Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-11-16
A TRUE GHOST STORY.

&NsssrsssNtutupt<SS<NASA>v,
nj OF many years ago people used
IN to sncer at ghosts and ghost
= stories much more than they
DO now, and one would constantly hear
people whisper to one another while
some individual was relating his or
her experience: "Ahi II II very odd that
these ghost stories should always be 10
IAted at second or third hand. Now,
! want to see person who personally
nas seen the ghost and then, I will
believer
! Yep. People are more accustomed 10
nearing about ghosts now; and yet,
even now, should 1t be wife. daugh.
Ter, or sister who ventures to narrate
some supernatural experience, she b
pooh.poohed or laughed ct or tod to
''take Q pill"
Now, have seen ghost, and am pre-.
pared to attest most solemnly 70 tho
fact, a. well as to the truth Of every
word here set down. have, Of course,
avoided names, but nothing else; 10,
without further preamble, win state
my case.
Some years ago I became the object
OF the infatuated alteration Of Q person
Of my own age and sex, and I use the
word infatuated" advisedly, because
! feel now, as I did at the time, that
neither I nor any mortal that ever lived
could possibly be worthy Of the over.
whelming affection which my poor
friend lavished upon me. I, on my side,
was not ungrateful toward her. for I
loved her In return very dearly, but
when explain that was q wife and
the mother Of young children, and that
she was unmarried, 1t will easily be
understood that our devotion to each
other must OF necessity be rather one.
sided, and this fact caused some dis
peace between Us at times.
For many years my friend held post
ct court, which she resigned soon after
che began to know me; and although
her royal mistress In her gracious kind.
ness assigned two houses to her, she
gave them both up to be free to live
near me In B; indeed. she gave up
relatives. old servants and comforts In
order that she might come and lie land
die, alasD In lodgings over shop near
me. But she was not happy. She
''gloomed" over the inevitable fact TINT
In consequence Of the difference In her
circumstances and mine. I could not
bs with her every day and oil day long.
I think she was naturally Of an nm.
happy disposition, being deeply, pas.
sionately and unjustinably Jealous, and
also painfully incapable Of taking
things and people % they were. All
this gave me often much annoyance;
but we were, oil the same. sometimes
very cheerful and happy together. and
sometimes the reverse.
Later on. she, poor soul. was taken Ill.
and during months Of nuctuat ting
health nursed her-sometimes In hone.
sometimes without-and at moments
during her illness she found strange
comfort In f0retelling to me. after the
most "uncanny" fashion, things which
she declared would happen to me after
her death. They were mostly trivial.
ties-little episodes concerning people
and things over whom we had talked
and laughed together. for she was gift.
Cd with keen sense Of the ridiculous.
Among other things, she said to me
one afternoon:
"Thls bazaar for which We are work.
ing (she had been helping me for weeks
for q charity bazaar. and I can now
see her dainty little hands 40 she ma.
nipulated tho delicate muslin and lace.
Poor. poor L--D shau be dead be.
fore It takes place; and I shall see vol,
at your stall, and on one Of the days of
the bazaar an old lady will como up to
you and say: Have you any Of poor
Miss LIS workY mentioning me.
And you will answer: Yes, here ID
sonnet and you will show her this
which I am working; and she'll say,
Yes. again; and she'll carry It all OF
and soy she buys 1t f0rpoor Miss L.
sake And ! shall know and see Il
allv'
remember repeating. wonderlngly.
"What LADY,"
She answered, dreamily. "Ohl don't
know-but some old ladyi You'll ses!'
And am bound to say that this ID &C.
tually what occurred at the bazaar
months after her death; nm old lady
with whom was not acquainted did
buy all her work. having asked for II
and carried 1t away "for her sakew An
old lady. too. whom had never seen.
One other curious circumstance which
attended her death was that. after look.
ing forward with more than usual
pleasure to my coming birthday, which
she said would be Q more than com.
monty happy nniversary-that was
the very day she diedI
! think that one Of the sharpest re.
grets which ] ever experienced In my
life consisted In the fact that wai
not with my dearest friend at the mo-
ment that she passed away. She had
made me promise that I would be with
Der at that time. and God knows had
the fullest intention Of fulfilling hel
wish. but on that very evening, Of all
others, was called away, and she died
In my absence. had been sitting by
her bedside all the afternoon. and MI
that evening had held her dear hand
and had kept whispering comforting
words In her ear; but latterly she had
made no response and was seemingly
unconscious.
Suddenly q message came from my
house mot hundred yards II was
swaO saying ny husband wanted ms