Year: 1878

tious, but it would be difficult TO describe
the effect of this letter upon my mind.
1t was not merely the nature of the COM
munication, but its entire unexpected
ness, that made it impressive. read it
carefully. The handwriting, If not pre-
cisely the same as that of my friend, Ger
tainly resembled it very strongly, and,
though had with me none of the actual
writing to compare with it, felt reason
ably sure that my memory on this point
was trustworthy. After thinking care
fully over my list of acquaintances, l
felt certain that there was none of them
who would be willing to play practical
joke of such a nature, and knew of no
one in the city who had ever heard An
nie's name. Then, too, there was the
middle name of childish fancy which L
had never signed since the days Annie
was my sole correspondent.


put the letter in my bureau-drawer
and turned the key upon it, Putting
this in my pocket, went out, as usual,
for the day, resolved not to let the mat
ter Trouble me. The business of the day
totally drove il out of mind, until, as /
entered the house at dusk, the memory
came back to me with slight shock,
such as unwelcome memories frequently
produce. This was repeated and in
tensified when, upon entering my room,
found the letter lying on the top of the
bureau. tried the drawers ; all were
locked 1 felt in my pocket; there was
the key. L laughed at myself, and said,
{" must have locked the stable door,
leaving the horse outside. I'll see that
it's in now, any way" So put the let
ter into the drawer ,and turning the key,
placed it in my pocket before going
down to dinner.


Soon after dinner my cousin came in
and we passed the evening in the pleas
ant parlor of my only acquaintance in
the house, whom / will call Mrs. Muir
ray. During these hours did not think
of the letter, having determined would
not think of it; but when 1 went into
my room for the night, and turning on
the gas stirring the fire, 1 went to the
bureau to lay off my bracelets. There,
stuck in the frame of the looking glass,
was the letter. The drawers were all
locked not thing in them had been
disturbed. A brooch, a little money, a
finger-ring, some laces, and many little
things that might have tempted thief
or pilfering housemaid, were all just
as 1 had left them, in the same drawer
where the letter had been.


There could be no mistake about the
matter this time. L had locked that
letter in the drawer just before dinner
and had not since entered the ROOM
Yet there the thing was staring me
in the face, with the old, well-re-
membered handwriting and the long
disused middle name, defying me to
doubt the reality of its presence in a
place where had not put it.


Holding it in my hand and sitting in
low chair by the fire, thought over
the subject of the letter.


1t had never seemed to me to be un-
reasonable to believe that if there is a
life beyond the present, the spirits of
those who have reached it before us may
sometimes possess the inclination and
the power to communicate with u.s.
But was not all inclined to accept this
communication as coming from the
Spirit Land simply because it purported
to do so. had seen but one or two
professed mediums" and these by
accident, but they had given me no de-
sire to see more of their sport. It..was q
strong argument against the genuine
ness of this communication that it pro-
fessed to come through the hands of a
medium Still, L would grant to
myself, for the moment, that this letter
undoubtedly was from my dear friend. =
What, in that case, could-what ought
1 to do ? OF course, the person referred
to as in danger could only be my cousin
c., for, as far as / knew, no one else
who was dear to me was then thinking
of crossing the Atlantic or any Other
ocean. But it was nonsense to say thai
if he were lost the responsibility of his
loss would rest upon me. If any par
ticular vessel had been mentioned II
which it said it would be dangerous t.
sail, or if any special week or montt
had been named, would, to have sat
istied my conscience, have faced my
Cousins certain ridicule, and used my
best powers of persuasion to induce hin
to take passage on another vessel or at |
different time. But there was no sucl