The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1911-03-10

caught the Infection of curiosity. As
soon as he had gone began to ques-
ton Miss Rutledge about the haunted
room. She told me that during the
early part of the eighteenth century
one of her ancestors had been murder
ed there. He had married the daughter
of neighboring planter. She loved
and was loved by another This lover
came to the house, and during an alter
cation between him and the husband
in this room the latter had been stab
bed there. Since then every one who
had tried to sleep in the chamber had
been driven out by the appearance of
the murdered man
The most natural thing in the world
for a lover is to try to make a hero
of himself Virginia was full of mill
tary heroes, aud as such was merely
one of thousands resolved to do
what could 10 show my courage by
sleeping in the haunted room. Miss
Rutlcdge begged me not to try 1t since
the last person who did was thrown
into n fever which. being followed by
other symptoms. finally carried him or
WIS resolute, because In the first
place believed haunted chambers
to be a myth. and in the second
if anything marvellous did occur 1t
would give me the desired opportunity
TO show my puck The evening be
fore klrkWood was moved | sent word
to the general that Il could be spared
from headquarters | would stay all
night Mt tue plantation with Slrkwood
He sent back an order for me To re-
main.
l pledged Miss Rutledge to say moth
ing about my intention to sleep In the
haunted chamber, hoping In this way
TO head off any one who might be dis
posed to play ghost. She prepared the
room herself for my occupancy, | keep
ing watch that no one should see her
doing SO. | waited till a late hour be.
fore going 10 bed. when not Il person
besides myself and Miss Rutledge. ex-
cept in the invalld's chamber. was
stirring Then went to the room
had occupied whenever had remain.
ed for the night and. removing my
boots. stole in the dark to the haunted
chamber
That my presence there might not be
betrayed | took off my clothes in the
dark Feeling sure that the parts of
ghosts are always played by persons in
the flesh and that no one on this side
of the dead line knew that the room
was occupied, / went to sleep within a
reasonable time,
nwokc with n start. At the other
end of the room | saw n glimmerinG
such as appears in the east at the first
faint dawn | watched 1t and soon
saw thnt II was increasing. both
spreading and growing In intensity
II grew till that end of the chamber
was illuminated. or. rather. II seemed
that there was nc end to the chamber,
but misty. Ill defined space. Then
saw in this space the bed In which
lay and asleep In II figure. \ door
opened. aud a man dressed In the cos
tune in vogue at the end of the eight
zenith century stole stealthily toward
The bed Reaching II, quick as flash
he buried II knife In the sleeper's hos
nm Then all was dark again
felt all the horror one experiences
n seeing murder in cold blood For
more than Il year had seen men
l,illcd continually. sometimes thousands
II II time. hut that was under the OK.
hilnration of battle. The vision. or
whatever il was, left me all of trcm-
Bile There being no further use for
sonccalmcnl. | lighted candle that
| stood on small table beside my bed
| I would have given half my fortune
| was rich to leave that bedroom bu;
my love for Lillian Rutledge was
greater than my fear. | had come
there to show her my pluck. and did
not propose 10 show the white fcath
or Yet | would have infinitely pre-
forred 10 lead n forlorn hope against n
battery Of hundred guns
! I had mol long 10 wait for dawn and
V hen through window came It's first
beams | blew ont my candle and with
IN half an hour had SO far recovered
from my disngrccable sensations as TO
fan asleep
shortly before o O'Clock went down
to breakfast, feeling ut liberty to play
ing the night shaking like ii leaf In the
wind However that's what we boys
did often during the war, If we TEN
Iorarly lost our grip on our courage
we looked about TO learn who had seen
us Miss Rutledge's mother and other
members of the family were present,
SO nothing was said about my expert.
n.
ment. though confess had not yet
recovered my nerves Finally was
alone with Miss Rutledge and she
looked Mt me inqulrlnEly. | confessed
that had seen vision of murder
"And stayed In the ROOM" she asked
quickly.
"Yes | only left II Just before break
fast"
failed to add that II was the hard
est pull on my courage | had vet met
with.
did not SEP the liutlcdge pantatiOn
again until after the war Then went
down into Virginia and found It
wreck | made Inquiries for the family
who Ind occupied It and found that
that they nae gone north, but where
| could not learn. Everything in the
south was in dire confusion Every
one seemed stunned. ana no one knew
anything
II was several years before | found
Lillian Rutodgc; then discovered her
among the clerks Of the treasury de
partmcnt ut Washington. She did not
remain there long after | met her. I
tGll her that she had won me instan.
taneously, without my seeing her, with
Ter sweet. mciodious voice.
II was with that same voice that she
gave me an answer to the most i'm
portant question Of my life She Is
now an old woman, but even IN age It
retains something OF the timbre OF her
glrhood
AWA %