Middletown transcript., 1899-06-24


part of the conversation was ended, th
: rector SAID: "A strange story is con
nected with this ring CT mine, which
shall relate if you care to hear it,
Audience was given, aud the recto
began.
| ''lt is just forty years since Eecam
engaged to be married. l was then
curats with means of a limited charac
ter; but | had received gift Of les
than a hundred pounds, and, foolisl
though il may seem to be, bought thi
ring for my future wife. We had NJ
thought of marriage Just then, but my
rector died somewhat suddenly, and
was presented to the living. This ]
accepted, ard il: short while we were
married, and lived together in the hap
piest way possible.
"This happiness lasted six months,
when my wife's health failed. She had
strange fits of depression and melan-
choly. Doctors were consulted, but
without any apparent success such as
we desired. The organs, they said,
we're sound, and all they could do was
to recommend open air exc else and
tonics. In spite Of these things, how
ever, she gradually grew worse, and
Was liually obliged to take to her bed.
In less than one week from her going
to bed, as sat one evening in my study
preparing fer Sunday IS work, her sister,
who had been in attendance upon my
wife, rushed into my room and de-
clared tina my aife WAS dead.
81 thought The poor girl had gone
mad, but, after hearing her story, l
accompanied her To the bedroom, and
to my surprise a.G intense grief con-
cluded that h,r spirit had taken its
flight. The d, ctur Sas called, and pro-
nonnced her dead. For three days l
was brus;rate. aas we'll nigh heart
broken. On thp vening Of the third
day WAS told that those who were in
charge pf The body were unable to take
the rings from off her finger, and they
were anxious to know what they should
do under the circumstances. Leave
them on was the anly answer l could
give in my trouble and annoyance at
such query.
"The following day followed her to
her grave. The front door of the rec
tory opens," continued the rector, s'to
the turnpike road, but there is another
door, with two glass panels, which
opens directly into the church yard. It
was out of this door that followed her
coffin. After the service | returned to
the rectory, and, although accompanied
By neighboring clergyman, who had
read the service, and who tri, d to help
me in my grief. l refused to be COM
forted.
"Evening came and | was alone.
Ole of my maids came into the room
and lighted lamp. | tried TO read,
but to no purpose. Tired and exhaust
ed, must have fallen asleep when l
was aroused by loud knock at my
door. The clock struck twelve, and l
realized that had been asleep for three
hours. Opening the study d or, said,
please, what do you wart,' whereupon
one of the girls, stepping forward, aud
taking hold of my coat sleeve, said:
"tOh, sir, do comep
"Another, with terror-stricken face,
said:
"'Mistress is standing at the side
door, tapping on the glass;
81 demonstrated with them; told
t EN- they we're very foolish, and urged
them to go to bed at once. AS walked
to The side door they followed. My
hair stood on end when | looked through
the panels, and saw, as | thought,
figure iD white. Immediately / drew
the bolt and opened the DOOR. I can
never forget the sight saw.
"There stood my wife in her grave
clothes, stained with blood. Before |
could speak, she said:
"sDon't be frightened.i
.sTheY told me afterwards that I
gasped, my wifei my wifel' and fell
down senseless. When came 10 my
self was In bed, and my wife sitting
near, dressed as she was wont to be in
days gone by. l realized the events OF
the past few days, and when equallo
the task. said:
"sWhat can all this meanp
"She said little 10 reply, but sufi-
cient to solve the mystery. She said
she felt as if she were being roughly
awakened out of sleep. She found
herself in coffin at the bottom Of o
grave, with the blood rs:nning from
cut in her ring finger. The grave was
shallow, and she managed to get out
of it, and found herself near to the old
path leading to the side door of the
rectory. She made her way to II, and
we knew the rest.
.'She had been in a trance. Con.
sciousness and animation had been re-
stored by the cut given to her finger.
One of the undertaker's men had been
struck with the glitter Of the gems in
the ring, and the scoundrel, to obtain
it, had not hesitated to open he grave,
and mutiIate the finger in order to
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