Connecticut western news., 1917-10-04
WAS TT
 A GHOST?
By r. A. MITCHELL

edict Arnold's treachery in his inten- tion to surrender West Point to the British, how Major Andre of the Brit ish 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 spy.
 Andre was executed on the banks of the Hudson not far from where he was captured. The place where the execu- tion occurred is of no importance eX. cept us to its connection with this his torical event
 Mind you, I'm not going to vouch for this story. It 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 vr con.
 A certain Mrs Meriweather of New York city, prominent in the D. A. R., had a daughter, Abigail, the name be- ing handed down through half dozen generations from a Revolutionary an- cestress, who was an incorrigible coquette. The mother endeavored 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- sistencies of women for which no man can account the more she loved him the worse she treated him. Indeed, certain Ambrose Constable, whom she J nt Inc, was to all appearances her favorite.
 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 pained 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 to the farmhouse unwiIlingly.
 Independence day that year was beautiful one. The air was cool, the sky cloudlesS. Abigail sat Cn the porch of the farmhouse watching the country people dressed ill holiday costumes g"- ing to church where exercises appra- priate to the day were to be held. Presently Il young man came along whose appeGr&n"e at Cnce arrested Alb igails attention. He was handsome, but very pale. Seeing the girl on the porch-she seemed unable to keep her eyes off him-he bowed in a very court ly manner. taking off his hat at the same time with some<ts4rg Of the flour ish of a gentleman of the old school.
 May 1 ask," he said to Abigail, ,"wi:ither all these country pumpkins are going"
 gro the church where the Declara- tion of Independence is to be read"
 why today?'
 1t was adopted"
 By the rebels?"
 Abigail was so puzzled by this refer encc to the signers of the Declaration as rebels that she made no reply, con- | tinuing to gaze on the man with a sort of fascinated wonder. Meanwhile he i began looking about him like one who was visiting a place with which ha had once been familiar. His gaze lighting on a 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 1 and was about to put out her arms to support him when he turned and smiled at her. She afterward described l that smile as the most beautiful she | had ever beheld. It seemed to be tha smile of a martyr who had suffered his martyrdom and had passed to his reward.
 From this point the information I gathered about Abigairs meeting with this stranger is contradictory. Some 1 say that he spent only the day with 1 her on the farmhouse porch, some that he fingered in the neighDorhood all summer. The testimony for the former statement predominated, but I am at loss to understand how he could have produced the marvellous effect hc ! did on Abigail in q single day. As tl how or where they spent that day ac- counts vcry.
 Of one thing I 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 1t no one ever saw her smile. George Van Vert tried to bring back the smile to her lins, but signally failed. Indeed, the sight or him seemed to fill her with a sort of horror. As for Constable. she no , longer cared to conceal her real feel ings toward him.
 Mrs. Meriweather did everything she could think of to break the spell that had been cast over her daughter. She tndcavored to make Abigail forget the stranger in social whirl. She took
 her on travels. all to no purpose. The 1 nnnI. girl xyns pradnallv sinking into