The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-04-09
ROBINSON,'S GHOST.

'Bosh. ! don't take any stock in yarn
like that. and it's positively absurd TO
such men as VT area party of tire,
lawyers, Il doctor and Il lournalist-"wh,
PRIDE ourselves on our common sense, t;
discuss Such stuff seriously MOder,
science has thrown So strong Il light ol
those Illusions that they ou@ht 10 be rec
oynlzed everywhere for Just what the,
are-nothing more than the result o
mental disorder. What do YOU say
RoblnSon; do You believe in ghosts. n,
our friend. the doctor. seems to-" TIL,
speaker contcmp.uOusly threw away Tn,
stump of his cigar DIS if it were the of
fender he was berating instead of tn,
doctor, who had Just been spinning I'm
after dinner yarn of supernatural kind.
DO believe in ghosts? Well, really,
Brown, | don't know. But your speak
ing of the sciences reminds me | once
had a remarkable experience with a
ghost" Robinson reached for the bot
tie. filled his glass slowly and held it up
TO the light with an air of reminiscent
meditation. Aftera short pause he went
O"' - a'i'"'i w Jul ilNlulII1S looks.
1T was live years ago, Just after | had
opened my Office here and taken young
Johnson into partnership. One hot July
morning | received II telegram asking
me to 90 at once to D, II little town
out on Long Island, to draw up a will
for "A man who had bcen one of our best
clients. johnson was ont of town, so |
had to attend to the matter myself.
"A glance at the time table showed
me that ! should have to stay in b
several hours. and just as | was leaving
1t occurred to me that it might he worth
while to take my camera alOng-John-
son and | We're both Kodak ficnds' in
those days-as my business might NOT
detaln me long. and | should probably
nave an hour or two to spare. | had
barely time to catch my train, so | has
tlly picked up h camera from my desk
and rushed off. Just ;s | expected. 4
soon finished the will and started out TO
get some views of the sleepy old town
But b is a rather commonplace vii
iage, and saw nothing | thought worth
swapping my camera at till had
reached the outskirts Of the town, where
found a picturesque old mansion tina,
caught my fancy.
1t was a quaint. rambling old house
gabled rooted and overgrown with vines.
1t seemed to be deserted-in fact, almost
a rum. 1t stood at some distance back
from the road. and us there appeared to
be no one living there | went into its
garden, which was an unrestrained tan
gle of weeds and tall grass, to yet n
nearer view Of the building. | was lust
about to take a picture of the porch
when an old man appeared in the door
way. He was very feeble, but Il rather
Tine looking old boy. | at once began TO
apologize for trespassing on his grounds, .
but he stopped me and told me to take
~ many pictures as ! wished. He turned
ont to he the man in charge of the place.
II soon struck up an acquaintance with
him and was not long in winning his
good graces. He told me the house had
not beer used for many years; it be
IonSed to Mr.. $. who lived in Eu- |
rope and who had left this place in hi,
he having been the gardener.
He was very willing to show me around
invited me to look at the inside Of
The house, which | was glad to do. The
trst glimpse Of the interior pleased me
~ much that | decided to make a view
Of it for my first picture.
THE door opened on u broad hall run
ming clear through the house: there was
. large winding stairway at the back
with a landing place half way up, upon
uhIrh thor. n,n,,l l.,,.G,I ....l /
window. overgrown with ivy. The light
good and snapped my camera 1t
his hne old stairway and window.
.ook a number of views Of the house and
grounds and had barely time left to
'atch my train back to the city.
For some time after my return | was
iery busy, as johnson was away and all
he work fell on me, so it was at least u
month before | got the negatives Of my
Of the old house. But | remem-
all the incidents well, and was
much pleased to find my views a. good
y they were. bnt you may imagine my
when ! looked at the mega
i've of my first picture and saw in it the
igure OF "A beautiful young girl standing
N the landing place Of tho stairway.
THE whole negative was excellent,
he girls picture was especially clear
md well marked. How on earth did
he get there! | had certainly never
cen her before, and | was absolutely
that there had been no girl on
stairway when | took the picture.
But there the stranger VIA standing,
II she had paused u moment on her
way down stairs, with IN arm slightly
sinsd and leaning forward a triis, rs IL
at some n in tbs hall t4l0w.
I was utterly inexplicabis u me. ! had
seen that face. and tbs gardener
I'D told ms that the house was not in
! do not belisys that there
sNtd have been such . girl IN b,
a. there she Sas AS far HI M could