The Van Buren press., 1895-08-03
"A TRUE GHOST ! STORY
BY CORA M'rEAD NEIL.

Ane lacts here narrated occurred in
sac International hospital Il Naples
tn the spring Of 1892. Forobyious rea.
SONG the full names OF the persons eon.
cerned are withheld. An illness. con.
sequent upon the dire epidemic, influ.
ensa, made me for . few weeksa q psr
tient In that excellently managed and
beautifully situated institution. for.
merly the Villa Bentinck. The kind
and skillful resident doctor was from
the University OF Vienna; the matron
wass young Engiishwomsn; snurses
were German. Scotch and Italian; the
patents were even more cosmopolitan
than the corps Of officials. Thus the
epithet "International'. Was we'll war.
ranted. n .s4tleyees bti,g s,Is9a.
II was dark, sullen afternoon In
that tardy spring, whenf was taken 70
the hospital. The carriage wound
slowly up the long hill, and 1t length,
to my relief, stopped before y broad,
two'leaved door, resembling the en-
trance OF New England barn. A.
one leaf Of It was slowly opened, l
peered In, and saw what looked at first
like globe Of fame at the side of the
corridor; but while wondered what
manner Of lamp this could be, It partly
revolved and disclosed profile, and,
as the door swung back, revealed it.
self as the head of . tall, efficient-look-
ing woman, who was directing a man
bringing the chair in which was to be
carried upstairA The head was q very
round one, and was covered thickly
with short, brilliant locks OF the color
which In hair IL for some reason COM
monty called red; the tufts stood out
like little lambent flames oil around
the owners face. This was Miss c.,
the matron. She soon turned me over
to the care of my faithful little Ger
man nurse, and began my life In q
hospital.
1t was very regular life, with its
daily morning visit from the doctor,
attended by the matron, an afternoon
visit. from the inntron alone, and the
tender ministrations Of my good nurse
In the meantime. Occasionally, how
ever, the matron would mako me q
call by herself and bring me, perhaps.
spray Of fragrant orange blossoms
from the garden, or, as l got better, in
vite me to sit on the terrace In front of
her room, where looked down over the
city upou that portion Of the Bay Of Ma
pies which is inclosed between the pro-
montories Of Posillipo and OF Sorrento,
with Capri floating opposite me like
violet-hued mountain taking . sea
bath in the vivid vitriol-blue waves,
snd vesuvius, st my left, raising its
swelling conc in curves Of fascinating
beauty, and emitting . trembling
breath OF sunlighted vapor.
came to have . homelike feeling
among my kind attendants In the hos
pital, and 1t gave mo . painful shock
Of surprise, therefore, to learn, within
three weeks from the time had left it,
that Miss G--, ,the ma tron, after onlya
few days illness, had died. l had gone,
on leaving the hospital, to recruit
further at the beautifully located and
.xel,kept Pension Weiss, il Castel-
larnare. Bnta few weeks later re-
turned to Naples, and Carl and soon
paid visit to the hospital. He had
BEEN 10 see me every day while I was
d patient there, and was almost As fa-
miliar as myself with the place and
with the persons In charge. yTr ~
e II was hot afternoon IN May when
we climbed the shadeless hill, and the
white, glaring street reflected blind
ing heat hardly less intense than that
which s1note from the clear sky. In
.the open doorway we were cordially
greeted by tho old Italian woman who
cared for the patient In the basement,
and we hailed the refreshing contrast
of the dark, cooi corridors - s~ween-
tered and went upstairs. On the floor
reached by ascending ono flight, and
to the right OF tho satairoaass and fac
ing down The lsnHtk of = Corridor, is
the door 81 the matFdn's rooniss just be.
fore we reached the top Of the stairs .
tall woman, wearing nurses cap and
apron, glided, out Of this room with the
QUICK, noissless movement acquired by
those who care for the sick, passed q
fewv Yards down the corridor from
right to left In front Of us, then turned
suddenly and glided back from left to
right, and reentered the room. The
door stood open at an angle 'of nearly
forty-five degrees; but when we looked
In at It she had already disappeared in
TO the part of the room which was con.
.cealed from views Although we had
been 40 near her she had not looked at
Us, moi. greeted ue With 5"good day"
In either OF the -afour languages!
being always the custom on the conti-
nent TO bid good day 70 ganyone you
nav meet a, 3 staircase or in corri-
dor "a custom generally observed,
from those in highest rank down to
the lowest menials-thh omission was
noticed by us But oar momentary
surprise at it was Immediately oblit-
Grated BY our, remarking another cir
cuu1stance.
:. ..rh.t must be Miss G-'s sister, "
said Carl. .ts.csd.fT IA an,s4
what . striking resemblance" Ian
swered. e,Is .lf mgIl. s'I...It l'.,iin p !
"Wonderfully strikingr' Carl grs-
sponded, a. we passed on to the aos-
tor,s rooms In tho east wing OF tne
building. =. =. ....... ,,,...
Tho. good doctor gave us : most
.-,.nd,v welcome, and after the pre-
,;m;naries relating to my health were
- 10 naturally spoke of Miss
G--'s sudden death, and ne told Us
the particulars Of her last days. ts,
.you have her sister to take her
place, we see," said Carl ~ *.
'..No we have no one yet In her
place." said Dr. s.. -. -.
"No2 Why, we just saw some one
.....,,,no, ont OF her room who resem-