The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-13

her odd attire, locked all the doors and
went to bed We heard and saw moth
ing more of her that night.
The next day 1 took the matter up
with Hoffman He seemed very much
excited about it and utterly astonished
me by his explanation 1t seems, ac-
cording to his story, that early in the
season a young couple had come to the
hotel. registering as man and, wife, and
had been assigned to our rooms A
few days later, while bathing above the
drowned. When the bodies had been
recovered and the relatives had claimed
them, scandalous question had arisen
as to whether they had been actually
man and wife. The affair made some
ugly talk about the hotel. in spite of the
fact that both the unfortunate young
people had been beyond criticism in
their behavior. That was all Hoffman
knew, except that. after the drowning,
nobody cared to occupy the rooms, and,
as a matter of fact. my wife and 1 were
the first occupants since the tragedy of
the early month of the season. ALI the
effects Of the young couple had been col
lected, listed and accounted for. and
nothing further had been heard from
their mutual relatives. / told my wife
all this. and as she is a very sensible.
strong minded woman. she agreed to
keep watch again for the supposed
ghost
She did pretty we'll till past mid
night, but then she dozed and slept. and
1 was left alone on the lookout The
first thing I did was to unlock all the
hall doors leading from our rooms. leav-
ing them slightly ajar. Pretty soon
noticed the curtains and mosquito bar
Swaying unSteadily in a draught from
the inner, or land side, of the house,
and then l saw her again, coming swift
ly into the middle room, wearing the
dark bathing suit as before and pausing
at intervals as if to stare about the dark
corners She went again into the fur
Their room, and i think IL must have
I hoo or hon hnfrre n dad hot h..
woman, or the ghost, or whatever it
was I had seen, had gone away. I got
up and lighted my lamp, and was head
ing straight for the further room when
she came out, passing me as she made
for the nall door of the middle room,
and looking, I thought, very worried
and even misera BILE My lamp went out
in the breeze coming in at the door, and
when 1 had lighted it and peered into
the hallway there was no sign.
When 1 got up in the morning I felt
quite sure that I must have been dream
ing. but I told my wife all that 1 had
do you suppose that most practical of
women said? That drowned girl must
have left something, or lost something
/ in these rooms. Let's look for iti'
That's what Mrs. Longpre said and 1
don't deny that l felt silly when we be-
gan to ransack every drawer, shelf, cor
ner, closet and crevice of the rooms. We
came back to the task after breakfast.
but except for some dried up bits of
soap, few half empty match boxes
and a wornout slipper we had found
nothing. 1 guess it was the poor child's
slipper said my wife. picking up the
dusty little relic
And as she shook it against the bed
post a crumpled piece of paper fell upon
/ the floor. 1t was a marriage certificate,
bundled hurriedly about a woman's
ring, and stuffed into the slipper for
secrecy or for safety. Which?~
But do you really believe you saw
1 her ghost. ajor?" asked DIR. Lemon,
when Longpre had stopped.
+ mo, no. Not at ALL" avowed the old
fellow TT was an illusion of course,
! but" He knocked the ashes off his
sheroot and concluded: But 1t was
odd, very odd, think. that we both saw
her before we knew her story"