Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-11-30
A GHOSTS POINT
OF VIEW

sing into q chair at my bedside, you
did give me a start"
"If It comes to that" I replied Sc
verely-for the first intimation l had
had OF his presence had been the touch
Of an icy finger on my forehead while
/ was asleep-'if 1t comes to that. you
gave me a start: you nearly frighten-
ed me into q at. / wish you would
learn to be more careful what you do
with your hands
The Spectre eyed me doubtfully.
DO you mean to tell me-" he said.
that human beings are frightened
when they see ghosts?"
did you think they were amused
II always imagined that they took
q purely scientific interest in the mat
ter. OF course. we are simply terrified
when we see you.
wi natl A ghost is frightened
when he sees a human being?"
''Out of his wits. Did you not know
that? Dear me. Well. well, we live
and learn"
But. surely" I said. interested By
this time, Il should have thought that
you so constantly saw US"
"Ah, but that is not the case. We
see you as seldom as-apparently-
you see US. Why 1t is l don't know.
There are fellows at the club who
could explain 1t TO you. 1t is some
thing to do with planes or dimensions
or something. remember that, be-
cause we we're discussing 1t only the
other evening. Jones-I don't know
IL you have ever met him; tall. hand
come man with a dagger sticking in
his chest-maintained that there were
no such things as human beings; said
they didn't exist, don't you know. He
said that the cases cited where ghosts
had actually seen them were in reality
pure hysterla. A ghost goes into a
house which he knows is haunted and
naturally he imagines that every
shadow is human being. Jones is
thorough sceptic-hard-headed man,
you know; won't believe q thing till
he sees It, Smith, on the other hand
I think you must have met Smith, or
at any rate heard him. You would
know him by his get-up. He Is q
dandy, is Smith. Faultless winding
sheet, chains on his legs and so on;
carries his head In his right hand and
Eroans."
"Ah," said, II have heard the
groans"
"Yes, thought you must have done.
He's always practicing; groans bass In
our choir. you know. Well, Smith
maintained that some OF the hundreds
Of cases quoted must be authentic.
How, for instance, did Jones account
for the haunted room at Blamis Cas-
CASTER
what was that?' / asked.
"Oh, It was rather a painful affair.
The castle was said to be haunted, and
q young spectre, who scored at the
Idea, offered to walk the night there.
They allowed him to 60, stipulating.
however, that directly he saw any
thing supernatural he should ring the
bell"
"oh," interrupted, "then ghosts
can ring bells?"
my dear sir" said the Spectre q
little testify, I'VE have many limlta-
tons, but we can do q simple thing
like that. You might just as well ask
IL a ghost can wind up a night watch
or write q dead letter. Well, at the
stroke of midnight violent peal was
heard. They rushed to the room, and
there lay the poor young fellow sense
less. Some time after he had enter
ed, 1t seemed. he had suddenly be
come aware-how, he could not say
that he was not alone. and, looking
round, he saw a man, standing In the
doorway. The apparition advanced
slowly. and, to his unspeakRble hor-
ror. walked straight through him.
Then he tainted, and knew no more
until he found himself being given
spirits in a spoon by his friends. He
was never quite himself after that.
"And did that convince JonesT
mot a bit. He simply said thst
owing to the stories connected with
the place 1t had been hypotically sug-
gested to the young fellow that there
was q human being in that particular
room, and the rest had followed ma
turaIly. But / know what would set
tie him."
"Yes?"
"If could bring him here and
show you to him. Gould you excuse
me for one minute?"
Certainly"
.sThen I'll Just run and fetch him."
And he disappeared. think some
thing must have gone wrong with the
dimensions. for though / waited long
he never returned, and to this day
have not seen him again.-Puncn.