River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-04-23
RdpriS RS
Ghost
By HENRY CLEVELAND WOOD.
~ x x J; X Y z 4. q Z x
Copyright 1903, by Daily story Pub Coz

to trust those two men IN
boat together" asked my wife, with
a meaning laugh, as her niece waved
a farewell from the front gallery.
Certainly not" answered Dulci-
mer, lightly.
We were eating the bread of idle
ness at one of the smaller resorts on
the Florida coast. Closely attached
to our little party were two others,
Horace Mum and David Barrister,
the former a young eastern broker,
thu latter a successful orange grow
CT whom Dulcimer had met the sum
mer before. IN Dulcimer's treatment
Of each there seemed no partiality
shown.
/ had an engagemen with MUM
and Barrister for Christmas day to
take a small boat and fish, but with
the morning came a persistent head
ache, which compelled a change of
plans. / gave the two lunch that
had been prepared, and small flask
Of orange wine, which Barrister put
in his pocket, and they pulled off
without me.
reading from a popular novel, Dulci-
mcr was busy with her embroidery,
and / was listening and doing al
ternately in a hammock, when haSty
footsteps suddenly claimed our at
tention, and almost before we recog-
nizcd the intruder shadow fell
across the gallery. Horace Mum
-. let n f1fc
dripping with sea water, his face
strangely pale, his eyes filled with
somber tidings.
"The boat oyerturned-I swan
ashore" he faltered, and seemed al
most exhausted.
"Good Heayens!" | cried. springing
to my feet. "Where is Barrister."
Mum looked first at Dulcimer, then
at me. She had risen, and stood with
eyes fixed on him in a gaze of fasci-
mated terror, while she shook VIC
Iently, as with chill. In that mo-
ment / understood it was the other
one she loved best.
"Where is Barrister?'' ] repeated.
81 tried to save him!" Mum cried,
brokenly, "but he sank at once and
was carried out to sea. | had hard
work TO save myself, the waves"
The speaker suddenly swayed and fell
unconscious at Dulcimer's feet.
This tragic termination of the days
outing was a very great shock to us
all, especially Dulcimer, and on
Christmas night, beyond the mid
hour, she came to my wife the pic
ture Of alright.
She insisted that David Barrister
had appeared at her bedside, his gar
ments dripping with salt water, sea-
weed tangled in his hair and a death
like palIor on his face. He carried
in his hand a small wicker flask that
had long been in the water, and held
it out to her, but when she reached
forth to take it the form vanished
I'VE must get DuIcimer away from
here said my wife, concernedly, a
day or so later. 'She needs change
of scene"
We went to st. Augustine. The
evening while sitting in the open
square of the hotel listening to the
music, Dulcimer, who sat next to me,
suddenly began to tremble, and as
| arose to throw a wrap about her
shoulders, | caught sight of Horace
Mum coming through the archway
Of the entrance. Dulcimer's back
was toward it, and she had not
turned around.
Are you ill?" l asked of Dulcimer,
in alarm.
1T is nothing" she answered, in
low tone. Il am better now"
While she was speaking Horace
Mum presented himself. lie had
only reached St. Augustine that even
ing. As Dulcimer turned to speak to
him, ] saw that my wife was COW
ertly watching the effect of the
meeting.
You must not be too hard on
Dulcimer," | ventured, when in the
privacy of our room. at will take
some little time for the shock of Bar
rister's death to wear off"
Dulcimer and Horace Mum did not
meet again until the following win
ter, and a second peculiar circum-
stance attended this meeting.
While at the theater, some late ar
rivals came in at the beginning of
the second act, and all at once DuIci-
mer began to tremble. | glanced
back of me, and, as | had suspected,
] saw Horace Mum just then appear
at the curtained entrance of the cor
ridor leading to the parquette.
Horace Mum remained in the city
about a fortnight, and in that time
we saw him frequently. / think my
wife began to be very hopeful, when,
after Christmas night. her plans were
shattered by AIunn's abrupt depar-
ture. and Dulcimer's fearful confess
sion that she had rejected him.
you must not censure mel" she
cried, for last night there came once
more to my bedside the poor drip
ping figure holding out to me your
wicker flask Twice. on Christmas
night. has this strange apparition APP
peared; twice has it offered me the
flask. What is the meaning of it?''
The following June we sailed for
the old world for few months
travel. Midsummer found us sailing
the majestic fjords of picturesque
Norway.
The morning after our arrival at
Trondhiem, while we were breakfast
ing, suddenly in our meal an excIama-
ton from my wife drew my atten-
ton to Dulcimer, who was leaning
back in her chair. trembling violent
Nv. her face quite pale. As | rose to
go to her assistance, two guests were