Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-12-14

second story back bedroom in COM
Portable old house in country town in
Massachusetts,. Tho bed in this room
was empty, but the clothes were turned
back, and the bed had evidently been
occupied. 1t stood in the rear cor r
farthest from the door, with the bo@c-
board against tho rear wall and tie
sido Of the bed about foot OF 50 away
from tho sido wall. at the foot Of tho
bed against the sido wall, about II tho
middle Of that side Of the room and
right opposite tho door, STOOD tde bu'
reau. Between it and the footboard it.
self there was q space Of perhaps foot,
maybe o foot and q half, enough for
anybody to pass through comfortably.
Il stood now in front Of the ba-eau.
l had set my lamp down Oh top OF it
and had just opened the top drawer
when something prompted me to look
up into the mirror. In that mirror l
saw, dim, but clear enough, the rcAeo-
tion Of a ghost in the hall. There was
a faint light in the nall, just little
from q lamp standing on table near
the front end and by that light, when l
turned to look, 1 saw the ghost. 1t was
moving from the rear Of the house to-
ward tho front, along the hall, little
nearer to the side l was on than to the
other, and moving slowly, like stage
ghost 1t was tall and spare and all in
white, with something white over its
head. 1t moved slowly across the door
and disappeared After it had gone l
stood there, with nay back to the bu-
reau, staring at the doorway
"a moment later it reappeared, NOV
ing now toward the rear Of the house,
and this time nearer still to my side of
tho hall 1t was moving slowly, as be-
fore, but instead Of passing by it turned
toward my doorway when it came op-
posite to it and came in over the sill
and moved slowly across the room
straight toward me. Nearer and nearer,
and l couldn't move until something
told mel wondered why it hadn't como
to me before-that the ghost was a sleep
walker. 1t was a woman. This was her
room, and she was coming back where
she belonged.
"Of course l felt little easier them
but wanted to get away, and l thought
l should soon be able to, for / supposed,
of course, that she was making for the
bed, and tho idea that she would do
anything but 90 to the front Of tho bed
and get in there, like any other human
being, never entered my head. While
she was coming across the room l had
sort Of involuntarily backed into that
gap between the corner Of the bureau
and the footboard of the bed. l stood
there looking at her while she was still
coming straight across toward the bu-
reau, never doubling that She would
turn in time and 90 to the front Of the
bed, and she did turn and move il that
direction, but when she got pretty near
to the other corner Of the fO0t5oard
from where l was she turned again and
started toward the gap that was
standing in, evidently with tho inten-
ton of going around to tho back Of the
bed between it and the wall and getting
in on that side. That last three or four
feet along the footboard she seemed to
glide as smooth as ever, but quicker
than lightning, I in the way and too
scared to move. Sho was awake the in
slant she touched me and screaming like
mad woman, and l was awake then,
my friend, finally, and clawins across
that bed to window there was at the
head Of it I cleaned that window out,
blinds and all, with ono sweep Of the
Jimmy and jumped. New York sun.