The Appeal., 1897-09-25
AN INDIAN GHOST STORY.

AN INDIAN GHOST STORY.
A Young Woman from the Othor
World.
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 e>wasedismantled< a fewvy 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-
ceeding to the house of a. friend in
Ram Mohun Shaha's lane. AS they
passed the three-storied house they
saw a young lady Of 16 standing at the
half-opened street door and were sur
pr1sed to find her beckoning them to
approach. The two friends, curious to
know something more of the woman
and why she invited them, entered the
mouse. 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: hoor they found
an old man lying on mat, his eyes
closed in sleep. They approached and
called him. It was after considerable
difficulty that they; could arouse the
old man, who, however, opened his
eyes tor a moment only and, then
slept as before: The. two friends then
Followed the woman. to .:;the ? second
Moor: 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
her eyes once and, then, ,closed them
again. Babus Nitai and gEulsi 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 a 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 ser
wants, if she had any, to prepare a
; cnlllum; still she spoke not a word,
but remained standing by the side Of
the khat. Nitai Babu grew impatient
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
ana this circumstance added to their
terror. When they reached the first
hoor the woman who had led them on
This wild goose chase vanished sud-
denly aA>from view. *They hastened
downstairs and as they were crossing
the yard 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
f1oorsand laughing immoderately. AS
their eyes met she took the pan of
fire. 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 doorJJSwhere 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
breathless 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 day or two of one another. The
old couple were the parents of the
young woman who had decoyed them
into the house. . ~ n<%$.
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