Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-05-04

/ indeed either that was ilau VI VI I'm
or that Simla was haunted with devils.
I refined in my impatient cob and turned
rourd The rickshaw had turned, too,
and now stood Immediately facing me-
near the left railing of the Combermere
( bridge
Jack! Jack, darling" There was
NO mistake about the words this time
/ They rang through my brain as If they
/ hai been shouted in my ear. 1T 5
some hidsous mistake, I'm sure. Please
/ forgive me. Jack, and let's be friends
sgain
The rickshaw hood had fallen back
/ and inside. as hope and pray daily for
the death | dread by night, sat Mrs
Keith Washington, handkerchief in
hand and golden head bowed on her
breast.
How long | stared motionless do
not know Finally was aroused by my
svce taking the waller bride and ask
ing whether | was i'll From the horri-
BILE to the commonplace is but step.
| tumbled off my horse and dashed, half
fainting. into Peliti's for a glass OF
cherry brandy. There two or three cou-
pies were gathered round the coffee ia
bles discussing the gossip of the day
Their trivialities were more comforting
TO me Just then than the consultations
of religion could have been. plunged
into the midst of the conversation at
once. cbatted. laughed and TESTED with
a face when ! caught glimpse OF II
in a mirror as white and drawn as
that of corpse. Three or four men no
ticed my condition. and, evidently set
ting it down 60 the results Of overmany
pegs, charitably endeav0red 10 draw
me apart from the rest Of the l0ungers.
But / refused to be led away. WANTED
the company Of my kind-as child
rushas into the midst of the dinner
party after a fright in the dark ! must
have talked for about ten minutes OF
So though it seemed an eternity % me.
when | heard Kittys clear voice out
side iuquiring for me In another min
ute she had entered the shop. prepared
to roundly upbraid me for failing so
signally in my duties. Something in
my face stopped her
why. Jack, she cried, "what have
You been doingl What has happened
Are you illF' Thus driven into a direct
lie, | said that the sun had been a lit
tie too much for me. II was close upon
> o. clock of "A cloudy April afternoon,
and the sun had been hidden all day. /
saw my mistake as soon as the words
were out Of my mouth, attempted to
recover il, Numbered hopelessly and
Kitty in a regal rage out Of
doors amid the smiles of my acquaint-
ances. | made some excuse Il have for
gotten what on the score of my feeling |
faint and cantered away TO my hotel. /
leaving Kitty to finish the ride by her
,elf
In my room l sat down and tried |
'almly 10 reason out the matter Here /
vas |, Theobald Jack Pansay. a well |
Bengal civilian in the year Of /
grace 1885, presumably sane. certainly /
healthy driven in terror from my 1
iweetheart's side by the apparition OF a
who had been dead and buried l
light months These were facts that ] /
could not blink Nothing was further
rom my thought than any memory of /
Mrs Washington when Kitty and /
left Hamiltons shop Nothing was
more utterly commonplace than the
Itretch Of wall opposite Pelitis. IL was
broad daylight The road was full Of
people, and yet here, look you, in def.
lnce Of every law of probability, in di.
-ect outrage of natures ordinance.
here had appeared to me a face from
he grave.
Kitty's Arab had gone through the
so that my first hope that
ome woman marvelously like Mrs
Washington had hired the carriage and
he coolies with their old livery was
ost Again and again went round
his treadmill Of thought and again and
gain gave up batfled and in despair
The voice was as inexplicable as the ap-
partition. | had originally some wild
lotion Of contiding it all to Kitty; OF
'egging her to marry me at once, and
n her arms defying the ghostly occu. /
,ant Of the rickshaw. After all, "
rgued, "the presence Of the rickshaw
5 in itself enough to prove the exist.
nee of spectral illusion. One may see
,hosts Of men and women. hut surely /
lever Of coolies and carriages The whole
hing is absurd Fancy the ghost Of a