The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1893-12-05
WAS II A SPECTRE?

He was waiting for her; he had been
waiting an hour and a half in a dusty
suburban lane, with a row Of big trees on
one side and some eligible building
sites on the other-and far away to
the southwest the tHinkling yellow
lights of the city. 1t was not quite
like country lane, for it had a pave
nent and lamp-post; but it was not a
Dad place for meeting all the same;
and further up, towards the cemetery,
it was really quite rural, and almost
pretty, especially in twilight. But tw!-
light had long deepened into night, and
still he waited. He loved her, and he
was engaged to be married to her, with
the complete disapproval OF every
reasonable person who had been con-
suited. And this halfclandeStine meet
ing was tonight to take the place OF
!he grudgingly sanctioned weekly in
:erview-because certain rich uncle
WAS visiting at her house, and her
mother was not the woman to ackno"l-
edge to moneyed uncle, who might
''go of" any day, match SO deeply
ineligible as hers with him.
So he waited for her, and the chill
If an unusually severe evening entered
into his bones.
The policeman passed him with but
surly response to his goodnight.
The bicyclistS went by him like gray
ghosts with fog-horns; and it Was near
" ten o'clock and she had not come.
He shrugged his shoulders and turn
I'd toward his lodgings. His road led
aim by her house-desirable, commod-
!ous, suburban-snd he walked slowly
as he neared it. She might, even now,
be coming out. But She was not.
There was no sign OF movement about
the house, no sign Of life, no lights
even in the windows. And her people
we're not early people.
He paused BY the gate, wondering.
Then he noticed that the front-dOor
Mas open-wide open-and the street
lamp shone little way into the lark
|lai!. There4was something about all
this that did not please hin-that scar
"a him little indeed. The house had
a gloomy and deserted air. 1t was i'm
possible that it harbored rich uncle.
The old man must have left early. In
which CASE
He walked up the path and listened.
No sign of lie He passed into the
hall There was no light anywhere.
Where was everybody, and why was
the front-door open? There asno one
IN the drawing-room, the dining room
and the study inine feet BY seven were
equally blank. Every one was Out; eTi-
IDENTITY. But the unpleasant sense that
he was, perhaps: not the first casual 7is-
ttor to walk through that open door
impelled him to look through the house
before he went away and closed it after
him. So he went upstairs, and at the
door Of the first bedroom he came to ne
struck d wax-match, as he had done in
the sitting-rooms. Even as he did SO
he felt that lie was not alone. And he
was prepared to see something; but for
what he saw he was not prepared.
For what he saw lay on bed in white,
loose gowr-and it was his sweetheart,
and its throat was cut from ear to ear.
He does not know what happened
then, nor how he got down stairs and
into the street; but he got out somehow,
ald the policeman found him IN tit,
under the lamp-post a: the corner Of
the street. He could not speak when
they picked him up, and he passed the
night in the police-cells, because the
policeman had seen plenty Of drunken
men before, but never one in tit.
The next morning he WAS better
though still! very white and shaky. But
the tale he told the magistrate was CON
cincing, and they sent a couple Of con-
stables with him to her house.
There was no crowd about it as he
had tancied there would be, and the
blinds were not down.
As he stood, dazed, il front OF the
door, it c;,ened and she came out
He held On to the door-poSt ior sup
port.
Shes all night. YOU see" said the
policeman, who hac found him uudrr
the lamp, II told You you vas drunk,
but YOU would know best"
When he was alone with her, he
told her--not all, for that would not
bear telling-tut how he had come into
the colnmodious suburban house, and
huw he had found the door open and
tie lights out, and that he had teeu
tnto that long back room facing the
stairs, and had seen something-in
even trying to hint at which he turned
sick and broke down.
But, ny dearest, She said, i
iaresay the house WAS dark, Tor We
were at the theatre with ny uncle, and
40 doubt the door vas open, tor the
servants will run out if they are lett.
But YOU could not have been in that
room, because locked it when | came
away, and the key was put i'll my
pocket. l dressed in hurry and
left y my odds and ends lying about
Il know" he said; II saw green
scar. 4 chair, and some long brown
glove T. and lot Of hair-pins and rib
hous, and a prayer book. and lace
han l.scrchlef Oh the dressing table
Nhv, / even noticed the calendar on
the neutrality-suspicious. 2lst, At
least, coulda's Ee that. because this