The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-03-07

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 hei
doing so. | waited till a late hour be
fore going TO bed, when not a person
besides myself and Miss Rutledge, ex
cept In the invalid'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 of 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
awoke with a start. At the other
end of the room / saw a glimmering
such as appears in the east at the first
faint dawn. watched it and soon
saw that it was increasing, both
spreading and growing in intensity.
1t grew till that end of the chamber
was Illuminated. or. rather, 1t seemed
that there was no end to the chamber,
but misty, Ill defined space. Then ]
saw in this space the bed in which !
lay and asleep in 1t figure. A door
opened, and man dressed In the cos
tune in vogue at the end of the eight.
zenith century stole stealthily toward
the bed. Reaching it, quick as fash
he buried knife in the sleeper's bos
ON. Then all was dark again.
felt all the horror one experiences
in seeing murder in cold blood. For
more than year I had seen men
killed continually. sometimes thousands
at time, but that was under the ex-
hilaration Of battle. The vision. or
whatever 1t was. left me all of trem-
BILE. There being no further use for
concealment, | lighted candle that
stood on small table beside my bed
I would have given half my fortune
l was rich-to leave that bedroom. but
my love for Lillian Rutledge was
greater than my fear. | had come
there to show her my pluck, and did
not propose to show the white feath-
er. Yet | would have infinitely pre-
ferred to lead a forlorn hope against a
battery of hundred guns.
had not long to wait for dawn. and
when through a window came its first
beams blew out my candle and with
In half an hour had so far recovered
from my disagreeable sensations as to
fall asleep.
Shortly before 8 o'clock went down
to breakfast, feeling at liberty to play
the hero, since no one had seen me dur
ing the night shaking like leaf in the
wind However, that's what we boys
did often during the war. Ii we tenn
porarily 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
ence. assumed a careless deport
ment, though confess had not yet
recovered my nerves. Finally was
alone with Miss Rutledge and she
looked at me inquiringly confessed
that had seen a vision of murder.
"And stayed in the room?" she asked
quickly.
''Yes. only left it just before break
fast"
failed to add that 1t was the hard
est pull on my courage had yet met
with.
! did not see the Rutledge plantation
again until after the war. Then | went
down into Virginia and found it a
wreck. made Inquiries for the family
who had occupied 1t and found that
that they had gone north. but where
could not learn. Everything in the
south was in dire confusion Every
one seemed stunned. and no one knew
anything.
1t was several years before found
Lillian Rutledge: then discovered her
among the clerks Of the. treasury de
partment at Washington She did not
remain there long after met her.
told her that she had won me instan.
taneously, without my seeing her. with
her sweet. meIodious voice
It 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 1t
retains something Of the timbre IF hef
girlhOod.