The record-union., 1896-11-15
The Instant that she looked at it she

why. / was never in that house in
my life,' she said. Then she studied the
picture carefully. turning it this way
and that the red blood suffusing her
face in a way that thrilled me as l
watched her with eyes which did not
leave her for an instant. Finally she
looked up suddenly and said: Where
did you meet Nat Walker? You must
have fixed this up between you A
look of cruel suspicion was followed by
one of intense inquiry.
NAT Walker? Nat Walker?" I ex-
claimed Il do not know him. / never
saw him but once. That was the first
| evening 1 was visiting my uncle, Mr.
Fisk of Hoysradton, and Walker was
there too. We talked about photog-
raphy."
'Of course you did, she broke in,
land he gave you this picture of me-"
told her the story of how 1 had pho
tographed her double on the stairway OF
the old deserted mansion in Haysradton
1 told her too, with all the feeling with
| which l was capable, of the remarkable
impression that picture had made upon
me, until it had been suppianted by the
living reality-told it all in as simple
as could command, stumbling here and
| there as my feelings grew intense, and
conscious, even when for a moment l
glanced aside that her eyes were fas-
tened on my face.
You are positive" / said in closing,
| that that is your picture and that Nat
Walker took it?'
Yes" she replied, Il am positive. Mr..
H.
before he went to Hoysradton. The
dress, the rose at the throat, the pose,
the hair down--he was an old friend of
the family, Mr.. Terry, and he begged
| me TO let it down as a special favor
all are just as 1 was in the studio that
afternoon. And he never sent me a
single picture or wrote me about it,
although he promised he would finish
some up right away. He is engaged to
my cousin, Nellie Sturgis, but after the
way he has acted in this matter / do
| not see how can be bridesmaid at their
| wedding next fall"
How stupid of me- 1 exclaimed 'I
see it all now Walker and I talked
| about photography, as I said. We COM
pared outfits. They were exactly alike.
l must have got some of his plates by
mistake, and he some of mine. Among
his plates must have been the one which
was your undeveloped picture. When
l photographed that old stairway Il
must have used, by a happy chance,
that particular plate, and thus l super
imposed the old stairway on your pict-
ure. That accounts for it all. That is
the reason why we can see right through
you, the vines and diamond panes be-
of
double negative. The reason Mr.. Wal
ker never wrote to you was that he had
r st the plate. He hoped that it would
turn up and save him from confessing
his carelessness."
Nat always was a careless fellow"
happily smiled Miss Edwards.
But now I said, that the mystery
is clear up I almost wish I could put
it back again, suspicion and all. For it
is the one hold / have upon you, Miss
Edwards. Those were no idle words of
mine, that the original of that picture
| has taken complete possession of my
life. This, I know. is very abrupt. But
our acquaintance has been of no ordi-
nary character If / had known you
hundred years you could not be a more
intimate part of my every thought and
ambition than you have been since |
| identified you as the original of my pic
ture All this may be premature had
no idea of making this complete con-
fession when I rowed you out here this
morning-but you will not think the less
of me for that, will you? I love you.
May not my love plead with you as L
ask with the return of the photograph
that the original be given too?''
do not know how much more l
might have said but for shouts from the
shore Annoyed at our long absence,
Mr. and Mrs. Edwards had walked
down to the point, towards which we
were drifting to call to US to come in.
tiiss Edwards handed me back the
photograph, and with it one of my roses
from her corsage. The token was sealed
with blush of assent which told 1t all
There is but very little to add. 1t was
a quiet, home wedding soon after our
return The picture of the ghost girl, |
effectively framed in autumn leaves, |
was more admired than any of the |
gifts.
NV bride did not tell me the most
curious coincidence of all until our
honeymoon was several days old. But, |
strange as it may appear, it is fact
that Nat Walker, whose carelessness
was the immediate cause of our felicity, |
is a nephew of the Union officer to
whom the ghost-girl was engaged-of
that very officer whose sad death de-
prived her of reason and drove her to
suicide and the haunted StairWay.-NeW
York Evening Post.