Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-02-11

and lose itself in the dimness beyon,
the glow of the freight.
"What was that?' | asked sharply
Then, seeing that Marvis only trelnbl
ed in reply, 1 added quickly-''I mus
have Jared the old thing"
"Put it down." said Marvis; sit i
uncanny." We never touch it. 1t be
longed to the Ghaist o. Ghairleel"
"To the ghaistl'' cried |, laughing
perhaps not altogether heartily-fo
though | certainly did not believe il
! ghosts, there had been something il
that wsiling strain to set ones nerve
ON a culver; ''you Scotch lassies-for
sooth, must still believe in your ghaists
| There was never a decent bluidet
Highland body without ghaist in hi
| Castle! You must introduce me som,
/ day to yours !" And so, laughing anC
teasing her to bring back the roses tC
her cheeks, if indeed, l could, l led hel
again to the drawing-room, where I
merry crowd, and an hour or two of my
beloved music with my dear violin soor
| chased the Ghaist o. Ghairlee from my
i thoughts.
My rooms were in the tower-in
that same black pile of stone round
which l swept on the evening of my
arrival, and my windows looked out
over the torrent which roared its way
ceaselessly from rock to rock to a
shuddering depth, and then tore ON in
a dark sullen stream.
bade Mavis goodnight with a
hurried pressure of her little fingers
for they all stood around us in tie
drawing-room and she did not offer to
go out into the hall, and then l sprang
lightly up the steps, humming a strain
of the bit of Beethoven we had been
going over.
The large corridor was illumined by
a lamp. A smaller passage led away
from it, and my room opened into this
passage-now in profound darkness.
There were candlesticks on table at
the head of the flight of steps, but af-
ter l found out the way to my rooms
and had grown accustomed TO it,
rarely stopped to light one. Tonight,
L made no exception to this custom,
and went swinging down the passage
toward my door.
l had found it, and was about to
turn the handle, when | saw before
me, few feet distant, man crouch
irg, with his ear close against the wall
level with my door. He slowly turned
and stared straight at me- A more evil
expression L had never encountered,
so full was it of threatening hate and
devilish puRose.
| stood fascinated, watching the
man. Presently, with hand outspread
feeling along the wall, he began
creeping toward me; at the same mo-
ment the dismal bowling of dog, APP
parently in one of the rooms, became
audible. This sound and the action
on his part seemed to release my fac
ulties. L dashed at him-made a grab
at his coat-struck the wall; the man
was gonel 1 stood stupidity; the pas
sage was dark as pitch. Could he
have slipped aside, and be waiting to
strike?
Then-THEN, with a revulsion thai
sent my blood curdling back to my
heart, it shot through me:
How did 1 see him, being in the
dark2
That he was there for no good wa,
sufficiently demonstrated; but how
could have seen him? / experienced
a curious sensation, as it broke upon
me that the man had beheld was not
included in the census of this planet.
felt tingling in my limbs and a
buzzing in my ears. The sen sation
was physical only-mentally, | may
say there was complete and instant
blank.
As the shock passed over 1 pulled
myself together, and retraced my steps
down the passage and into the draw
ng-room. 1t seemed strange, that
lighted room and the commonplace oc-
,upants.
My step had been almost noiseless
IN the thick carpet of the corridor, and
10 one had noticed my approach.
tood, perhaps, for five minutes in the
doorway, shadowed by porter, and
the perfectly natural and
human expression of the room and the
people, chatting pleasantly, with the
lear lamp-light full upon their ia
nilisr faces, sobered my excited senses,
md l began to feel that / had come
cry near making myself supremely |
idiculous. What l SAVIOR rather |
What ] believed had fancied 1 saw
vas one of those strange optical illu-
ions, born of mental exaltation, and |
aking, as is usually the case, most |
Unexpected and unfamiliar form. !
ad been carried away by the music
II &
he girl deeply loved, and / had seen
no heaven-born vision-but some
hing directly opposed to every image,
Which, just then, should have possessed
1y mental vision. | had seen steal
by, creeping, lurking, murderous-
esl murderous-that is what was
Tritten in every line of the evil face
nd crouching form-laetTderl