Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-05

a ghost and am now going to haunt
the wretch who gave me that" and he
pointed to the gaping. ghastly wound
across his throat.
"Who-who killed your" asked Dali
rymple.
His name? the ghost asked. "Ah,
| don't know that. But his facet
All! how many thousand times have
| caused it to grow contorted in the
most dreadful agony, as | would ap-
pear before him suddenly Before the
night he gave me this death wound
used to see him hanging about the vii
lage with the other loafers. paid no
attention to him. But on that dreadful
night recognized him as he stood over
me with that shining blade drawn. 1
cried out for mercy. but he would not
hear me- He struck the fatal blow. l
felt the keen edge of the knife and then
felt my life blood flowing out and my
strength was going.
Everything appeared in mist to me
and pretty soon all had faded and l was
dead. But | was in another world I
could hold communion with a thousand
other wronged beings who had been
transformed from life into the ghost
world. They told me merry stories of
how they at all hours haunted those per-
sons who had wronged them in this
world But in that respect | am a pecul-
lar ghost. have my regular haunting
hour remember as my murderer stood
over me the clock in an adjoining room
chimed the hour of o'clock. and every
night just at o'clock pay my VIC
tim--he's my victim nova visit. And
must be going"
He moved toward the door and we fol-
lowed.
'Do you young men want to follow
ghost upon his cheerful missionp" he
asked.
''By all means. if you will let us" said
Dalrymple.
IL have no objection. A ghost desires
no company, but you may 60"
We followed him out through the
darkness to the road that led past the
house. Hemoved quickly along the road
and we followed, filed with sensation
which cannot explain. With a ghost
on his nightly roundsl This was some
thing strange-passing strange.
Over the hills we followed his ghost
ship until the village had been completely
left behind The fields. waving with
their harvests of corn. were on either
side lr
Where was he going? Who was the
murderer? These thoughts fitted
through my mind thousand times.
Presently he stopped before large farm
house.
''This is the place" said he.
Great heavens Was it possible?
knew the place we'll. 1t was the.
residence of Captain James Standiford.
one of the most prominent men in our
whole vicinity.
"This cannot be true" said Dalrym-
pie
But the ghost gave US no time for
words or thoughts.
Follow me-" he said, and he entered
the house. Bolts and bars have no re-
straining power against ghost, for he
pushed the door lightly aside and stepped
into the hallway. Evidently he knew
the place well. A look of delight, fan
cied, came over his face as he beckoned
us to follow him up the stairway.
At the top of the stairs he stopped be-
fore a door.
"This is his room," he said.
He turned the knob and went in.
The room was dark, but through an
open shutter faint streak of light en-
tered.
On a bed sleeper was tossing rest
lessly about. 1t was Standiford.
He moansd, restlessly turned over and
then. with frightened start, sat up in
bed.
His eyes fell upon the CHASTITY ghost
figure standing at the foot of his bed,
looking thousand times more horrible
than when we had first seen him.
With a loud cry of terror he sprang
| from the bed and ran to the farther side
of the room. Slowly the ghost went
after him.
"Take it awayl Take it awayl" he
shrieked. "lt's his facel Take it awayl
Oh, Godl Take it away"
| Standiford's face was so terribly
drawn and contorted by his terrors that
one of his most intimate acquaintances
would not have known him.
The ghost went slowly toward him.
and with a maniacal, terrified look he
ran about the room, getting as far from
the ghost as the room would allow,
shrieking and moaning piteously all the
while.
Shrinking in corner like cur at
bay, with his bloodshot eyes almost
ready to burst from their sockets, Standi-
ford held up his hands toward the ghost
and cried out piteously:
"Go away now, please go awayi am
sorry-so sorry, and this is enough-my
Godl it's enoughr
But the avenging spirit did not hear
his pleas for mercy. Wherever Standi-
ford went the horrible thing followed
him.
For almost an hour it went on thus,
when at last Standiford becoming utter
ly exhausted, threw himself on the bed
and covered his face with his pillow,
trying to shut out the hideous sight and
crying out in the most penitent manner.
For moment the ghost hovered over
him and was gone.
Dalrymple and myself stood rooted to
the spot for few moments, and then,
realizing our positions. went back down
the stairway and out of the house.
"This is horrible experience" said