Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-07-04
CHAPTER XII.
THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE.

thought l. Ghosts added to the othe
complications What could the felloc
!, have meant? If I had pressed him, h
a would have told me, but it did not seen
quite lady's business to pick up in
r formation this way, especially when i
g seemed likely to involve Lucetta. Ye
I did / think would ever come to tn,
end of this without involving Lucetta
My good sense said "No. Why, then
} had my instinct triumphed for thu
! nonce? Let those who understand the
/ workings of the human heart answer
| am simply stating facts.
Ghosts! Somehow the word startled
me, as if in some way it gave rather
/, unwelcome confirmation to my doubts.
] Apparitions seen in the Knollys man.
sion or in any of the houses bordering
on this lane! That would be serious,
how serious seemed to be but half com
pretended by this man. But l compre-
hended it and wondered if it was gossip
like this which had caused Mr.. Gryce
to induce me to visit this house as a
guest
was crossing the street to the hotel
as l INDUCED in these conjectures, and
intent as my mind was upon them
could not but note the curiosity and in
terest which my presence excited in the
simple country folk that are invariably
to be found lounging about country
tavern. Indeed, the whole neighborhood
seemed agog, and though l would have
thought it derogatory to my dignity to
notice the fact l could not but see how
many faces were peering at me from
store doors and the half closed blinds of
adjoining cottages. No young girl in
the pride Of her beauty could have
awakened more interest, and l attribut-
ed it, as was no doubt right, not to my
appearance which would not perhaps
be apt to strike these simple villagers as
remarkable, or to my dress which is
rather rich than fashionable, but to the
fact that | was stranger in town and,
what was more extraordinary, a guest of
the Knollys
/ My intention in approaching the no.
tel was not to spend couple Of dreary
hours in the parlor with Mrs. Garter, as
Mr. Simsbury had suggested, but to OBJ
tain if possible conveyance to carry
me Immediately back to the Knollys
mansion. But this, which would have
been simple matter i'll most towns,
seemed we'll nigh an impossibility in
X. The landlord was away, and Mrs
Carter, who was very frank with me,
told me that she not only did not dare,
but would find it perfectly useless, to
ask one of the men to drive me through
that lane. Its all unwholesome spot, "
said she, land only Mr.. Carter and the
police have the courage to brave it. -
l suggested that was willing to pay
we'll, but it seemed to make very little
difference with her. Money won't hire
them, said she, and l had the satisfac
ton of knowing that Lucetta had tri-
umphed in her plan and that | must sit
out the morning after all in the pre-
cincts of the hotel parlor with Mrs.
Carter.
1t was my first signal defeat, but l
was determined to make the best of it,
and if possible CLEAN such knowledge
from the talk of this woman as would
help me to pluck out victory from it.
She was only too ready to talk, and the
first topic was little Rob
l saw the moment | mentioned his
name that | was introducing subject
that had already been well talked over
by every eager gossip i'll the village.
Her attitude of Importance, the air OF
mystery she assumed We're preparations
| had long been accustomed to i'll wom-
en- of this kind, and was not at all
surprised when she announced In way
that admitted of no dispute:
"Oh, there's no wonder the child is
sick We would be sick under the cir
cumstances. He has seen the phantom
carriage"
The phantom carriage! So that was
what tho locksmith meant. A phantom .
carriage! had heard of every kind of I
phantom but that. Somehow the idea
was thrilling one or would have been .
to a nature less practical than mine.
81 don't know what you mean" said
l. "Some superstition of the place? j
never heard of ghostly appearance OF
that nature before"
mo, l expect not. 1t belongs to u.s.
/ never heard of it beyond these noun
tains Indeed, / have never known it to
have been seen but upon one road. ]
need not mention it, madam. You can
guess perhaps what mean"
Yes, 1 could guess, and the guessing
made me set my lips little grimly.
"Tell me more about this thing" i
half laughed, half spoke. ut ought to
be of some interest to me. :"
She nodded, drew her chair a trifie
nearerS and impetuously began:
"You see this is very old town. 1t
has its ancient country houses like the
one you are now living in, and it has
its early traditions One is that a car
riage perfectly noiseless, drawn by
horses through which you can see the
haunts the high road at in
tervals and flies through the gloomy for
est road we have christened of late years
Lost Mans lane. 1t is a superstition
possibly, but you cannot find many fam
lilies in town but believe in it as fact
for there is not an old man or woman
in the place but has either seen it in
the past or has had some relative who
has seen it. 1t passes only at night and
is thought to presage some disaster to
the one who sees il. Ny husbands I'M
Gle died the next morning after it few
by him ON the highway. Fortunately