The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-10
BRENNER'S PASSION.

all muscle and Drawn, perfect digestion,
easy conscience, and the merry, hearty
/ laugh of child. But all the same he told me
one day last summer yarn so queer that,
coming from any one else, it would have
seemed to mean a touch in the head. We
were up at his mothers place, near Little
town, and lying out under gnarled old
| apple trees in tho sweetest old fashioned
orchard you ever saw, with the summer
night pulsing about US and good cigars to
soften our hearts "Jim!' said Rodney, SO
suddenly thatI jumped, 'Do you believe in
ghosts?"
"Why, 1 never thought much about it, -
l said, thinking it over. eff there are such
things, they never bother me. Do they
yous"
Eyes, they bother me. That is, one
does.''
He was so solemn that stopped laugh
! ing Tell me about it, old chap" said.
| 1t was just light enough for me to see him
straighten up and throw away his cigar.
| Pll give you the story in bis own words, as
near as can.
| ct is nearly fifteen years ago now" he
began, "since it happened, but it's all as
clear to me today as if it had taken place
! last week. Fact is, can't get it out of my
head, though I've travelled to forget it.,
worked like dog, hoping to drown the
recollection, and once actually went to an
authority on brain trouble to see if
wasn't slightly non compos mentis, but he
laughed at me, even when l told him my
story, and assured me whatever was the
explanation of my mystery it did not lie in
diseased brain.
m in or
of September. l had business in little
place in eastern Connecticut, sleepy, tedi-
Gus village, totally uninteresting except
for it's age My business was to look up
evidence to be used in lawsuit which in
volved nearly the whole site of the town,
| and had been to the Office of one Josiah
Dunham, the oldest inhabitant and gem
eral repository of information regarding
the whole county. When l was leaving
l saw passing his door a woman in an I'm
usual dress. Though the glimpse l had
had of her was SO brief that could not de-
eide what it was that struck me as peculiar,
l was so impressed by her appearance that
l cut old Durham short and took after the
lady. She was walking briskly, but l
caught her presently just where the village
street merged into the country road and
L
"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 wide brimmed bonnet circling
her face like half moon, I could not catch
a glimpse of her countenance. | tried re-
peatedly to overtake and pass her, but with.
out seeming to hurry herself, and without
betraying any knowledge of my pursuit,
=,
lance before me. AS do not know much
about women's clothes, l could not make
out for some minutes what was queer
about hers. but at last hit on what had
been haunting my memory ever since first
saw her.
ct was a picture of my grandmother
taken in her bridal dress-Tll show it to
you tonorrow-that the woman reminded
me of, only her gown was black and had
big sleeves coming to 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 stateliness in it, 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 as you can imagine.
81 followed her nearly half mile. when
she paused at a gate in low white fence
bordering the road, and opening 1t en-
tered, when l saw her disappear among
the tombstones 1 found thickly clus-
tering in the inclosure. / was in the
village graveyard, which spread itself
over several miniature hills and nes-
tied in their mimic valleys, and it was
these inequalities, l concluded, which con-
cealed her from me. / found An old man
at work cleaning stone, and when | had
seen the lady out of sight l paused and
asked him who she was. The old chap
raised himself and peered about him.
Which ladyp he said Where has she
gomez why, she passed within a foot of
you,' told him. Nay he persisted. No
lady had passed him. So giving him up as
hopelessly stupid / looked the place over
carefully, and failing to see any one about
finally went home.
THE next day was just coming out of
the postoffice when my lady passed me
again, and this time saw her face 1t was
that of a young and beautiful woman Of
perhaps twenty-five or year or two more,
with big black eyes yelled with white,
fringed lids; a mouth as red as rose, and
a small, daintily curved nose as sensitively
nostriled as a race horses / turned 10 a
man standing at my elbow. Who Is that
LADY, asked him
That lady. sir, is Mrs Harker, he an
swered, but saw that he was looking at a
stout woman in the act Of entering a car
rage.
"'No, no. said, / mean the lady who
just passed us He glanced up and down
the well nigh deserted street and then at
me Better go sleep it of, old boy he said
kindly. or it Will be snakes next time
stead of a woman / raised my arm to
knock him down, but rejecting that / had
subjected myself TO the impertinence By
addressing a stranger. merely lett the fei-
low 70 believe as he liked
During my stay In Wye had secured
room. IN the house of an old couple named
Paxton. and 1t was Mrs. Paxton whom |
next questioned about the lady In the an
tiquated dress. The old lady dropped her
work when began nv story. aud listened
10 me with her face 50 fun OF kind Of ter
rified awe that it was all could do to keep
from laughing IN IT, bat when | finished
she gathered her sewing mp with decided
shake of the head No, 10, she said, i
know of no woman living IL these parts
that answers to that picture Bat | WAS
certain THAI something lay beneath Der EN-
phasic dsniAi, for / heard her whispering
to her husband that night when paused
in the hallway to remove my overooaI
God help usr said the old man in hoTs-
fed tones. sure as ron are born. Hester,
has seen Ladx Whitaker They were