Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-10-28
AN INDIAN GHOST STORY.
A Young Woman from tho Other
World.

"OEAUs
Two decades before to the east of
Sinduriapati, Calcutta, there stood a
three-storied house in Ram Mohun
Shaha's lane, says the Pantha. This
thouse was dismantled few years ago,
but the two central figures in the story
are still living. These gentlemen, Nj
tai Babu and Tulsi Babu, were then
TWO young men, strong and brave.
one noon, in summer, they were pro-
ceedlng to the house Of friend in
Ram Mohun Shahas lane. AS they
passed the three-storied house they
saw young lady Of 16 standing at the
half-opened street door and were sur
prlsed to find her reckoning them to
approach. The two friends, curious to
know something more of the woman
ana why she invited them, entered the
mousse They met no one as they
| passed across the courtyard, with a
| thlck layer of dust, up flight of steps,
the woman showing them the way. In
Veranda on the first floor they found
an old man lying on a mat, his eyes
closed in sleep. They approached and
called him. 1t was after considerable
difficulty that they could arouse tho
old man. who, however, opened his
eyes for moment only, and then
slept as before. The two friends then
followed the woman to the second
floor, and here they found an old lady
sleeping on the veranda Here. too.
they tried to wake her up; but, as in
the case Of the man, she only opened
ner eyes once and then closed them
again. Babus Nitai and Tulsi now
saw the woman enter a room and they
followed her into it The apartment
was we'll furnished. A rich bedstead
stood on one side with a milk-white
and invitingly soft bed thereon. There
were also silver-plated hukas, betel
utensils and fire in pan. They were
rather surprised and asked their young
conductress who she was and why she
had called them. But she did not an
swer. They asked to order her se:-
wants, II she had any, to prepare a
cnlllum; still she spoke not word,
but remained standing by the side cf
|
at this want Of courtesy or frankness
and rose from the farash on which the
two were sitting to catch hold of her.
The woman thereupon began going
round and round the bedstead, follow
ed by Nitai. Her speed gradually IN
creased; at last suddenly she dashed
toward the door and made off. The
Two friends became really alarmed
this time. Fearing the consequences
OF their imprudent trespass they, too,
issued out Of the room after the wom-
an. Now they did not meet, however,
either the old woman or the old man
and this circumstance added to their
terror. When they reached the first
floor the woman who had led them IN
this wild goose chase vanished sud-
denly from view. They fastened
downstairs and as they were crossing
the yard q peal Of laughter induced
them to look up. To their horror and
surprise they found the young woman
standing on the veranda of the second
floor and laughing immoderately. AS
their eyes met she took the pan of
| IRE before referred to and threw it
down. The sparks touched the ground
and at once there shot up tongues of
fire which reached the second floor.
This incident only demoralized them
the more and they rushed toward the
| front door, where they found the old
| man of the first floor. They put sew
eral questions to him. but receiving 20
answer they at last ran out of the
| house and reached that of their friends
| hreathless and perspiring. On telling
| the latter of their adventure very
great was their surprise to learn that
the three persons they had met in the
three-storied house were all denizens
of another world. they having died
some time previously of cholera with
in a day or two of one another The
old couple were the parents of The
vcrug woman who had decoyed them
into the house.