The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-01-31
A Story of Ghosts and Rats at
Bracing Hall.

cant" and Dir. Morris smiled blandly
and washed his hand with invisible
soap in iInpcrccptiblc water.
That Tracing Hall vas a popular san
itarium | WAS we'll aware, but ] wa
not prepared for this: what was / To do
where should | GO at that late hour? |
a maiden lady. an entire stran@crin thu
Cat>kiils" ! consider that for any MAJ
to smile under those circumstances
even in a p~erfunct"ry and purely profcs
sional way. was nothing less thar
brutal.
There is No. -, said an attendant
satellite. in exactly the one il
which he might have suggested tn,
North Pole or the c~quin"ctial line, ol
any other remote and unsubstantial i'm,
possibility.
Yes" repeated the doctor. musingly.
AZ, if a novel and pleasing problem had
been unexpectedly submitted for his
consideration. Yes. there is No. 81
perhaps the lady might not object
continued the attendant.
Object, said the doctor. suddenly
waking up. Coed gracious. Jones,
why shonld this lady object: why should
any 0Dt object to No. 31?."
The subordinate WAS about In speak,
but the doctor stopped him 10y a wave
of hi, hand. Let No. - he prepared
for this lady he said. giving to his
words al the force of royal mandate.
Il wish to know. Jane" | observed
to the hnuscmaid who conducted me to
No. 81 half an hour later
PLEASE. ma am" said that young
person. i~utcrrupting. my name isn't
Jane. it, Sdhina."
Then | am not going to follow the
example Of your parents and sponsors.
who wcr. clearly foolish persons. Jane.
] repeat | wish to know what is the
matter with this room"
oh. don't ask me. ma'am ] don't
wish to brighten you-but-l wouldn't
sleep in it no-n"t for a hundred thou
sand million dollars"
Then you are Il very foolish young
woman: is it damp"
..Oh. no. madam: the whole house is
dry ao Il bone"
lit is thc-thr ahcm-thc Cimix
Ccctularius?."
We'll il is pretty bad. but | don't
think its quite a> bad as that. returned
Jaue. slow ". with an air of bcwildcr-
ment.
1t was pIinful Ia a lady Of my excess
sivc refinement, exceedingly painful.
Int the occasion was urgent. and it was
evident that ! must sink to a common
level of cxi rcssion if | wished to he un-
derStood.
1T is sm:ll. Janet is brown-it is
alivc-vcry much alive-it-it-bitcs?'
"Oh, no, INA am" answered Jane.
glowing with sudden enlightenment.
1--WE don't never have none of them
nasty things in our beds"
Then rh0t Is IT."
well. if you must know" replied
Jane. with the air of one struggling
vainly with the inevitable, though it is
worth as much as my place is worth to
tell you-it's ghosts"
Ghosts-baugh, Really the ignor-
ancc of the lower classes is colossal:
clearly our public school system is far
from perfect, hut what could be OK
pcctcd from a girl called Sahina? /
have always Thought there was a great
deal in a name. aud | don't in the least
care what that playwriting person may
have said to the contrary. There is
something in IL name which insenSibly
molds the character: mine is Sarah
Margaret.
Ghosts. Jane. ghosts. when it has
been clearly demonstrated by the Soci-
ETY. for Psychical Research that there
are no such things as ghosts"
1T WAS the gambler. maam. what
lived here before it was made into a
sanitarium. Jane went on. with ire
prcssiblc v"lubility: they was playing
poker. an he WAS killed, an every night
every night-his ghost -"
Lame, enough of this folly-go. my
good girl. and tomorrow | will loan you
Il work on the 1llogicalnesS of Supcrsti-
ton"
Being IL lady of enlightened under
standing and cultivated. indeed. | may
say advanced thought, | at once dis
the foolish story from my mind,
and congratulated myself OF having Sc
cured "A comfortable room.
Bracing Hall was built on the highest
range of the Catskill mountains and
was famous for the view it commanded
of the lovelicSt section of Rip Van Win
kle land: night now vailed the beauty |
of the f~ar-strctching mountain-bound-
ed interplane, but gradually its fair
ness became apparent. a. the shadows
below died under the light of early |
moonrisc.
Objects dim and shapeless took form
and beauty. Every house and hamlet,
winding road and mountain streamlet
were won as if from choas into life.
while far away the winding Hudson
CLEANED like a string of silver under the
moonlight. Lights in happy homes
twinkled like fire-flies through the
gloom of dense woods. giving just that
touch of life needed to break the solem-
nifty of forest and mountain.
The moon was up, nature awoke. a
breeze swept by bearing the music of a
tsmbling brook. the melody of murmur-
ing pines. the love notes of a belated
bird singing to his mate.
How long had slept | al not tell.
suddenly / was w~ide-awake with
the room brilliantly lit and presenting
an appearance totally different to what
it had done when | retired. On a side
were h~alf-emptied bottles and de-
canters. and 1t a table four men were
seated deeply engrossed over a game at
cards Great as was my establishment
find my apartment thus invaded, |
to lose all personal considera-
in watching the feverish anxiety
Of the players, and in wondering what
would happen next.
Suddenly their voices were raised in
anger, n of the players accused an
other of cheating, and in a moment
was a general uproar. The two
men were struggling desperately to-
glasses were upset, chairs were
and then ] caught the glitter