The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1917-07-06
WAS 1T
A GHOSTa
b. P. A Mitchell


edict Arnold's treachery In his inten.
ton to surrender West Point 30 the
British, how Major Andre Of the Brit
lsh army was captured at Tarrytown
with the papers In the case In his boots,
. the horror OF General Washington and
the execution OF Andre as a spy.
Andre was executed on the banks Of
} the Hudson not far from where he was
captured. The place where the execu-
) ton occurred Is of no Importance ex-
cept as to Its connection with this his
torical event.
Mind you, I'm not going 10 vouch for
this story. II came to me from differ
ent sources, and there are certain dis
crepancies. What I'm going to tell Is
what l surmised from the whole with
out Juggling In any proofs pro or con.
A certain Mrs. Meriweather OF New
York city, prominent in the D. A. r.,
had daughter, Abigail, the name be-
Ing handed down through half dozen
generations from q Revolutionary an
cestress, who was an incorrigible
coQuette. Tho mother endeayored vain
ly to persuade her daughter to marry
some one OF her many suitors. to set
tie down and behave herself. George
Van West was the only one of them
whom Abigail fancied Him she really
loved, but owing to one OF those incon-
sistencles OF women for which no man
can account the more she loved him
the worse she treated him Indeed, a
certain Ambrose Constable, whom she
did not like and her mother detested.
was to all appearances her fayorite.
One spring when Abigail was receiv-
Ing marked attention from Constable
her mother took her to a farmhouse
In the country. hoping that by separat-
ing her from Constable the affair would
blow over. Abigail was much panied
at leaving Van Vert, but that contrary
trait In her character prevented her
from telling the truth as to her prefer
ence, and she accompanied her mother
10 the farmhouse unwillingly.
Independence day that year was a
beautiful one. The air was cool, the
sky cloudless. Abigail sat on tbe'porch
OF the farmhouse watching the country
people dressed In holiday costumes go
ing to church where exercises appro-
pirate to the day were to be held.
Presently a young man came along
whose appearance at once arrested ABB
igai's attention. He was handsome,
but very pale. Seeing the girl ON the
porch she seemed unable to keep her
eyes or him-he bowed In very court
ly manner, taking OF his hat at the
same time with something Of the four
ish OF gentleman Of the old school
> May ask he said to Abigail,
whittier all these country pumpkins
are goingr
TO the church where the Declare
ton Of Independence b TO be read.7
why todayr
This is the anniversary OF the day
It was adopted
by the rebelsY' .s.
Abigail was so puzzled by this refer
ence to the signers Of the Declaration
as rebels that she made no reply, con-
tinuing to gaze on the man with sort
OF fascinated wonder. Meanwhile he
began looking about him like one who
was visiting a place with which he
had once been familiar His gaze
lighting on building farther down the
road. he shuddered. Then, seeming to
grow faint, he caught at the fence In
closing the farmhouse for support.
Abigail arose, hurried toward him
and was about to put out her arms to
support him when he turned and
smiled at her. She afterward described
that smile as the most beautiful she
had ever beheld 1t seemed to be the
smile of martyr who had suffered
his martyrdom and had passed to his
reward. h.
From this point the information
gathered about Abigails meeting with
this stranger is contradictory. Some
say that he spent only the day with
her ON the farmhouse porch, some that
he fingered In the neighborhood all
summer The testimony for the former
statement predominated, but l am at
loss to understand how he could
have produced the marvellous effect he
did on Abigail in single day. AS to
how or where they spent that day ac-
counts vary.
OF one thing received positive tes-
timony, that from that Independence
day Abigail was greatly changed.
While before it she had been the gay
est of the gay. after it no one ever saw
her smile. George Van Vert tried to
bring back the smile to her lips, but
signally failed Indeed, the sight OF
him seemed to fill her with sort OF
horror. AS for Constable, she no
! longer cared to conceal her real feel
lngs toward him
Mrs Meriweather did everything she
could think of to break the spell that
had been cast over her daughter She
endeavored to make Abigail forget the
stranger in social whirl. She took
her on travels, all to no purpose The
moor girl was gradually sinking into
the grave. Six months after that mem
orable Independence,day she died.
Who was the stranger? / am going
to give certain points that indicate
who he might be, but as / said in the
beginning only give the facts and
Il i'm va M dasire to Influence oninion In