The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-07-16

shall Judge for yourselves whether De-
lieye in ghosts or no. and my story takes
US back a long, long while into days
that seem almost like a dream when l
look back to them; and yet sometimes
feel more real to me than the strange
hurly-burly l see about me now, in this
great whirigig of a modern world.
was born whilst my father was fight
ing the battle of Waterloo. AS a soldiers
daughter I was brought up to be fear
less, and our rowing life, moving from
place to place to be near the regiment,
made me hardy and strong. l was an
only child and my father taught me to
ride and to shoot and to do many things
which In those days were not usual Tor
girls. tho they have come more into fash
Son since. BY the time our revered Queen
Victoria had come to the throne, and had
been crowned I was slip Of girl OF
threc-and- twenty, and was engaged to be
married to young captain in the royal
navy, who had distinguished himself by
such conspicuous gallantry that he was
going up the steps of his profession hand
over hand, as you may say; and I was
proud beyond all words at having won
the love of that gallant heart.
All, but those were trying days for girls
whose lovers went down to the sea In
ships! When my Harold's vessel was
commissioned for service in faroff seas,
1 knew that for three years l could not
hope to see him; and that even the chance
of letter would be most uncertain There
We're many accidents which could hap
pen to letters, and the idea of regular
mail service to distant lands was scarcely
thought OF then. We had, perforce, to
learn patience in those days as you young
things can scarcely understand the word.
IT was a terribly hard parting between
Harold and me; for, of course, we believed
that no two lovers since the world began
loved each other as we loved. But our
love itself was bond strong that we
comforted ourselves with the thought that
1t must make In some sort link be-
tween us.
We had both strong conviction that
there was q great mysterious truth In
Shasperes words: There are more things
in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are
dreamt Of in philosophy" I do not
think we were superstitlOus in the sense
In which the term Is generally accepted:
but we did both Of us believe in world
other than the one we saw around US,
and In forces which governed that world,
whose laws and spheres Of action remain
q mystery to us.
IF you were to be in peril of death,
Harold" I said to him upon last in
terView, land your thoughts should fly
to me, believe that L should know 1t and
feel 1t, tho the whole world lay between
u.s."
He held my hands fast in his and his
eyes looked earnestly into mine. as he
made answer:
Beatrice, if 1t should be that we meet
no more in this world-nay, look not So
sweetheart for we both trust in God, and
your prayers for my safety will rise uI
day and night before His throne-yet if
In His insorutabe purposes, it should be
that I were called away, I should be jr
spirit with you at the hour of my death
and I believe that He would let mo visit
you once again, If it were only to say
good-by
I often thought of those words Of ours
when he was gone. They seemed to make
link between us somehow. I felt as
tho must know in measure what
was happening to him. as tho in the event
of unlooked-for peril should have warn
ing, and could plead for his safety witt
redoubled eagerness and earnestness
The first year of his absence a sac
one for me; for in that period lost boil
my parents. My mother had been failins
long; but my father was still hale man
and died from the effects Of a chill takel
In the discharge of his military duties a
the depot, where we were then stationed
I suppose mothers death had told upo1
him more than appeared; for the sudde,
collapse of vital energy surprised us all
So I was left alone, and had no actua
home Of my own; tho having large circl
Of relations and friends did not feel my
self STtGg ether desolate.
I had heard once from Harold, at tn
close Of his first year Of absence. H
had got my letter telling Of mother
DEATH and wrote so tenderly and under
standingly; but he did not guess Of tn
other blow which had fallen before
heard from him. I went and stage
awhile with his mother. and that was
very peaceful and refreshing time.
think we comforted one another, an
we liked to be together when tn
winter winds howled and shrieled aroun
the corners of the house. TO, b
sure, the gales which ragged aroun
these northern shores would not touc
him in those far-off sunny seas; but the1
they were liable to be swept by sudde
cyclones and hurricanes, Of which W
knew nothing, and in that thought la
terror and helpless anxiety.
A year passed-and no letter; anothe
year-and faces looked grave and trouble
when the Arethusa was named. She ha
not been heard of anywhere for MOI
than eighteen months. A gunboat WE
sent out in search of her, and could fir
no trace. Another year wore away
ever-increasing gloom and pain. At tt
end Of that time she was given up Il
lost; and even I, who had hoped {
against hope with the confidence ar
elasticity of youth, began to keep silent
when the subject was brought up. fe
that to assert hope had now become SOM
thing akin to folly.
sand yet-and yet-how was 1t that,
Harold had died. I had had no premon
I zion OF 1t? What I expected I scar
know, but felt so certain that he won
4 not have quilted this world forever wit
4 out farewell to me Of some sort. I h,
often seen him in dreams; continual
we were. together in that fairy regi
woven OF our own imaginings, waikiki
A together along some coral strand, wi
the blue. sunny sky above and the cri
/ Wavelets ripping at our feet This drea
I was so constant that it had become int
NJ woven with the very texture Of my II
4 ana made night the happiest portion
\ the twenty-four hours to me. But new
had I dreamt of Harold In deadly per
II or felt lackness and horror fall IN
A me- Never had seen him in the w
n IN which others have seen-or Ia
seemed to see-some beloved one who
= bodily presence is far away. That E
4 perience had never been mine. and {
4 that very reason foolish tho It wo1
~ have sounded to others) T could not tr1
* and honestly believe that my Harold W
\ dead l hoped in silence now, but ST
X I hoped.
n christmas was coming round again. .
n FShad promised to spend that season wi
II some relatives Of mine whom had hit
erto only seen In London, where thew
Il a house In which they spent half I
year. I had heard Of the old family Sc
In Kent-half manor house half castle
about which so many traditions and
N gends had gathered But 7 had ne1
seen II till this time Of which I an, te
N Ing Vou and when T arrival +boro T -.