Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-16


ghosts. OF which I had heard nothing de-
fnite. except that they haunted the tower,
and 1 did not know in what way they
would manifest themselves to me. II was
not long however. after l had begun 10
OCCUPY the room before the ghosts came
q me. One evening : little before Christ
mas, after everybody in the house but
myself had gone TO bee and adj was qulot,
outside and inside, heard a knock, ana
was on the point of saying Come IN!
when the knock was repeated. and found
that II did not come from the door, but
from the wall. ] smiled.
"You cannot come in that way
thought "unless there are secret doors
in these walls, and even then you must
open them for yourself"
/ went on with my writing, but ] soon
looked up again, for ] thought l heard
a chair gently push back against the wall
tn a corner behind me. and almost imme-
diately ] heard a noise as II some llttle
boy had dropped a number of marbles, or
perhaps pennies, but there was no CHAR
IN the corner at which l looked, and there
WIRE no pennies nor marbles on the floor.
Night after night l heard my ghost-for
/ hai come 10 consider them as mine,
which had bought with the house-and
although could not see them. there were
so many ways III WIItu iHtS itN iAAt AAii''
thy existed that l felt for them sort
OF companionship When in the quiet
hours Of the early night ] heard their
gentle knocks knew that were the cir
cumstances different they would have been
glad TO come in. and 1 did not feel
lonely.
HEARD THE VOICES.
Now and then thought / heard the
voices OF the ghosts. sometimes outside.
under my window and sons times behind
me in distant corner OF the room.
Their tones were low and plaintive, and l
could not distinguish words or phrases,
but Il often seemed to me as II they were
rally speaking TO me, and that l ought
20 try to understand and answer them.
But l soon discovered that these voice
like sounds were caused by the
vagrant breezes going up and down the
tall chimney Of the tower, making
aeCllan tones. not Of music, but OF vague
and indlstinct speech.
The winter passed, and at last there
came a time when I saw one OF the
ghosts. 1t was in the dusk of an eve
ming. early In spring. and just outside OF
an open window. that IL appeared 10 me.
u was as plain 10 my sight as II II had
been painted In delicate half-iones
against sombre background Of tender
foliage and evening sky.
1t was clad from head 10 foot In softest
gray. such as the phantoms of the night
are said 20 love, and over its shoulders
and down It's upright form were thrown
the fleecy folds of mantle so mistily
gray that II seemed TO blend into the
dusky figures IL partly shrouded. Inc
moment saw IL / knew II saw me. Out
Of its cloudy grayness there shone two
eyes. black. clear. and sparkling. fixed
upon me with questioning intensity. l
sat gazing with checked breath at this
ghost of the tower.
Suddenly leaned forward-just n little
20 get a better view of the apparition.
when. like a bursting bubble. II was
gone, and there was nothing before me
but the background Of foliage and eve
ming sky.
Frequently after that / saw this ghost,
or II may have been one OF the others.
FOR II was difficult with these gray WIS.,
iona with which one must not speak or