Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-02-02
TIE RETIRED BURGLAR.

An Adventure Showing That n Lire STo'n-
an Is Giore TO Be Dreaded Than T. Chest
"At O'Clock one morning." said the
retired burglar, II was in gooG si-e~.
second story back bedroom in q coz
Portable cid house i'll Il -unt7y town IL
Massachusetts, The bed il this room
was empty, but the clothes We turned
back, and the bed had evidently been
occupied. 1t stood i'll the rear COZ II
farthest from the door, with the bead
board against tho rear wall and the
side Of the bed about o foot or so away
from the sido wall. AT the foot of the
bed against the side wall, about in the
middle of that side Of tie room and
right opposite the door, stood tic bu-
reau. Between il and the footnoard it
self there was space Of perhaps 9 foot,
maybe foot and half, enough for
anybody to pass through comfortably.
Il stood now in front of the b-ireau.
] had set my lamp down on top Of it
and had just opened the top drawer
when something prompted mo to look
up into the mirror In that mirror
saw, dim, but clear enough, tho reflec-
ton of ghost in the hall There was
q faint light in the hall, just little
from q lamp standing On table near
the front end, and by that light, when l
turned TO look, l saw the ghost. Itwas
moving from the rear of the house to-
ward the front, along the hall, little
nearer to the side was on than to tho
ether, and moving slowly, like stage
ghost 1t was tall and spare and all IL
white. with something white over its
head. 1t moved slowly across the door
and disappeared. After it had gene
stood there, with my back to the bu-
raau, staring at the doorway.
ga moment later it reappeared, NOV
ing now toward the rear of the house,
and this time nearer still to my side of
the hall 1t was moving slowly, as be-
fere, but instead of passing by it turned
toward my doorway when it came OPP
and moved slowly across the room
straight toward me. Nearer and nearer
and | couldn't move until something,
told mel wondered why it hadn't como
to me before-that the ghost was sleeEl
walker. 1t was woman. This was hcT
room, and she was coming back where
she belonged.
"Of course felt little easier then.
but wanted to get away. and | thought
should soon be able to, for supposed.
of course, that she was making for the
bed, and the idea that she would do
anything but go to the front of the bed
and get in there. like any other human
being, never entered my head. While
she was coming across the room haol
sort of involuntarily backed into that
gap between the corner of the bureau
and the footboard of the bed. | 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 go to the front of the
bed, and she did turn and move in that
direction, but when she got pretty near
to tho other corner of the footboarCl
from where | was she turned again and
started toward the gap that l was
standing in. evidently with the inter-
ton Of going around to the back Of aha
he'd between it and the wall and getting
in on that side. That last three OF four
feet along the footboard she seemed TO
glide as smooth as ever, but quicker
than lightning, l in the way and too
scared to move. She was awake the in
slant she touched me and screaming like
q mad woman, and / was awake then,
my friend, finally, and clawing across
that bed to a window there was at the
head Of it l cleaned that window out,
! blinds and all, with ore sweep of the
Jimmy and jumped. New York Sun