Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-10-22
They Wanted a Ghost Story.

speaking of ghost stories, said one
of a party at dinner in the studio home
of one of the best known artists in New
York few evenings ago, Il know a
perfectly horrid one, but''-with sti-
fled prod Of conscience-"it's a trihe
grcwsomc for an after dinner story"
ooh, do tell it" chimed in a chorus
of dense heads striving against sub
mersion in 4 sea Of after dinner drowsi
ness.
The dinner had been u swell affair
and VIC had sat long at table slipping
wine to the tune of witty toasts. grow
ing more solemn and intense with the
black coffee and cognac. 1t was past
10 O'Clock and the studio proper to
which we had adjourned was a fitting
background for our overwrought fam
cles, with the broken archways, brazen
armors, tiger rugs and general artistic
disorder, ileclled by the light of waXen
candles and pugent with the scent of
some foreign subtle incense burning in
brazier swinging in an alcove.
''Well. since you insist upon it, re-
sumed the prospective blood curdler,
finding room in an imaginary angle of
the sofa for one more cushion. "Once
upon a time there was certain young
girl, writer, in boarding house of
this city, who made it her boast that
she never had been and never could be
frightened.
Her fellow boarders accused her of
bluffand agreed--with her conssnt--that
they would frighten her if they could.
Among these were two young med
ical students, who few days later
brought home from the hospital dis
secting room mans arm, perfect from
the shoulder joint, and with the abet-
tance of some young ladies in the house
concealed it in the victims bed.
AT the usual time the young lady
bade them good night and retired to her
room.
''They heard the key turn in her
doo- and then followed on tiptoe to
await developments. After waiting a
reasonable length of time they began to
grow nervous. Finally the suspense
grew intolerable. They raped on her
door, but received no answer. Again
and again they raped, but the silence
within was absolute and ominous.
''Then they grew desperate. They
called and threatened to break the
door in
Silence still.
"Then they went to the landlady,
explained the situation and asked for
latchkey to her room. This, however,
they could not use on account of the
other key in the door.
''They became frantic.
Then they broke the door, and
what do you suppose they found? The
girl was in her night dress, the gas
turned out, and in the dim light Of
low CRATE fire fitting eifinly on the
walls she sat on the side of the bed gaz-
ing at that arm and muttering horrible
gibberish. She was stark, staring madl"
The narrator looked up from the rug
upon which his eyes had been bent
when he spoke. Eleven pale faces,
twenty bloodless. parted lips, twen
ty-two horror stricken, glaring eyes
confronted him. The tapers burned
low, and cold draughts came through
invisible creviccs, tracing our spines
with icy finger tips. Each one waited
for some one else to say something con-
ventional. II was very awkward for
the host, but he was equal to the occa-
sion.
John, he remarked to the servant
lust pass around the bottle" In a
short space of time the eXigencies ola
quarter limit" game had driven the
grewsomc story from our minds-N. y.
Herald.