The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-01-01
PER JANUARY

at the end of the long hall, looking pale
and distressed.
"Don't he troubled by Mary Jane
Blagg's nonsense. dear" he said, ''she
is foolish woman. and is always i'm
agining all sorts of mysterious things
"But. father, I've had such strange
dreams Of late. don't believe in such
things, of course, but they say several
other people have seen the-appari
ton
"Nonsense it is all imagination
May be one of the Port Nortons is
about here just now. There is a strong
family resemblance between them all
you know. The mystery will be eN
planned in a few days | am sure
Elsie cleared her brow, and entering
the parlor, greeted the coming guests
with her usual qniet cordiality. She
was a tall, handsome girl of twenty
seven with brow of q madonna, and
large, dark eyes, which, even when she
smiles, are intensely sad, though filled
with Il warm kind glow, which cheered
one like a fire on a frosty night.
The large, square rooms are soor
filled. Heartsome fires leap on the
wide hearthstones. There is gossip in
the corners, playing OF games by the
young people; there are quiet firta.
tions on the stairs and in the halls, and
after supper there is to be dance il
the great dining-room.
Elsie looks paler'n sober'n ever to
night, don't she?' asks one of the COS
sips in the corner, Of her crony.
Yes, she duz, | was hopin' that
she'd quit thinkin' Of Norton, n give
Tom Rolling, that's worn to shadder
waitin' fur her, some encouragement
They did say, jest before John went
away that she was ruther turnin' the
cold shoulder on him, n favorin' Tom
but, lor', there want no truth in it
fur | see she and John part the day he
went away, n through they was both
quiet ernuf, there warn't no GOODNESS
between 'em, l kin tell ye.n
''Did you hear how John Norton's
ghost he'd been seen raund here by
four or five different persons?'' says
another gossip in mysterious whis-
per. '.Elsie's heerd on it, and she s
terribly out about it..
''Speakin' o ghosts" says Captain
kiley, an old sailor who had more
strange experiences, known more mys.
terious happenings. than any other
man in town, and that was saying a
good deal; | saw a dreadful strange
apparition out tew sea about twenty
years ago"
''Do tell us about it, said several OF
the young people i'll the same breath
leaving their games and joining the
circle around the fire, for Captain Ri
lev's stories were famous in the town
"Wall, naow. | s'posd I've told the
story hundred times over at one
time n another in this place, but i
YOU are anxious to hear it | can tel
again"
Nearly all the people in the room
ing to and fro in his chair several times
and clearing his throat with great
deal OF vigor, he commenced to relate
the thrilling tail of a ghost which ap
peared on shipboard during on1 of his
foreign voyagcs-the ghost of sailor
who had been wronged by the former
master of the vessel, and was myster
iously murdered on shore after the
ship reached port.
Elsie, her dark. large eyes dilatins
with interest or emotion, Joined tn,
/ listening circle, though she usually
either laughed or frOwned at the Cap
tains weird rccitals.
LET us take the lamps out of tn,
room, the story will seem ever so muci
m ore real" says one Of the laughing
girls, who enjoy nothing so much a
the blood-curdling which arises from
the contemplation of the supernatural
SO the lamps are removed and til
glory of the scarlet Goals and flicker
ING freight only half illumine th'
| larre room with its dark wainScOating
and deep window embrasures. As tn
tale goes on the fire grows lower an(
lower. Shadows gather i'll the corner
and creep in among the silent group 0
listeners. The old mans voice has ;
strange, weird quality it in, like tina
OF the sea when it whispers to sand
where there have been wrecks: lik
that of the wind when it means in th
chimneys, OF haunted houses, or il
ghostly woods where some mnrder ha
| been committed in years gone by.
Perfect silence rcigns. But just a
the interest of the tate is rs its height
and the young people cling to eacl
other with awc-stricllen looks, the fir
flashing into sudden life shines on
face framed in one Of the window
Danes. the face of one who has bee
buried in the old grave yard behin'
the church nearly eight years. Th
eyes are fixed upon Elsie with an eager
searching glance for a moment, AM
then the flame and it vanish into til
darkness.
| Elsie; who has met the glance wit