The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-17


| Gus than ever kept close watch upon
her, and one evening found masked
gallant leaving her apartments Without
moments hesitation he ran the intruder
through with his rapier. When he tore on
the vixor he found, to his horror. that
the victim was Lady Marian herself. dis
guised for some excursion. Dying. she
cursed him and his, and declared that she
would haunt him and his descendants ev-
ermore.
f "And she's kept her wordv' said Mrs.
Brag. who told me the story, "for when
Sir Walter died she walked down the. pic
ture gallery the night before. She al
ways comes to tell when one OF the fam
lily is to die. card as She was seen
just before 'Elen's father, went on. and
when Lady Alliston diedrfn giving birth
| to that dear girl saw the ghost my
self" \.
Nonsense, Mrs. Brag! There are no
such things AZ ghosts" said.
"Oh. ain't there. but there Is. tell you.
A. I'm iivin' breathin' woman, I saw
the Lady Marian gliding along the pic
ture gallery in brocade and 'igh-'eeled
Shoes Just az she wore when alive
Have you seen the ghost since you
bought the hall, Mrs. Bragg?
God forbid, my dear; for II Lady Ma.
Ran comes again It will only be to take
away Elem. ssein' as she's the last OF
them" s.
As Mrs. Brag, with the superstition OF
an uneducated person, firmly believed In
the warning apparition, was not SUR
prtsed on returning from months holt
day IN Switzerland shortly before Christi
mas, to find her in a state OF great
alarm at the temperance OF her bug
bear. Two weeks before my return Lady
Marian, brocade, high-heeled shoes. cane
and all, had twice been seen in the pic.
ture-saliery-on each occasion at the
midnight hour.
| Mrs. Brag was certain that II meant
Helen's death, and unable utterly to keep
feeling of any kind to herself. had sue
ceeded in injecting the whole house with
her fears. Not a servant would enter
the Long Gallery. al 1t was called, after
dark; and even Mr.. Brag. skeptic as he
was, became uneasy when he came to
think Of what 1t might mean.
The girl herself did not look so we'll as
when had left for my holiday. She was
pale and thin, and singulariy silent. Her
ter Mrs. Brag had delivered herself OF
the story, and had stated her Intention
of calling in the vicar to exercise the
ghost, was left alone in the drawing
room with Helen.
my darling, you look H." I said.
clasping her in my arms; surely you do
not believe In all this nonsense"
said, nervously. Both the housekeeper
and the butler have seen the ghost. Mrs,
Brag is always talking about it, and
really am beginning to think there
must be some truth in It,"
Nonsense! nonsense! All this talk and
fuss has made you nervous and Ill;
hasn't, 1t, deaf?"
Eyes, Godfrey; I was quite well until
the ghost came"
/ saw very plainly how matters stood.
Helen was sensitive and highly strung. and
Mrs. Brag's foolish talk had wrought her
up to such a pitch that the tortured nerves
reacted on her delicate body. She was
never a strong girl. but she was always
very healthy. Worry was evidently what
had made her III. / no longer wondered
that the Allistons had died when Lady
Marian was rumored to have appeared.
They were q nervous race. I realized,
therefore. that If did not do something
to exoncise this spirit, If such It were.
Helen would become seriously Ill, and
might even die
ut il good thing returned said
to Mr. Brag, when Helen retired. to dress
for dinner. "That girl,w.ll die If this sort
of thing goes on
II dessay I dessay, Geoffrey; but how
do you propose to stop 1t?
Find out, the trick. to be sure" I
But 'ow do you know It's trick, Geof-
freyT"
'.I'm sure of It. Tell me, have you seen
the ghost?''
"I.or., no. amt no coward, Godfrey.
but wild 'orses wouldn't drag me to that
gallery at night. l amt seen 1t. but Par
sons and Mrs. Jackson ave-"
'sOr think they have. What they have
seen Is some one dressed UP az Lady Ma
rian, mark me- Or else they suffer from
haI.ucination. Parsons is sober, know"
"Oh. yes: and even II he Amt. Mrs.
Jackson is She never touches drop to
my knowledge. No, faint drink, whatever
1t is."
And they both declare that they have
seen the ghost?"
"Lor'. yes. They take their oaths they
have"
'Then it must be trick. And IL catch.
the person playing it I'li-well, I'll make
the false ghost a real one. VIII you let
me take charge OF this matter, Mr.. Bragg"
"Of course, Geoffrey. ] was just waitin'
for you to come back. Find out what's
wrong. and knock all this stuff out of my
old wornan's head. She's mostly IN nyster-
les o. nights"
. "And no wonder when Helen looks 80
Ill. Believe me- ghosts went cut when gas
came In / think l shall manage to prove
10 you that this spectral Lady Marian Is
very substantial flesh and blood"
But she may not be-" urged Mr.. Brag,
somewhat uuDlOuSly. IctS "a thcsc IGN
families ave their ghosts to see EN- into
the next world, I believe. Besides. who
could be playin' this wild trick?"
"Ah that's Just what we have to find
out"
But ii was not so easy to- find cut.
questioned Mrs. jackson and Parsons In
the most exhaustive manner. They corrob-
GRATED each others story with such veris-
Multitude and wealth of detail as to leave
no doubt In my mind Of their good faith.
Evidently they had seen brocaded lady
in the picture gallery; but. of course, II
could be no such thing as visitant from
the other world. That was where they