Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1892-06-10

was much pleased to find my views as
good as they were, but you may i'm
aglne my adjustment when looked
at the negative Of my first picture and
saw in it the figure Of beautiful young
girl standing on the landing place Of the
stairway. ..
'The whole negative was excellent:
the girls picture was especially clear
aud well marked. How on earth did
she get there ? had Certainly never
seen her before, and | was absolutely
certain that there had been no girl on
the stairway when took the picture.
"But there the stranger was standing.
as it she had paused a moment on her
way down stairs, with one arm slightly
raised and leaning forward tribe, as il
looking at some one in tho hall below
u was utterly inexplicable to me. / had
never seen that face, and the gardener
had told me that the house was not in
habited. I do not believe dat there
could have been such n girl in b,
yet there she was. AS far as one could
Judge from so small photograph, it
was face of rare beauty, I was com
pletely mystifed.
''As luck would have il was obliged
to go to B. again the next day, and
| took my negative with me, promising
myself to look for the mysterious beauty
of the stairway, for the face had
strange fascination for mo, aud dc.
termined to find tho girl whose picture
had so unaccountably taken, if could
possibly do so.
81 hurried through my business aud
rushed on to seek my friend the gardener.
| found him and at once showed him my
puzzling negative The moment he saw
It no dropped into seat on the bench
beside him as il he had bean shot, trem-
bling like frightened animal and with
a look of terror in bis eyes. In mo-
ment or so be found his breath aud
gasped:
Good God. its Miss Annie =
you may imagine my surprise. The
old man looked at me and at the picture
with scared look, AZ it he. suspected
me of some unholy relation with the
devil.
But after while he Gained down u
little, and u good stiff drink from flask
happened to have in my pocket seemed
to brace him up and pursuade him that
was not an imp in disguise, and after
awhile | succeeded in getting the fol-
lowing explanation from him, which
| will condense for you, not trying to
reproduce his words and his Scotch ac-
cent:
During the war Of the rebellion
Mr. s. lived in this house with his
wife and an only daughter, Miss Annie,
u beautiful girl, who was about twenty
years old at tho time of which am
speaking. She was the idol Of the fam
lily and loved by all who knew her. She
was to have been married 10 John r.,
fine young fellow who lived near by,
but when the call for volunteers was
made her lover went of to the war.
She was almost overcome with anxiety
for him, for her heart had gone with
him. One day soon aftor Que of the
early battles---l forget which one--my
friend the gardener came up from the
town with telegram. He met Miss
Annie coming down the stairway aud
gave her the message. She stopped on
the landing, opened the envelope and
read the telegram.
'Shc stood perfectly still for an in-
slant az il she could not realize Il and
then the gardcncr'w was just in tina to
save her from falling, as she fainted.
The Telegram announced the death Of
Licut John R., killed on the bat.
tlefield. Miss Annie never recovered
from the shock, and she died insane in
a few months. Her mother soon fol-
lowed her aud Mr. s. left the town,
a lonely hearted man, and never
has returned The place has never been
rented because ID is said that the unfor-
tunate girls spirit haunts the house, and
especially the stairway, where she heard
the news of her lovers death had
photographed the ghost
." Now that knew the story of the
girl that picture took u stronger hold on
me than before and the mystery was
only intensified. could not get rid of
that face. II haunted mo more surely
than the poor girls ghost ever haunted
tho stairway, aud could not shake of
the fascination. In short, had fallen
in love with ghost, aud enviel that
Lieut. John Il.
II was horribly uncanDy feeling.
but calling myself an ass did not help
me to forget the face. Aud then the
puzzle Of il all, the problems it sug-
gcstcd. Could il DO that the camera
was able to open now world to US
Was its uncrring vision clear enough to
pierce the mists Of a spirit land and as
sures us of the reality Of ghost Aud
If SO, how was il to be explained 7
laid the matter before the Society for
Psychicnl Research, but they only talk
ed long time about il without suggest
Ing much, and for all know they're at
IL yet. But I'neyer sbsok of the spell
Of that phantom face
81 Robinson paused moment, lost 10 "a
far away dream. Brown, the skeplic, at
length aroused him with u short 'Wellp
Robinson lit fresh cigar aud con
tinued
"For n week after my return that
picture, the mystery and tho beautiful
face had such an effect on me that il al
most united mo for work, and was
heartily glad when johnson came back.
| told tho whole thing to him aud then
showed him my strange picture. lie was
much interested in the story. but when
he saw the picture caught wicked
twinkle in his Oyc. After a moment he
drawled out provokingly;
Eyes, straRge; very strange. Tho
old man seemed to see resemblance
But, Robinson, you might as well return
me my camera-=you evidently took mine
instead Of your own that day. Your
mysterious phantom beauty in my sister
Kate. You took your picture on the
plato had already used. Hates photo