The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-10

his wives in succession, and it is their
ghosts that have been making most of
the trouble ever since.
The latest appearance was recorded
few days ago by an artist who has been
working for some time in what is called
the Great Hall of the Palace-the hall
where Milton is supposed to have play
ed the organ before CromWell-cOpying
the wonderful series of tapestries there
which represent the life of Abraham Ia
pestries that date back to the fifteenth
century and are valued at over $4,000.
According to the complaint made by
this painter, a hand has obtruded itself
persistently between him and the tap
estry-a slender hand of exquisite white
ness, with long tapering fingers, one of
them ornamented with a superb mar
qufse ring.
The artist seems to have been a wretch
edly materialistic, unestnetic sort of per-
son, and he entirely ignored any tender
or fattering significance which the man
Hesitation might have revealed to him
had he been a poet as well.
The impression that the interruption
was Ill considered and case for strong
protest was the only one that had any
weight with him.
He knew that in making such COM
plant he should have proof, and so on
one Of the appearances Of the aristo
cratic hand, he made hasty sketch of
it and the ring, which is of curious de-
sign and great beauty.
Armed with this indispurable evidence,
he went to the Hampton Court authori-
ties and registered his decided objection
to such goings-on, suggesting that i'm
mediate steps be taken to lay the
ghost whose rank, he explained, was
nothing to him, and affirming most posi-
lively that unless such action could be
taken against the spiritual visitant as to
induce her to return to her resting place
in the Tower vaults, he would be oblig-
ed to give up all attempts to continue
his copies Of the tapestry.
Naturally 1t needed only the merest
suggestion Of what had happened, de-
scribed in the enlightened columns of
the Surrey Comet to set the whole neigh
borhood wild on the fascinating subject.
The popular descent on the Grand
Room began, and is now at it's height,
with the result that the history of Abra-
ham, as set forth, not too modestly, by
the early Belgian artist, has bounded by
association of the royal specter, into a
popularity that promises to outlive the
traditional nine days.
Not one for an instant has supposed
that the phantom whose unlimited pres
ence at his work has flustered this artist
so much is other than the wrath of
queen -CaIneTlne howard, WlIe-NO. 4 OF
Henry VIII.
She has been more given to roaming
about than any of the other specters.
Heretofore her headquarters have been
the long. narrow room off Clock court,
known for generations as the Haunted
Gallery on account of this royal ghosts
preference for 1T.
She gave to the place so evil repu-
tation that it finally was closed to the
public altogether, and now is used as a
storeroom for all sorts of odds and ends.
1t was in this identical room that the
beautiful queen, while yet in the flesh,
was imprisoned after her fall from
grace.
In her hour of triumph she had been
accustomed to sit just across Clock court
from her prison and listen to the strik-
ing of the great clock and it is related
that when Cranmer went to the dishon-
ored queen to tell her that she was to
go to the block, she sat rigidly and
heard him without a sign Of fear, until
suddenly the clock chimed out the hour
of 6, when the royal woman broke down
and wept bitterly, because, runs the
whispered legend, 1t was at that time
that his majesty was wont to visit her
And after that, a few days before she
was sent to the block, Queen Catherine
managed to elude her jailers and start
ed down toward the royal chapel, where
Henry was hearing mass, but was over
taken by the guards, who dragged
her back, her screams being heard all
through the palace.
The king, unmoyed, went quietly on
with the prayer he was then repeating.
And ever since that timea according to