Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1911-02-17
The Mysterious
/ Lady
n Was a Question Whether She
q Was a Ghost or Flesh
and Blood.
ByF. A. mitchell
copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

[&meing through exciting scenes sucn
- have beer but occasional with other
e{11es. And her changes have been
- less remarkable. There was the
or1fere purity of the republic, the
nuofiigacy Of the empire, her almost
n1Ateration following the many at
fS1ks Of her enemies, the petty quar-
- and villainies of the middle ages.
Perhaps the most despicable period
- Rome was during the fifteenth
- sixteenth centuries. Within this
3 <iod every head of a family inhabit-
Tins tower or stronghold. In which
- defended himself against every 9th
- Family There were the Orsini. the
HSepias. the Colonna and many other
~11nss whose business 1t was to fight.
11<nghter or poison one another. Some
- Them grew rich through plunder-
"a was then no other way-and
In enormous palaces, where they
NSed with their retainers In princely
ot<le
Buring a visit to Rome 1 occupied
eo6fn in one of these palazzios. The
hailding is very long and has been cut
II into sections by partition walls.
Nj that there is any regularity In
tE1ee partitions. they occur any and
G<&rywhere, and 1t is not easy to tell
vfieh ones were part of the original
ualace and which have been built in
Nince. | was curious about the pile,
- though | was then but twenty-five
Years old | had read much about medi-
Gyal Italy. and | knew the history OF
The house from its building 1t was
&rected by one of the most villainous
II the Roman family leaders that
Noprished in the fifteenth century. A
H1Elber OF times his enemies besieged
A Hi palace. overeame his followers, but
coald never capture him. The fox had
W1hns of escape that enabled him to
- forth a free man, though every
venue of exit was carefully watched.
Nv room was on the second story
- corridor with apartments on Ell
LII hand and was near one extrem-
~. On the terminal wall was mural
f1eture
Being interested, as l have said, in
~ building, l one day questioned the
lid who took care of my room
06Dut its construction. The only in
'1ufmat ton | elected was that none of
- rooms between me and the near
nd of the hall was occupied. This
nv have been because the summer
son was coming on, when travellers
FIX more northerly climates.
Nevertheless one morning on leaving
~ room l was just in time to see a
lndy advance from this unoccupied re-
Ion. Perhaps 1t was the work of my
la gina ton, perhaps some arrange
mi of her costume borrowed from
&Vp or three centuries agone, but 1t
emed to me that the lady belonged
medieval times. There may be an
lei reason why l should have thus
&6n sidered her the fact that l had not
Mpected her to come. so it seemed,
81 of the wall. For had not the
Mnid told me that none of the rooms
14m whence she came was occupied?
However. l was so struck with the
" Hon of loneliness that swept by me
TIT whence she came or what's her
nome" occupied a comparatively small
I'll Of my thoughts concerning her.
watched her till she reached the cen
80 of the corridor and passed down
- staircase. At that moment the
ID came along, with her brooms
49, bucket, and l asked her about
- rooms she had told me were va
1T She assured me that they were.
piping couple of Ira into her
Ids. l asked her to unlock them
opened every door, and there was
bling but the bare furniture In any
- of them. Nor was there any open
or stairway leading elsewhere. In
Ter words, the end of the corridor
IS complete pocket.
from whence had the lady come?
regretted that | had not followed
MI downstairs to see whittier she
mt 1t was but 0 o'clock in the
timing, and it occurred to me that
- might have gone to the cafe on
- first floor for breakfast. l went
III there, but she was nowhere to
seen. She was in street costume
M had doubtless gone out.
or several days I spent all my time
~ about the city, hoping to meet
mysterious lady, visiting every
1iery, ruin or subterranean excava-
in Rome. I did not happen TO
et her. | kept an eye for her In the
"a zzio, both in the cafe and other
rs of the building where I would
likely to meet her. My watchful-
availed me nothing. | experience
r. strange sinking about the heart
thinking she might have left Rome.
pen one evening, ascending the
rease In the palazzio, | started
IN the corridor. No lights had yet
p lit, and objects We're very dim.
was putting my key into the door
I. ny room I felt current Of air and.
ping, caught a glimpse of the mys-
ous lady going In the same direc-
as before.
was then young. and superstitions
have a greater hold I think on
III than experienced age had not
<+ worn away Somehow | was i'm
ssed with the belief that the mys-
ous lady was one Of those who had
bited the palazzio several centu-
before. This feeling paralyzed me
H. long enough TO permit her to es-
q Y me. Then, coming to my senses,
ban after her and down the stair
e | was too late. She had either
lsed on to the rooms at the other
of the corridor or had left the
ading. Probably she had entered
Pc private apartment. for 1t was
wing dark and too late for any
y, especially one young and beauu-