The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-06
The Ghost Of Mo. Fyy-Mine.
BY CATHERINE COLL.

Copyright, 1902, by Daily Story Pub. Co.
Theodore and l had been tramping
about Halifax all day. We had pulled
our feet from the asphalt pavements, for
the sun was hot; we had toiled to the
Wind-slapped citadel, and gazed at Dart
mouth, cleaning white across the water,
and watched the seething foam IN the
far haze at the harbor entrance. We had
sneered at the gowns of the women, and
had been stared at by the monkey clad
privates. We had prayed in the dusk Of
st. Mary's, and driven through the gar
dens, and even out the Bedford basin
road for a few miles. l had dragged
Theodore to mOth-eaten shops and
bought vile candy, and acted generally in
what Theodore calls my American girl
manner. There was touch Of the SPRING
time WEAKNESS upon me when We got
back to the Halifax house, with spare
time in which to dress for dinner. it was
early in May, much too soon for the
tourists, and every person not a Tory
to their finger tips was spotted IN the
hotel. That is the reason that Ted and
/, when we went into the dining room
were Immediately taken over to table
where already two people sat waiting
for their dinner. The girl was an Ameri-
can. That much-and no more-I knew.
The mar-Now, Theodore had come to can
ada on business, and | had accompanied
him in the hope of meeting the very
man, who sat talking in his most entlc-
ing style to an utter stranger not five
feet away.
1 had meant to be so gentle with Tom
Merrill when / met him, for the last
time 1 had seen him L had refused, with
great haughtiness, to accompany him, as
a loving wife and helpmeet to this end
of the world. After six months OF abb
ject misery, though, 1 was quite willing
to have him ask me again 1t gave me
an unreasonable pang to see how well
he looked, and [ put on my most dig
nified air as he presented the girl, whose
highly interesting conversation had been
broken upon by our entrance.
I loathed that girl before I had met
her. l knew, before she opened her lips
that she would talk through her nose
and she did. She was a native Of some
mountain village in Pennsylvania, End
her reason for being so far from home
was-business. In a few minutes we had
her history and knew that she was a
bookkeeper in the most up-to-date hatd-
ware shop in Halifax. She had met Tom
on one of his trips to Halifax, and SEEM
ed to know him very we'll, indeed At
least she called him Tom and looked
at him as though he belonged to a. r.
and acted altogether dsgracefully.
tom and I were just discussing the
SulCluo, Sdlu MISS IIeyIl DIS we De-
gan our soup. You have heard Of it,
Of course"
mo" 1 replied, untruthfully 1 knew
all about it, but I wanted to hear her
talk some more. There was wild fas-
cination for me in listening to her rasp-
ing as and awful RS. Tom Merrill, New
Yorker to the core, never WINGED He
had indeed comforted himself
tits a horrid tale to go with a meal"
she said. You see, a woman, young,
and an American at that, shot herself
here in the hotel just three days ago.
Poor thing, I saw her the first day she
came. She came the first of the week,
and haunted the telegraph and post Off
ces from morning till night. She was al
ways beautifully dressed, and would have
been handsome if she could but lose that
terrible fixed gaze. She got a telegram
on the evening of the fifth day, and that
night she shot herself through the heart
in Room No. SO. She left absolutely moth
ing that would establish her identity.
Burned all her letters, and even her
rings. Three magnificent diamonds were
found in the twisted gold among the
ashes. They can't find out who she Is,
and the police have buried her In the pot
ters' field. But don't you think 1t was
sad, her waiting for that message, and
her despair when she got It? I used to
hear her walking the floor at night. Her
room was just across the hall from mine.
It's supposed to be haunted now"
1T must have unnerved you. Were you
here when she died?" asked Theodore,
with the first show of interest he had
displayed. Dear old chicken. He never
bothers with-some girls.
20, dear, nor said Miss Reynolds. 81