The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-18
WOOINC A PHANTOM.
Translated From the Original by Maurice Jokai.
BY LOUIS FELRERMANN.

y I
''Yes-in cold blood"
Has your crime ever been diseovered?'
Never. You alone in this world know
of IT,"
The man relaDsed into sObs. and I felt
perpleXed as to whether / should give
him up to the authorities or retain him in
my service 1t is very tiCklish thing
10 choose betWeen-pOlice on the one hand
and pity on the other. / was fervently
hoping that none Of the other servants
OF my household had assaSsinated their
own brothers. when we reached the VIII
lage in the middle of which the castle was
situated. 1t was a simple building with
turrcts in the center. and with large white
stone wallis around 1t. On the first story
five windows had been lit up TO show that
1 was expected.
The servants know that l am coming?''
I enquired of the cOachman.
oh yes, sir. There. already, the guard
awaits YOU" pointing to the figure of a
man which stood in the middle of the
road on stone PEDESTAL, and in the atti-
tude OF military salute. This person held
long stick in his hand, as though IL were
a gun, and. at my approach, commenced
to beat a drum and blow a trumpet with
which he was provided. Then ne jumped
down from the PEDESTAL, and putting the
stick between his legs, as though he were
riding horseback. he ran before my car
riage like an Out-rider, and shouted in
cessantiy MAKE way there. This lord
Is lord even in the regions below"
This fellow must be drunk" / said to
the coachman; but / received no sort of
reply.
The servants in the house. though they
saluted me when they learned, by this
noise, that 1t was who had arrived, made
no attempt TO quieten the man, who was
behaving SO extraordinarily This puz-
zled me much. When, having dismount-
I oct h.. 81. . -.
guard or Waterman suddenly stopped
dead and drew himself up like a statue.
saluting again with military dignity 1
looked into his face. 1t was the most
honest face ] had ever seen, expressive
Of deep devotion.
This man is not drunk" / said to my
self; .'he is simply little bit off his
head"
In the courtyard l saw a short man of
about five feet high, whom l inferred to
be the huntsman from the green collar he
wore.
Good evening. friend" I said. Are
you the huntsman?"
This person made no reply to my en-
quiry. He measured me with his eye
from head to foot. and then, drawing
himself up proudly, he folded his hands
behind him and walked off What
strange peculiarities these servants Of
mine possess, l reelected; and how should
l get accustomed to their behavior?
Just as 1 was wondering thus a man
approached me with very merry smile.
He was an agile jovial sort of fellow of
about forty. His extraordinary face was
one mass of wrinkles, from laughing, in
which he INDUCED at the faintest oppor-
tunity.
However, sir" he said hes excited
you. If you only knew how eagerly we
have awaited you. Ha! ha! ha! The
room has been warmed, and the beds
cleaned. Hal hal l am so pleased that
you arrived safely Ha, ha!-he he! l
am the most humble valet of your lord
ship. He, her
l blessed heaven that 1 had at least
found laughing man in the house. Yes,
this good fellow, l thought wishes 10
make no secret of the fact that he is de-
lighted to see me. At this moment the
coachman approached towards me as
though in order to speak. The valet drew
me aside.
Take no notice of that man." he said
he is crazy-gone clean off his head.
"Oh, didn't know that. And how about
the man who ran before my carriage as
an outride2"
"Oh. he's lean gone. too"
This is nice company to be amongst
And what of the little fellow who turned
up his nose at me just now?"
He Is the maddest of the whole crowd.
His attacks come on monthly. He be-
lieves he is the King of Lapland."
These people have been carefully Sc
lected. Is the steward at homer"
Yes, sir. Shall l call him?'
mo, will go myself"
''Ha, ha. ha."
was getting impatient at his laughter.
What is you name?' / said.
Louis, sir. Ha, ha."
Tell me. Louis is it your habit always
to laugh in this manner?"
"Oh. no, sir, never laugh. Ha, ha ha.''
l was in very nice place. This man
was fool number four.
Now, my dear Louis" said, kindly
go into commissions of laughter and get
it over. Then take me to the steward"
He had meanwhile begun to unp>ck my
things in the best possible manner. His
demeanor was one of excessive politeness,
but whenever l said anything he exploded
with mirth, as though l had told him a
splendid joke.
"Confound it!' I said to myself II
! shall lead very charming life here with
all these people,
The valet conducted me to the steward,
| and / then let him go. This steward was
a man some what past the forties, of fine
| gentlemanly appearance, and clean shaved
excepting his black moustache, his fore
head being high and his eyebrows bushy.
| In figure he was slender and supple; and
| altogether he looked far more like some
| high state official than the steward of an
| estate. Immediately he learned that l was
the present owner he congratulated me,
and told me that l should find the estate
in proper order. The deceased count he
| said, was a passionate agriculturalst, and
was continually introducing new features
into the property with very good result.
He talked to me about the cattle the
ploughs the threshing machines, and the
| system of irrigation employed on the land;
| he evidently had a considerable veterinary
| knowledge, and he went on to particular
lie the English pigs which possessed, the
| fine boars and the pole COWS, which yielded
| twenty pints of milk a day With this
! highly intelligent man was greatly pleas
/ ed and as he went on describing the prop
! erty of which | was master / took out a
| cigar and prepared TO light it. Mr.. Mails
/ ger, seeing what was about to do, begged
me most politely not to smoke in his pres
ence. l Immediately put the cigar back in
] my pocket, thinking that the poor man
must be suffering from his chest and had
| been warned against the fumes of tobacco.
| / decided not TO smoke until 1 got TO my
| own apartment
asked the steward about the other SER
wants, telling him that they seemed to me
very peculiar; the coachman telling me
II