The sun., 1896-10-18
+" THE LITTLE GRAY MAN."
UHATHAS BECOME OFTHEG H0Sr,v
CAVALIER or TENTH STREEJs

| PLENTY or Propis Cinimcd 10 Have SEQ,
Hin, bat Strangely Enungh Thcy W.,
Mostly Tenants wh" Wanted nn r.,
cuso TO Move without Paying Rcnt
What has become OF The Little Gray Mn,
| Tenth street2 Ho was the mildest.manurrul
| ghost that ever haunted house. lie was ,1,
gentiest of goblins, the most unobtrusiyr q,
spirits. His reputation was excellent. Nnn,
knew him but to love him, and some pco. -,
| even had cause to hold his visits In grateful ,..
| membranco.
| The Little Gray Man is one Of the most ln,rr.
| esting Of New York's ghostly population. NV
| York cannot afford to spare him from its l,..
| endary life. and yet his visits, so say thyss
| who ought to know, are becoming as rare "a
! those of the angels. though not less quiet
| 1t Is seldom that any one thinks even to ass
after the Little Gray Man. so quickly arrus
ghosts forgotten whou they cease to walk. IA
| has he ceased to walk? Even when he was
most familiar ne did not come often. And who
knows, furthermore. that no has not bcrl
| around of late. stealing quietly up and duwntue
| dim staircase. as was his wont? He was all.
ways ghost Of quiet aud refined tastes. There
| wns no captrap about his visits: no revoitly
| details Of a CORY character; mono of the fam.l.
| lar catohpenny devices for attracting attention
and getting himself in the papers. Mo- no
| Little Gray Man was thorough gentleman,
| and gentleman of the old school at that.
Tho house is in Tenth street, q quiet, Con-
Portable, rather sombre-lookng place. Ito
ivy has thickly covered the front and crcpt &, .
on to the wall of the adjacent building. which
projects beyond the house of the Little Gray
Man. There dark green blinds at the win-
dows, and many of them closed. 1t must 10
dim and dusky inside even when the sun Shiues
without. The brass door knobs and plates are
polished and shining. They make CLEAN Il
light in the sombre facade. Just now the leaves
from the ivy keep falling. falling all day long
and all night, too. that they are always scat
tered over the steps. Ono wonders whether
they would rustic IL the Little Gray Man should
pass over them.
The neighborhood Is irreproachab!e; even
with the Church OF the Ascension on the corner.
There are delightful people in the VICINITY; bas
no one among them all is more liked and re.
spected by his neRhbors than is the Little Gray
Man. They all speak of him affectionatcly and
seem TO be hurt rather than otherwise BY lis
recent apparent neglect OF them. 1t isn't every
neigh hborhood In nineteent h century, practical
Nav forg that has ghost in It's possession, ami
their appreciation Of their good fortnne
When the Little Gray Man was last seen hs
was ascending he staircase of the house which
he had, for nu m oer of years. honored with ms
visits. He was clad. as he always had been IN
gray cloak IN the proper fashion across hls
thoulder. and 1t was this which always caught
the attention of the people who Jaw him.
1t is always dark in the stairway of the ordi-
nary New York house. aud the Little Gray Nj.
slip quietly BY without giving any one much u:
chance TO take notes OF his aprearance. In
who dis fsa @ the fa o. LIS
style of dress. People visiting in the house.
dH sGw sGsep s
gentleman was old and that he wore gray.
". the Y LILLE h old 11 "n IN gray that me-
had not observed that he was a belated cavalier
some two centuries out OF date.
nj Ia : hn t..
Gray Man 60 after he had climbed the stairs
Who knows? On and on up to heaven. per-
cious n ghost mrst belong. stories ditIer ahou5
IT, Some say that he turned into the,renr hu
that one adventurous person who Immediately
reopened the door and looked in nothing ns
the mountains ciinging along their sides as 4
some flock OF giant sheep had passed that way
and left come bits OF wool.
Others say that the Little Gray Man SIMPLY
went up to the very top step of the very torn.n-s
tr:ous hi ing OF France and his initiative four
Thousand men. he turned around and marched
Others say that this cannot be true. for. 50 ID
they swear. they live in the houses in EleycU.h
windows Of the house of the Little Gray Ma,
and they have seen him there. looking curou,y
And some of them go 50 far as to rs. assert f ,ha;
nsv 1he same ssy Spit spirit which snmntss,f ,. "s
Gray cray 'y Man 'Ss day sGssrs 9aSs''hs hs h hr
into certain tery-eyed black cat which cor
uuGts ltseir holslly ana IN generally unseenIE
fashion. This, II 1t be true. is most Interest
ing case Of DR.. Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde IN ehos..v
circles. However. 1t would not be well To pla's
too much credence in this statement the pria-
cipal author OF IL being aboy. whose imarinat.rl
may n have s: been spnrred on by old wives tale,
that no one has seen the Little Gray Man q:
some some time: The family which occupies to
aud not member of IL has had so much a. !
glimpse of the old gentleman. 1t isn't that no
way of the friendship p and attention OF the Ii.
tie Gray Man. On the contrary. Whatrvr-
goblin, however. he has not retaliated. He sn..
ply stays away and even that seems to be do0o
more IN sorrow than in anger.
day with one who. while he never saw the Litts
they had; Both he and the newspaper mag
himseli i,is live near enough to the scene Of tie
prietary interest in the ghost. They were Il q.
cn;ssinH the chances Of the rcappearance of tls
be hopeful. The other man, however, r'i''s sremr!
TO. TO thinE that the ghost was really laid. By 10
that Very much S aan # hese unsnspgg s1gTs
were bricks or new carpets,)
GOOD ans ySp a rsny IA hiPs IN. the old man
shall s write an obituary notice Of him. Dou,'.
career. here at least. but no one can say ttai
obitusnyI. e waSnf an honorable one lie deserves
,.,,Bgt ,Bgt how are you to be sure thnt he is rca'2
iaid p said the other man, beginning To hei.,.
nnd IL IA stnIe 10 ;ht :. ,nplehsu thtee years ~
my hnn ~ u sltie ny inns time. You might As %. -.
pring out Disraell's obituary now as new
Oh. They're not parallel cases" insisted f.,
reporter. When Disrae!i died c,eryhar
knew II at once. There was no doubt or si,.. 10
latl9n about il; He was dead: the obituprj n.l
pHolished and that was the end OF 1t. lmt S..
ghosts it's different Tho laying Of a ghu.' 3
IKE q sin OF omission. II is consplouous only
its absence. No one Knows. either. when a.'
sehce VIII become presence. Also you must rr.
member. everything is relative. liza gl.ost its
n Deen In the habit Of making his visii- cy,ry
come for month, 1t would be rea,onnAs
w. uso,Id suppose MIN laic and the obituary notice
would be In order. But when "a ghosts v.-.',
nav, nave been few ana far between even in ls
tinnsiI season ~ pehooves one to proceed can'
~ pest. When he did not come for monrl- ,y,n
;'r near. IL wasn't safe to rush into lrIui alo't
ghOstly willow ;" "' "'''' '7'"'''
.. Sui. Sui said the csrping other man. "ilero
ID shhother aspect of tho case. Possibly ihrrc,rr
persons who do not care to have lie IEr.ls
fad Il