The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-04-22
4 was murdered IN mere,


His naine?' the ghost asked All
don't know that But his face
An how many thousand times hav'
| caused it to grow contorted in tn,
most dreadful agony as would APP
pear before him suddenly Before thu
night he gave me this death wound
used to see him hanging about the vii
lage with the other loafers lpaid M
attention to him But on that dreadful
night recognized hun as he stood ovel
me with that shining blade drawn.
cried out FOR mercy, put ne woulu no.
hear me He struck the fatal blow.
| felt the keen edge Of the knife and theI
felt my life blood flowing out and my
strength was going
Everything appeared in mist to me
! and pretty soon all had faded and | was
| dead But was in another world
could hold communion with a thousand
Other wronged beings who had been
transformed from life into the ghost
world They told me merry stories OF
how they at all hours haunted those per
sons who had wronged them in this
WI III Out III iOopCSL L oiii a. pVCui'
lar ghost have my regular haunting
hour remember as my murderer stood
over me the clock in an adjoining room
chilned the hour of O'Clock, and every
nigAt just. at o'clock pay my vic
tim he's my victim nova visit. And
| must be going
He moved toward the door and we fol.
lowed
DO you young men want to follow a
ghost upon his cheerful mission he
asked
by all means if you will let us, said
Dalrymple
Il have no objection A ghost desires
no company Int you may go,
We followed him out through the
darkness to the road that led past the
hoaap He moved quickly along the road
and we followed. filled with sensation
which cannot explain With a ghost
on his nightly rounds! This was some.
thing strange passing strange
Over the hills we followed his ghost,
ship until the village had been completely
left behind The fields, waving with
IlelT ndINeSUS oi COTn' were Oh elGHeI
side
Where was he going? Who was the
murderer: These thoughts fitted
through my mind thousand times.
Presently he stopped before a large farm
house
This is the place, said he.
Great heavens. Was it possible2
knew the place well 1t was the
residence of Captain James Standiford
one of the most prominent men in our
whole vicinity
This cannot be true said Dalrym-
pie
Bat the ghost gave us no time for
words or thoughts
Follow me, he said. and he entered
the house Bolts and bars have no re-
streaming power against a ghost, for he
pushed the door lightly aside and stepped
into the hallway Evidently he knew
the place we'll A look of delight, fam
cied. came over his face as he beckoned
us to follow him up the stairway
AT the top of the stairs he stopped be-
fore door
his Is MS room, ne Sdlu.
He turned the knob and went in.
The room was dark, but through an
open shutter a faint streak of light en-
tered
On bed a sleeper was tossing rest
lessly about. It was Standiford.
He moaned, restlessly turned over and
then. with frightened start, sat up in
bed
His eyes fell upon the CHASTITY ghost
figure standing at the foot of his bed, !
looking thousand times more horrible |
than when we had first seen him.
With loud cry of terror he sprang |
from the bed and ran to the farther side |
OF the room Slowly the ghost went
after him
Take it away Take it awayT he
Its his facet Take it away
Oh. Cod Take il away
StandifOrd's face was so terribly
drawn and contorted by his terrors that
one of his most intimate acquaintance
would not have known him
The ghost went slowly toward him
and with manlacal, terrified look he
ran ABOUT InF room, geLJluS us lar from
the ghost as the room would allow
and moaning piteously all the
while
Shrinking IN corner like a cur at
bay with his blQodshot eyes almost
ready to burst from their sockets, Standi
ford held up his hands toward the ghost
and cried ont piteously
'tio away now, please go awayl am
sorry-so sorry, and this is enough-my
Godl it's enough
But the avenging spirit did not hear
his pleas Fnr mercy Wherever Standi-
ford went tine horrible thing followed
MIN
For almost an hour it went on thus,
when at last Stamford becoming utter
" exhausted, threw himself Oh the bed
and covered his face with his pillow.
irving to shut out the hid-uus sight and
,rylng ont IN the most penltent manner
For moment the ghost hovered over
him and was gone
Dalrymple and myself stood rooted to
he spot for few moments, and then.
ealIzlug our positions, went back down
h. ..t.,r,,r.,,, mud NM nf tho hpt1sa