The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-11-02
A SPECTER.

81 don't think / am more superstitious
than the general run of men, and know |
am no believer in this table waltzing, wall
tapping sort of spiritualism, but did once
run across queer thing not to be explained
on natural grounds"
This was said by the tall man in gray
tweed and smoking cap as the train drew
out of the station. The party in the smoker
bound for the Windy City was good for all
night and ready to be amused, so pleas for
the story suggesting the opening words
were put forth, with this result:
AS most of you know, am native OF
England, and for seven or eight years of
my early manhood served in the royal navy
as lieutenant. In 1866 / sailed in the Prin-
cess Alice, where l first became acquainted
with young fellow little older than my
self, named, or l shall call him, Freeman
Lovelace. While / cannot say ever con-
ceived any real affection for him, we be-
came rather good friends as such friend
ships 90. He was clever, full of good sto-
ries, had seen much of life, though perhaps
too much of its worse side, and was we'll
liked by all on board. He was just the sort
of man that women love to infatuation and
throw themselves away on, and from what
he would sometimes in confidential words
let drop l fancied he was pretty much en-
tangled in half dozen different directions
ashore. When we left on the cruise am
going to tell you of, thought that he
seemed to have something on his mind, and
once saw him tear up some letters he had
and heard him murmur several times
Poor girl, poor grip
But this unwonted seriousness wore
away in week or two, and thought moth
ing more of it. But one night when he and
had just parted for the night and had
started for my cabin he called me back.
prescott" he said, did woman pass
you just now?"
looked at him in amazement. We were
200 miles from any woman, and he knew it.
"A womanl' l echoed "Why, how
should woman come aboard the Princess
AliceY
"Oh, all right" he answered lightly, al
though / could now see by the pinnacle
lamp that his face was singularly colorless.
ut must have been imagination that
made me think l saw some one in woman's
dress steal out of the shadow of the mast
there. Good night"
We were to touch at Gibraltar, Malaga
and Barcelona as we entered the Mediter-
ranean, and it was at the first of these ports
that the next of the series of extraordinary
events have to relate took place. We had
passed the mighty fortress and lay at an
Choir near the town when Lovelace and
got leave to go ashore for couple of hours.
AS we passed along a street lined with
houses closely shattered, as it was noon
tide, observed woman standing half con-
cealed by the pillars OF q church. | was
Just about to call the attention of my COM
panion to the fact that she seemed to be
an English woman and that her quiet Eng
lish costume seemed out of place in this
essentially foreign town when saw him
start back and turn pallid. caught him,
thinking him faint, but soon saw that it
was unmistakable terror l detected on his
face.
The woman was in black, and in London
would have been taken for sort of supe-
rior working woman, probably the forewom-
an in mantua making establishment. But
what struck me as strange WAS the fact of
the unusual intentness of her gaze fixed
immovably on Lovelace, and that she held
her hand to her throat in way that con-
cealed it from view.
In another moment Lovelace seemed to
rally and started forward with cry of
Lucy, you herel" on his lips.
But as my eyes went from him back to
the spot not 30 feet away, where the girl
had stood, / saw that she was gone. My
companion now became excited.
"Where did she go2" he asked.
was as much puzzled as he, for it was
hardly possible that she could in that mere
moment of time have gained one of the adj
jacent houses or have gone down the street
unseen by us. Indeed in both directions
there was no one in sight. There was only
the church, but on our entering we were con-
fronted by priest speaking very fair Eng
fish who assured us that no one had entered
the edifice within the last hour. was, as
/ have said, puzzled by this, but thought
nothing of any supernatural element it
might have
Lovelace, on the contrary, Heturned at
once to the ship and for days secluded him
self from all ompanionship. When we
reached Malaga, he did not wish to go
ashore, bun the commander of the ship de-
tailed him, together with three others, to
carry dispstch to the consul at that port.
remained aboard, but on the others re-
turning head what was designated as a
queer story on Novelace.
1t seemed tina he, with the rest Of the
party, stopped Oh the street to buy some
fruit, when all at o,ce the fruit sellers little
child cried out inferior something about
awoman in black hat was standing lust
back of Loyelace. AZ looked around, but
could see nobody there, and they went
on choosing the fruit, Shen the child gave
another still louder sAiek and fell down.
It's mother picked it Upland the little fell
low chung to her, sobbAg out that the
woman had taken her hanGfrom hertbroat.
and that it was all Oloody.\
As there was plAinly n6such woman
about, the other young officas would have
laughed at the child'A fancy,\ ut Lovelace
had been obliged to borrow theruit sellers
chair, so agitated was b, for sole minutes.
"He looked as white aid weak,s a won.
an" concluded my informant.
On getting to Barcelona Lovelaerefnsed
to leave the ship, but during the dA there
arrived an invitation from amutuakriend
of his and mine, whose yac,t WASHING
there, to dine with him, and alter sonfdiS,
fculty succeeded in getting E.ovelaS to
consent to go.
We spent pleasant hour abNard La
IS beautiful craft and were list gOiA
in to dinner, Lady - on bovelac's arm
when all at once that lady gave ascreal
and looked around in haste, only TO lcreal
again and to faint dead away