The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1911-11-10

turning, caught a glimpse Of the mys-
FERROUS lady going in the same direc-
ton as before.
was then young. and superstidons
that have a greater hold I think on
youth than experienced age had not
yet worn away. Somehow was I'm.
pressed with the belief that the mys.
terious lady was one Of those who had
&ahabitsd the palaxzio several centu.
eies before. This feeling paralyzed me
lust long enough to permit her to es.
cape me. Then. coming to my senses,
ran after her and down the stair.
case. l was too late. She had either
passed on to the rooms at the other
end Of the corridor or had left the
building. Probably she had entered
some private apartment, for 1t was
growing dark and too late for any
lady, especially one young and beauti
full, to be out on the street alone.
The next morning at an hour when
the most light made its way Into tina
corridor, having bribed the maid to
lend me her pass key. l opened every
door Of those In the mysterious region
and explored every room for some
exit. | found none. Then I tapped
the terminal wall. but got no sound
indicating anything wooden or hollow.
The mural painting was landscape In
which was a woman's figure In the
dress Of ancient Rome. The picture
must have been very old. for the col
ors were much faded. and It had evil
IDENTITY been painted In the stiff style
that had been In vogue when the
palazzio was built. My examinations
led me to no discovery whatever.
When 1t rains in Rome It rains hard.
One afternoon when a torrent was
pouring from the clouds and It was
consequently very dark In the palaxzlo.
going to my room. saw a marvellous
sight. It seemed that the wall beyond
my room had been removed and tho
corridor had been indefinitely extend
ed. There were a few dim lights
about me, and the corridor in Its whole
length was lighted by similar ones.
Owing to the dimness all this was
barely pcrceptible. Then the extern
sion melted away. and there was only
the III defined space at the end Of the
corridor to which I had been used.
Thinking there must Ike something
the matter with my eyes, I put a DIST
against each Of them and gave them
a prolonged rubbing. When I took
my fists away for another look there
was the mysterious lady coming to.
ward me.
She smiled % she passed me. Pos
slbly my sensibilities were much over.
wrought and my Imagination exag.
gerated everything, but It seemed to
me that smile was the sweetest had
ever seen on . woman's face.
Again my superstltious instincts
caused me to stand stock still while I
might have determined whether the
vision were ghost or 6esh and blood
by means Of touch. But It seemed to
me that I had been swung back to
medieval times and this woman was
moving within the palaxxio a. she had
moved there several centuries before.
When she had passed beyond me. In.
stead Of following her I crammed my
nsts again against my eyes to restore
q normal sight. When I removed them
the vision had disappeared.
That was the last view I had OF the
mysterious lady at the palaxzio. In
vain I waited for her to appear again.
vowing that Il she did I would seize
her and detain her till I could deter.
mine whether she were hesh and
blood. But after several weeks pa
tient waiting. since she did not appear
and I met her nowhere In Rome, I
was forced to conclude that n she
were a ghost she had been exorcixed
and II she were flesh and blood she
had left the Eternal City. I made no
effort to get an explanation. for in the
6rst place didn't care to let any one
know how superstitious or perhaps
stupid I had been, and the secret was
one that I preferred to keep down at
the bottom Of my heart. left Rome
still uncertain whether I had been Be.
witched by a medieval ghost or my
charmer were a real person.
Fate brought me solution. Return
ing to America, a few days out from
southampton one morning on deck I
passed the mysterious lady sitting IN
q steamer chair.
looked at her in amazement. Sho
burst into a laugh.
"You and don't need an introduc.
Hon." she said I'VE have met before.
BE seated" pointing to vacant chair
beside her. aud l will tell you al
about IT,
I accepted the invitation. and she
continues:
II occupied rooms In the compare.
ment next to yours in the palazxio.
One who knew every nook and corner,
every secret passage. In the building
showed me a wall dividing a corridOE