Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-08-16
FAIRHAvEN WASHINGTON TUESDAY AUGUST le 1892

suddenly my eye caught the heading
Fatal Accident TO a Dublin Gentleman
81 Immediately looked at the item, and
to my horror found that it related to my
unhappy friend Dick. He had Jumped
out of a railway carriage while the train
was In motion, got jammed between it and
the platform, and was killed.
The news upset me good deal, al
though / could not help feeling that it
cleared the ground for me in one import
ant direction. STILL l was very much at
tached to poor Dick, and Iscouldn't bring
myself to visit Sophie for a couple Of days
after had heard the sad tidings, in order
to break them to her
1.-THE year was fast getting into the sere
and yellow leaf; brown October had
brought its short and its (sometimes) love
ly moonlight nights, and it was one of
these-a glorious one it was-that start
ed off, with an equally balanced admixt-
ure of grief and hopeful elation at my
heart, for the bower Of my Sophie-my
own Sophie, as | fondly hoped soon to call
her now-to unfold my grewsome tale.
81 had got about half way toward my
destination, when it occurred to me that
ought TO strike match and have a quiet
puff Of the soothing " eed, as nothing could
be more in keeping with the peaceful quiet
of the scene. No sooner thought of than
done, and / was in the act of remount-
ing with pipe aglow, when my eye caught
sight of another rider coming in the same
direction, but at a considerable distance
behind
This circumstance caused me no emo.
ton in particular, and forgot all about it
as l sped on afresh. / slackened my pace
to spin out the distance until 1 had finished
my pipe, and was drawing on easily toward
Stepaside, when some instinct or other
made me glance backward down the road
again.
1.-THE other traveller had gained upon me
with amazing celebrity. He was now not
more than forty or fifty yards behind.
what a wonderful resemblance he bore
al that distance to my dead friend, Dick
His garments looked white in the ghostly
moonlight. Dick, when riding all last
summer, had worn suit of white flannel,
as the strangers seemed to be- And it ap-
peared TO me, as paused, thunderstricken
and trembling, for a moment In my ride
that his form was exactly that of my dead
friend
81 was never superstitious, yet now foi
an instant feeling of awe came over me;
but as / wobbled to the ground of my ma.
chine, under its influence, began to curse
myself vigorously for a womanish fool,
and, jumping up with the celebrity Of fully
recovered spirits, / set my steel steed of
with lively start, and began to race
away from the awesome stranger.
II went at spanking pace FOR some
time, but | could not help turning my
head backward again soon, to note how far
had left him behind.
Horror of horrors! he was gaining on
still
"He was only few Yards behind.
could not distinguish his face, but the fig.
ure and the way in which it sat the ma
chine were the same as Dicks
again | spurted madly. Great beads Of
cold sweat burst out upon my temples and
an icy feeling crept through my frame,
even to the marrow of my bones, despite
the heat into which the exercise had thrown
me. My terror lent me strength. must
get away from this horrible phantom, even
though my heart should snap in the effort.
l tore along the road now like maniac.
II was just turning the corner of the
rustic lane which led up to Sophie's bower
when my machine came plump against
a form doing the same from the lane side
of the angle. The consequence was disas.
trOuS 10 DOtn travellers.
Machine and myself threw a double
somersault over the body of the pedestrian.
When we both regained our feet thought
l should turn into stone when encount-
cred the Gorgonlike eye of my intended
father-in-law.
"Hang it, mani he shouted, as soon as
he recognized me and found his voice,
what the dickens are We staring at me for,
instead of apologizing for nearly killing
me? One would think you had seen a
ghost
81 have seen ghost, sure enough, sir
| answered, with trembling lips; the ghost
of my poor dead friend Dick; and see, there
IL comesp
THE white figure had arrived at the
corner of the lane, full in the CHASTITY glare
of the dazzling moonlight. 1t dismounted
and advanced toward where we stood
II held up both my hands to shut out
the fearsome sight.
Don't come near me- / cried in an
agony of desperation, until you tell me
whether you are a man or the ghost of my
dead friend Dick
THE thing laughed; it was a horrible,
human laugh.
"No ghost, SIR it replied as its coarse
chuckle ceased, but messenger from
man who has ghosted you long enough in
vain for his little bill Of seven pounds ten
for clothes-Mr. Tippet, the tailor, of
Grafton street. Here tits for you, sir, now
and if you don't pay it by u o'clock to-
morrow I'm instructed to invite you to an
interview with the recorder at Green street
court house
This was my romance Of the wheel. 1t
shattered my day dream and lost me my
Sophie. Old Bylrs turned on me with all
the scorn Of an enraged money lender who
never owed man penny, and babe me
never again show my face at the cottage.
THE tickle Sophie ratified this decision
and shortly afterward married a pawn.
broker, who had, a couple of months before,
laid his third spouse under the sod in Glas-
nevin; and | am left here alone with my
faithful bicycle"
The Word Umbrella"