ouce for | did not ike to stare