The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-10-16
MY VISITOR.

III an up Town lElJ tne neat seemed TO De
filtered, could not sleep at nights and
Che long days in IA great newspaper office
were not calculated to improve my health
and spirits / had begun to ask myself II
life were worth the living when l received
a letter from friend. lately married, invit-
ing me to visit her in her new home
went TO the managing editor and assur-
ing him nothing less than months rest
would save me from an early grave exact
ed his consent
What delight experienced as felt my
self being whirled through the fresh, sweet
country air My friend met me at the
station, She was radiant with health and
happiness-such contrast to my pale,
miserable looking self
l. Is a charming country town-a
new town, You know-and Its pretty cot
tages are all Of modern style. But on a
cliff frowning down on the village stands
3 somber house of stone, moss rooted and
Ivy clad. Grand old trees, over whose
head centuries have passed, stand sentinels
around it, A winding drive leads up to
| 1t, and when my friend turned her horse
In at the iron gateway exclaimed:
What Is that your house, for knew
they We're far from being rich
Yes. Is it not lovelyY We got bargain
They almost gave the place away. And it
was furnished tOop
was not the only guest, as my friend S
aunt, most delightful old maid was also
visiting there, AS expect TO be an old
maid some day, always "make love- to
Them, as little friend once expressed 1t
The room assigned to me vas u. front one
| Opening on to 1t was another one, some
what smaller, but fitted up in the same
style, and l came to the conclusion this
had once been some early mistress apart
ment. In the smaller room the old maid,
or Miss Sue, as ] shall call her, slept.
! Now, observe, the only way of entering
her room was by passing through mine.
When VIC babe each other good night /,
with true feminine caution, locked and
bolted the door opening to the hall, but
the one separating our rooms left open.
| There was little table in the center of
the room, holding the lamp / drew up a
chair and tried to read. But / could not
fix my attention; my eyes would wander
from the pages to the things around me.
shall not attempt to analyze the peculiar
feeling that began to take possession of
me. shall only say the general impress
sion left on me, after a careful survey, was
that the personalityof some other woman
than my friend fingered In the room.
felt that personality, like a living, breath
ing thing. 1t was creepy sensation; so ]
undressed and went to bed, and being tired
soon fell asleep.
Perhaps / slept an hour, perhaps not ten
minutes, but gradually over my sleeping
senses came n power SUBTLE mysterious,
drawing them back to the real again.
can never describe that awakening To
think of 1t eSen now sends an unacoounta-
BILE chill into my heart
The moon was shining and the room
was filed with light, l Enclosed my eyes,
and leaning upon one elbow glanced to-
ward the stand and there on the chair
had recently occupied sat a young girl.
She was dressed in white and had short,
curly hair One elbow rested on the
stand, and she was leaning her head on
her hand. sat up In the bed, and, never
supposing my visitor was other than flesh
and blood, and thinking / was at my
boarding house, asked:
Have you no bed9" But the occupant
Of the chair did not move. Then like q
fash remembrance Of where was came
over me-
Miss Sue" 1 called, there Is girl.
Has she DO place to Sleep"
A snore from Miss Sue was my answer,
and still the girl did not move. got out
Of bed On the stand were the matches,
but to reach them should have to pass
my arm around the silent figure. The &C.
tion Of course brought me near her, and ]
was conscious Of only one feeling-to avoid
personal contact with her. had my eyes
on her until REACHED for the match, and
then they were rsAoved only for second,
but when looked again the girl was gone.
For a moment / was too surprised to
think. Then lighted the lamp and glanced
around the room. 1t was deserted I went
to the door and found 1t bolted as l had
left 1t. l stole into Miss Sues room, but
she was sleeping soundly. / had seen q
ghost--a creature Of the other world. II
completely upset me, and determined &c
leave the next day. The heat Of an uptown
boarding house was preferable to the com
pany OF spirits
With daylight thought l might have
been mistaken and concluded to stay an
other day. But l entered my room the
following night with many misgivings
beguilded Miss Sue into conversation, but
she soon grew sleepy and left me. l would
not allow my mind to dwell on the sub.
ject, but read until could no longer keeI
my eyes open. Then went TO bed and
soon was asleep After time the strange,
magnetic force began to steal over me
had left the lamp burning. l opened my
eyes, aud there by the stand, In the self.
same position, sat the girl. The sight was
too much for me covered my head and
called for Miss Sue, and as / did sigh,
the deepest, saddest, most heartrending,
was waited to me from that silent figure.
And then l realized soul, once the dwell.
er in human frame, standing in need OF
help, had appealed to me, but because OF
my pitiful mortal weakness could not
aid it.
The next day went home. About six
months afterward heard my friend had
sold her house. and from That judged 9th.
crs had seen the ghostly visitor
And often my mind goes back 10 her.
Poor SOUL Wandering nightly among
scenes of former happiness or woe, are you
weighted with some secret, atoning for
some crime, or is this your punishment
for life misspentY
But TO my questioning there comes no
nswer.-Cincinnati Post.
..r How 20 Wear ,Jevela