The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-03-28
The Mysterious
Lady
1t Was Question Whether She
Was Ghost or Flesh
and Blood.
BY F. A. mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

Undoubtedly the most interesting
city in the world-at any rate, to Euro
peans and Amerieans-is Rome. For
twenty-five centuries she has been
passing through exciting scenes such
as have been but occasional with other
cities. And her changes have been
no less remarkable. There was the
austere purity of the republic, the
profiigacy Of the empire, her almost
obliteration following the many at
tacks of her enemies, the petty quar-
rels and villainies of the middle ages.
Perhaps the most despicable period
at Rome was during the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries. Within this
period every head of family inhabit-
ed his tower or stronghold, In which
he defended himself against every 9TH
er family. There were the Orsini, the
Borgias, the Colonna and many other
clans whose business 1t was to fight,
slaughter or poison one another. Some
of them grew rich through plumber
there was then no other way-and
built enormous palaces, where they
lived with their retainers In princely
style.
During visit to Rome occupied a
room In one of these palazzios. The
building is very long and has been cut
up into sections by partition walls
Not that there is any regularity in
these partitions; they occur any and
everywhere. and 1t is not easy to tell
which ones were part of the original
palace and which have been built in
since. was curious about the pile,
for though / was then but twenty-five
years old l had read much about medi
eval Italy, and | knew the history OF
the house from its building. 1t was
erected by one of the most villainous
of the Roman family leaders that
fourished in the fifteenth century. A
number Of times bis enemies besieged
his palace, overcame his followers, but
could never capture him. The fox had
means of escape that enabled him to
go forth a free man, though every
avenue of exit was carefully watched.
My room was on the second story
on a corridor with apartments on Ell
Their hand and was near one extrem,
ity. On the terminal wall was mural
picture.
Being Interested. as l have said, in
the building, l one day questioned the
maid who took care of my room
about its construction. The only In
formation l elected was that none of
the rooms between me and the near
end Of the hall was occupied. This
may have been because the summer
season was coming on, when travellers
seek more northerly climates.
Nevertheless one morning ON leaving
my room l was just In time to see a
lady advance from this -unoccupied re-
gion. Perhaps 1t was the work Of my
Imagination, perhaps some arrange
ment Of her costume borrowed from
two or three centuries agone, but 1t
seemed to me that the lady belonged
to medieval times. There may be an.
other reason, why l should have thus
considered her, the fact that l had not
expected her to come, so it seemed.
out of the wall For had not the
maid told me that none of the rooms
from whence she came was occupied?
However, was so struck with the
vision of lOveliness that swept by me
that whence she came or what's her
name" occupied comparatively small
part of my thoughts concerning her.
watched her till she reached the CEN
ter of the corridor and passed down
the staircase. At that moment the
maid came along, with her brooms
and bucket, and I asked her about
the rooms she had told me were va
cant. She assured me that they were
Slipping a couple of Ira into her
hands, / asked her to unlock them
She opened every door, and there was
nothing but the bare furniture in any
one of them. Nor was there any open
ing or stairway leading elsewhere. In
other words. the end of the corridor
was complete pocket.
From whence had the lady come?
I regretted that l had not followed
her downstairs to see whittier she
went. 1t was but 8 O'Clock in the
morning, and 1t occurred to me that
she might have gone to the cafe oil
the first floor for breakfast / went
down there, but she was nowhere to
be seen. She was in street costume
and had doubtless gone out
For several days l spent all my time
going about the city. hoping to meet
the mysterious lady, visiting every
gallery. ruin or subterranean excava-
ton In Rome. l did not happen to
meet her. kept an eye for her in the
palazzio, both In the cafe and other
parts Of the building where would
be. likely to meet her. My watchful-
ness availed me nothing. experience
ed strange sinking about the heart
at thinking she might have left Rome.
Then one evening, ascending the
staircase In the palazzio. l started
down the corridor. No lights had yet
been lit, and objects were very dim.
As / was putting my key into the door
Of my room felt a current of air and,
turning, caught glimpse Of the mys-
terious lady going in the same direc-
ton as before
l was then young, and superstitions
that have greater hold l think on
youth than experienced age had not
yet worn away. Somehow 1 was i'm
pressed with the belief that the mys-
FERROUS lady was one Of those who had
Inhabited the nalazzio several centu.
ries before. This feeling paralyzed me
Just long enough to permit her to es-
cape me. Then, coming to my senses.
l ran after her and down the stair
case. I 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 the
corridor, having bribed the maid to
lend me her pass key, opened every
door Of those in the mysterious region
and explored every room for some
exit. l 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 woman's figure in the
dress Of ancient Rome. The picture
must have been very old, for the col
ors were much faded, and 1t had evil
IDENTIFY been painted In the stiff style
that had been in vogue when the
palazzio was built. Ny examinations
led me to no discovery whatever.
When it rains in Rome it rains hard.
One afternoon when a torrent was
pouring from the clouds and 1t was
consequently very dark in the palazzio.
going to NV room | saw marvellous