New-York tribune., 1891-03-01

face 10 me, to any member OF my nVov w. rnnn
which consisted Of three young serva.nrt M,,
besides herself and n negro man-serNaht' MY
maid n remarkably courageous unu ~ lI Ifnr
able person, and though very muca s.'imeii e in The
she went directly upstairs ana found no oc ~ tn t
rooms She kept her counsel ana mcnlioucu .nC
circumstance to nobody, though, as size sSII to no
afterward she was SO AFRAID lest l shou,u ntoS n%
"A similar visitation that she was strongly ttlnPocu
to ask DR.. W.'s advice as TO the pIoPrict vi
mentioning her experience to me- one rcatninos s o
from doing so however, and some tlme aInr' ,ho bo
She was sitting in the dusk IL the same room, tbc
man servant came in TO light the gas ana iliauc
her start observing which, he saia ny iotIi
Miss Ellen you jump as if you hnd seen gra,ev
In spite of her late experience, Ellen very srate
replied Nonsense, William, how can you ,aas as
such stuff You don't believe in such thlngs ;t a.
ghosts, do you?" Well" he said, :" DOM
we'll known there was ghost in this honse use,
Pshaw." said Ellen "Whose ghostP" Well
poor Mrs. Rs ghost, it's very well knOWn' oSsr
walks about this house, ana no great wondet; Ss.S
either seeing how mScrably she lived and died
here" To Elen's persistent expressions OF con- con-
tcmptuOus incredulity, he went on. "en' niS MiS'
servants have left tine house on account OF u IT,.
and there the conversation ended Some days
after this, Ellen coming into the drawlng-roohh ih
to speak TO me stopped %6Tupry "g tg O po
trait Immediately opposite 10 1t. ana whlch ~os
that of the dead mistress Of the house, the iacc
of the person she had seen come ouu oi S oou ond
room I think this very tidy ghost story ana
! am bound to add, rs n proper commentary oh
il, that ! have never inhabited mouse "nlch
affected Inc with n sense OF such ihtoieraole me-
anchoy gloomncss rs this: without any assign
able reason whatever, either In It's situation OF any
Of its conditions
This certainly is very tidy ghost story
but the one which follows is more puzzling, nav
ing about it an inconsequence rare even In super
natural narratives, and yet being vouched ior as
will he seen, by several persons. This, II may
be observed, occurred in the Scottish Highlands:
CorrybrDugh, my friends pleasant home IN the
Highlands, was a mOOrland Shecp-farm ana grouse
shooting property The house stood within us
own grounds, at distance from any other dwell
ing, entirely isolated, with no habhations IN ne
nclghhorhood but those Of the people emploScu
the land, which circumstances 1 mentlon as
rendering curious in some degree the incident
am about 10 relate, Of the singular character OF
which can give no plausible, rational explanation.
| was expected on visit there on certain daS
of certain month and week lthe date have now
forgotten. The persons staying III thc honM
were friends and acqualntances Of mine, as wen
as Of the &" laird's' and had sil been looking
for my arrival in the course of the day. When,
however, the hour for retiring for the night hnd
been somewhat ovcrpassed In the prolracicd nope
Of my still possible advent, and everybody hau
given me up and bctaken themselves 10 their
bedrooms a suddcn.sound Of wheels on the gravcl
drive the aloud opening Of n carriage door ana
letting down of steps, with sudden violent ring
inc of the door-bell. drew every one forth again
TO their doors with cXcamationS OF on thcIe she
is she's come at last My friend ana hosl
ran down 10 open the door 10 ln2
himself. which he did. 70 find before him only the
emptiness. stiffness and darkness OF the hl"ht--
neither carriage nor arriving gucst-nOthing ana
nobody 50 he retired 10 hlS room ana went 10 pod.
The next day arrived, but though able to account
satisfactorily for my delay in doing 50. was gui'e
unable to account for my sham arrival OF me
previous night, with sound Of whcclS horses
hoofs opening of carriage door letting down OF
steps, and loud ringing Of tue h0uSc-e H. all WhcI
prcmrnitory symptoms were heard by half dozen
people in their respective rooms IN different parts
Of The house. which makes an unsatisfactory sort
Of ghost story.
This is a ahost story with the human ghost
omitted. 20 say. though H. may br supposed that
a gh0sty carriage would require phantom driver:
but il is not UNSATISFACTORY because II - 81 de-
lightfnly aggravatng. and 50 utterly unlike tnc
conventional stories Of the supernatural. pne
might imagine il ghostly practical Joke, pll not
anything more serious
Mrs -Kcmblc was intimate with Longfcllow,
who. she SAYS. told me curious aLccdot' OF ms
own tcrnry experience. One day hearing me
sing the Ballad of Bonnie George Campbell he
said that he had first known n rs German
ballad. which he lad thought original not
being acquainted with tie Scotch song and
that the Gcmcn adapter Of IL had trans
lated the second line Low spon the Tay.' not
name II "a river, 10y 'Tief i'm den Tag. which
Longellow ogein. in his ignorance OF the original
song. had rendered = Far IN the day, and only
found ont long aftcrward that he had translated
into English n German translation Of scotch
b1la9." There is a good deal Of humor in Fanny
kcmbc. and fair spccim"nts Of II may be found
i'm her comments upon her Swiss travels. This -
the kind Of thing: My diary records this OF our
tourney from Spugcn to thilycnha 'LordiY.
Ipv,Iv wonderful moun;ain-p1Ss: Italy ~ tEe
bottom. expresses vines. chcNinuts: every "uariri
of "a mile u perfect picture. wrrtchcd population,
hidcous human dwellings iit only for cattle: ~
the hotel lofty rooms, scagllOla floors. marble
mirrors magnihccncc. bad smrilS--1nd bedbugS. "
Writing from ANensticrn. above Brunncn. about
the modern huge hotels. she says: " To tho At
fractions Il these huge houses OF entertainment
arc aided musical bands illumlnations. fireworks.
fire balloons and SpectocicS of every kind, besides
that of the sweet, solemn and sublime natural
features Of the beautiful sccncry-all Of which
ecrrls to mo very vugar-hrcad and butter, and
pate dc foic gras aHd mnrmala'ic and Jam, and
cayiare one on top Of the other
She con describe well and even brilliantly when
i'm tho humur. and her goS5py. outspollen letters
mostly written to her lifelong friend Harriet
ST I1qrr-arr never hy any chance dull or stupid
or other thon emincntly sprlghtlY aud readable.
The new volume is, indeed, quite equal 70 It's prcdc-
ccssors in interest.