Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1892-06-11
4 GHOSTLY MATCHMAk Err.
A%D THE INFLUENCE HE USED TO BRING
ABOUT A MARRIAGE


poor vehicle for the transmission of
Ehostly thoughts and ideas. Still, as it
was necessary to materialize myself for
this occasion, and he happened to be to let,
| closed with him at once on the con-
ditiou that he should have a vacation in
space until midnight.
This arrangement will enable me to
briefly tell you how |, a disembodied ghost
not that | ever heard of any other
kind of ghost-am speaking to you
with the voice of living man-at least
he thinks himself man. l want to
tell you how 1 visited Aunt Matilda
and had it out with her. l admit that
the proceeding was rude, but I really
couldn't help myself. Any ghost with
a shadow of shadowy self respect would
have treated her in the same way.
Only last night / was off duty 'in
Shadowland. Something had disagreed
with me. My bones ached; they weren't
properly articulated-I believe that is the
correct term. One also suffers from
rheumatism in Ghostland, not to any
great extent, but just sufficiently so to
be unpleasant.
Kindly put out your tongue, " said
my professional adviser, still sticking to
worldly phraseology from sheer force of
habit.
L hadn't tongue, so couldn't.
My dear Biffies, he said (my name
is Bitfles), as he dug me in the ribs until
they ratified, my dear Bffles, what we
want is a change of scene. We're de-
cidedly low-pining for something.
We've been here 30 years without holi-
day and it's growing monotonous We
must have night off. We want tone
-bracing up-we want to think Of some
thing unpleasant which will instantly
Jissipate the placidity of Ghostland.
Some one who used to quarrel with us i'll
the old days when we were alive. Think,
we must think, of some one down there.
mo; can't think of any one down
there, | said, after a moment of shadowy
reflection; it's long time ago.
Think, " my doctor repeated, as he
felt for an imaginary watch, and rammed
it into a nonexistent pocket. "Some one
who used to disagree with you very much.
Didn tyou-eh-ever marry down there?"
Then | remembered Matilda. A shud-
der ran down my spine. "N-no,"
said; very nearly, but she wriggled out
of it."
is she-eh-still down there 2" he
asked, in his old professional tones. "We
want tonic, my dear Bffles-we want
tone-we want rousing-forcible rousng
we've must look her up if she hasn't
married. She'll rouse us. Who was
she?"
"Matilda," l said sorrowfully, for l
didn't want to be reused I remembered
;;atiIda'S methods of rousing me In the
pasO, "she was very pretty then, but had
ia temper enough to make your bones
rattle"
"Ah, yes; just the very thing, the very
thing for u.s." he murmured. "Go down
and call there tonight. You will be
thankful enough to get back again, but it
Will, doubtless, make little change for
you."
Somehow l had forgotten all about
Matilda. She had been one of the dreams
had failed to grasp when l was alive.
We were psychical affinities once. How
pretty she was then! Golden hair, too,
and blue eyes, and voice like the soft
music of the wind among the pine tops
when-when she wasn't angry; but when
she was angry it became like the roaring
of gale at sea. All, that temper! She
said she would never marry man who
smoked, unless he did it in greenhouse.
where it would keep off the flies. And
so we had parted She said had seemed
to think that matrimony was all smoke /;
and that smoke in drawing room cur.
tains was thing no woman would put
up with. So we agreed to disagree,
] caught the 10 o'clock Phantom Spe
cial, and reached London in As seconds,
The guard landed me in Matilda's draw.
ing room. In another second l found
myself confronting two pSychical atfin
itics.
Just imagine yourself transferred from
thr chill, shadowy depths of Ghostland
to a world of warmth and light and love
The fire burned brightly cat purred or
the hearth. This room was gay and cosy,
the air sweet with fragrance of flowers
Not the scent of cold. dead blossoms, but
living incense which fioated around what
bad once been my heart, as l raised my
hands in mute beuediction over his black
rurIs and her golden hair.
gathered from their conversation thai
the golden haired girl was Matildas niece.
He was called Dick, and her name was
Emily. further gathered that she was
dependent on Matilda, who ruled with
the rod Of iron wherewith she had ruled
me in the days of old, when l was ex-
l"cted either not to smoke or to do so
wihout spelling the curtains.
Matilda, it appeared, had resolved
never to consent to Dick and Emily's
marriage, which was just what might
lave been expected from Matilda.
Matilda had gone to bed with cotton
wool in her ears and cold in her nose.
And poor Dick had crept down the area,
and cook had let him in to spend few
minutes with the beloved one, just to re.
new their VOWS and comfort each other
He was full of hope. The world was
lizard, he said, but love was stronger than
tie world or even death itself, and he
would conquer the world, and they would
live happily ever after in a suburban
villa, without being afraid of even tax
collector. Then he somewhat sorrow.