The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-03-24
MERSDALE'S GHOST.

session of Ralf Segwell the moment he
heard that she was of the house party He
did not know that Lady Wallace had asked
her, and felt angry with his fair young
hostess for tho indiscretion.
WHATS the fascination In SegwellT'
murmured guest irrelevantly. "Look at
him and Miss Clifford" He deceiyes us
all, answered pretty American. Hes
enigmatic and melancholy. - He's
the only concrete specimen of evil I know.
We talk great deal about bad things and
real bad books, but on the whole modcr.
nifty is very good. Don't you think soS"
Some of you have ferocious bark,
Miss Swift"
"Most persons bark is'worso than their
bite. Ralf Scgwells bite Is much worse
than his bark. l guess that's why he's 60
uncanny. In fact, he never barks at all.
He just walks up to ono in a friendly sort
of way and bites. l hope they have con-
signed him to the haunted roomP'
"They have, believe, but he doesn't
know They never tell their guests. Then
nothing ever happens There's nothing to
happen, for they haven't ghost, you
know. Only door that leads nowhere
uil ohti hniNS tiihsS pihu iolt'O ltS IIlhOh-
ality, or doorality, on you. 1t has not been
opened for hundreds of years. No human
power can force It,.
II asked Mary Clifford to please you,
said Lady Wallace. They were sitting to-
gether in the great hall, "You were such
friends. am sorry It's hostess duty
to know these things Iapologizo. She
noticed weary expression settle on his
face. Her sympathies were touched. When
their eyes met, she flushed and smiled with
winning intimate grace that was daring
without being bold. "How shall atonef"
you witchn' he said in o very low
voice. Then suddenly he stood up as lit
tie white figure passed at the end of the
hall
at was Miss Clifford" she said
"Was itY' he answered indiffercntly.
"Let us talk about you"
That night as Ralf Segwell shut himself
in his room the feeling of depression he ex-
pericnced on arriving at Mersdale returned.
His thoughts wandered to the house party
nineteenth century men and women,
effcryescing with spontaneous cpigram,
locked up in these vast gloomy rooms
How strangely the place dominated the
peoplcl The old house seemed the sgnifl-
cant fact, the infesting butterflies but
shadowy things inhabiting for brief hour
this great somEcr pile. He looked up and
noticed door that had escaped his ohsGrva-
ton in the afternoon. He tried the handle,
then cold shudder went through him as
he turned from II and crossed the immense
room only dimly lit by candles that splut.
tered at intervals He glanced again at
the locked door. What miserable hole
they had consigned him to A wild desire
to sneak elsewhere became almost irresst-
iblo 1t was an odd experience to feel the
coward. He undrCsscd with slow delibera-
ton, but every other moment he found
himself looking ut the door that led no.
where. 1t fascinated his attention, alb
sorbcd his senses and by degrees filed him
with an inexplicablc dread.
Unable to rest, lie flung himself out Of
bed, stirred up the fire to blaze and lit
every candle in the room. AS he held the
match to each one he looked with renewed
fear over his shoulder. Then he placed
chair near the fire, yet facing the dreaded
quarter, and sat down determined to watch
till daylight. But with inactivity and tho
dcad silence and the blaze of light the
strange, incOmprChensiblc terror returned
d0ublciold. The sound Of his own breath
ing LeCnme painful. He thought Of Mary
Clifford. Then something moved. He sat
still as one Taralyzcd. His blood rompcd
through his veins and icy hands seemed to
grip his heart. Tho handle before him
turned, and the door that had not opened
for 100 years swung back and a man
walked slowly into the room. He was
dressed in evening clothes and seemed to
all nEI CaraICc like other men but for
startled expression in his gray eyes
Rulf rose to his feet tongue tied, while his
visitor walkcd to the fireplace and sat
down. Il can give you an hour" he muir.
INJURED. There was Il silence.
What fory" said Ralf ut last.
"To live, )" he answered ndffercntly
II leapcd to Ralf Sogwoll's mind that he
was entertaining a mailman. The house
was full, which Eecussitatcd the using Of
this room. The mysterious door was un.
doubleday the entrance to the apartments
of some insane relative. His own previous
apprehension must have been caused by
latent consciousness Of human PRESENCE
II stones throw from him. The thought
OF his solitude in tho dead of night with
homicidnl maniac was sufficiently unman.
ming, lie turned Tnlc, but questioned
with assumed airinCss, "Why?"
Justice" answered the stranger,
Slightly raising his brows.
How do you propose to take my lifef"
IIiIIpyt,r,h II.
look at you" He glanced up. Ralf shrunk
from the gaze, then said, with u CHASTITY at.
tempt at u smile: "Well, l hope my light
still burns. l cling to life, you know,
here and hereafter. shall fight for that
second hour" Tho smile witherCd on his
lips Hs his visitor again turned his terrible
gaze from the fire to him.
Mary Clifford has saved your soul,
Iroiigatc. Tho voice revcrbCratcd
through the room. The walls echoed back
"prOiligatcl" and his own lips moved TO
utter tho word, but he said under his
breath, MARY Clifford and the sound
was as water to n thirsty man, ''Thc pure
love that she alone was able to wake Ia
you, and that still lives in your henrt,
though you stillc it under the clogging
weeds of gross passions, has kept burning
the flame Of your spiritual lifcI" He
leaned forward: "Anothcr woman here
would stile it this time forever and would
kill her you have wrongcd. But, he end.
cd, with shrug "yOu will die tonight"
Ralf sal still long time, trying to guess
how knowledge of the details of his own
He had reached his companion. Was this
mad philosopher a friend of hersS And
oven so, how lad he OWNED that she still
held the greater place in his heart, though
ho had been wantonly faithlcss to herr
Would she mind woro he, in truth, to dioi
Had he any right to hope even that she
woudP Would she carer lie said
- Your hour is passed.
Ralf started and turned pale to the lips.
He saw his visitors aspect had changed.
He had become phantom creature with
living face, A terrible awful human
physiognomy stared at him with prcpOs.
ferrous, hidCOus 1xity. He writhcd and
wrcatlcd, but the eyes dcllcd his move
Dcnts, lie could not look away. All the
nerves of his body, the consciousness of
his mind, the very vitality of his system,
were absorbed by paralyzing fear. Time
brought no relaxation. Every moment
seemed an eternity. "pity, pityW he cried,
but the gray eyes watched him. 'Help,
help, helpp' The impotent words echoed
back on his hearing. His voice was q