A Ghost's Story

From the Current. I had always been soinetliing of a di-eatner, and when the fancy took rae to rent tor the suinmer an old mansión iy th ioo. Ut uw iier was abroacl, and to occupy it alone, with the exception of two servan tg, my friends said It was just like me, and expressed no surprise. It was June wlien I took my quarters by the sea, and I spent nearly all that month in becoming acquainted wlth the hous. and its history, and In exploring the surrounding country. In July, tte heat waj extreme, and I passed iuy days lying in some sheltered nook on the shore where I could hear the Inzy niurmurs of the waves, and with lialf-shut eyes gave myself up to revery. The evenings, and, indeed the nights, it it were very warm, I spent in a hamraock on the long pinzza, where the muunlighi filtered through the vlnes and feil upon my face as I swung gently to and fro, or iay as-leep. One d:iy o nroBe that lastert fai into the aight. After a struggling sally to the beach, I canie back with a broken umbrellaand dreuched clothes, and havi"g no mimi to battle furthcr withpowcrt so evidently superior, I dressed in dry clothes and gave myself up to raeditation and readi:ig by a bright tire of driftwood The day wore on and night feil, so that 1 could no longer see from the parlor windows the white caps as they tossed likc sig:ials of distress far out at sea. I could still, however, hear the swlrl of the wim as it flung itself around the corners of thi iiouse, and the cracking of the old trees atheir stiff, aged limbs tried to beud before it. These sounds, with the occasional dart. ot rain upou the panes of the side Windows, gave a teeling of additional com fort to my safe and comfortable retreat The leaping flamea in the lire-place shonr on the polished andiruns and lightecl pectral fires in the tlark wainscoting. The caudles in their brass sconces remained unlighted, and only the tltful blaze of the driftwood gtve me occasional gliuipses of the tall, straight-baeked chairrand niahogany table and cabinet. O. the wal Is hung two or three portraits, ont oftheyoung owner of the house, who was now In Europe on hls wedding jouniey. I had often examined the face .nul thought it handsonit', to-night in tin dim light I seeined to see traits that werr hidden by day. The Ups looked sellindulgent, the eyes languid, the whol face appeared that of one who could nol bear pain, who shrank weakly from suifering of any kind. I feil iuto i train of thought so absorbing that I sat tor hours motionless in my arnichalr, only aroused by the old clocU in the hallway, which truck twelye. I aróse with a start and went to the window. The rain and wind continued, though in a somewhat subdued f.tshion. like the sobbing of a child after a bursi of tears. As I stood there, astrange feelingcamt over uie that caused me to look back over my shoulder, as if I expected to sec üouie one behind me. [ did see some one. The chalí which I had just left, pushing it back as I did so, was again dtawn up to the tire, and in it sat a woman. Wouderiuji if by any possibility this could be an insane person conflned in the house and waited on by stealth, I stood lookiug at her and waiting to see what she would do. Her dress was apparently of some thln, white material and without decideo lines of any kind, seeming simply to envelope her person and then to cease in ome vaguo way, like the fleecy edges of a cloud. Her face- I could see it in proflle only- was pale, painfully pale, and her dark hair looked ss if It were heavily streaked with gray. Afterward, when 1 camc to look ut It mor oloeoly, I sw that it was covered with the same thin miat that dulled the lines of her gown. I could scarcely see her eyes, for she was looking straight at the tire, but I knew from the expression of her moutU that they musí show the deepest dejoction. She put out her thin hands to the flre with a slow shiver, saying: "It is so cold- so cold !" On her left hand, I noticed, gleamed a heavy wedding ring, alniost too much ot a weight for the fragüe linger to bear. Coming to the conclusión that, whoever she might be, she was certainly a subject for hospitality on such a nlght, I approached her slowly and quiutly, not to startle her and said: "You have surely not been out in the storm, madam?" She did not start, though she showed by her look that she had not befre known my preíence. No,- no,- I have not been in the storm." she said," but it would not have hurt me if I had." "Mad as Hamlet? thought 1, as I leaned cgainst. the high rnantle-shelf and looked own at her. She continued to gaze into the tire for awhile, then said imply, by way of cxplanation, not apology. "1 always come at twelve, beeause then every one is asleep, and the house is still. I supposo the itorm kept you awake?-' , As she spoke, she raised her eyes and looked directly into my face, which she had not done before. Large, dark eyes tl„.y were, but perfectly lustreless,-even the fircllgbt was reflected in them dimlj. There seemed to be a chili in the atmosphere about her, as about one who com.s in from wintry weather with the frost in hisclotbei. "Yes, it was the storm," I replied; bui "he geemeü already tü have forgotteti what he liad spokeu me, and was agalri deep in her inusinjr. Presentí, as I vas about to make further question, she said, softly: "lf you are not going, will yon nol have a chair' One tires so soon standing You wlll tind the oíd chalr by theCabinet comfortable, - if anything can be comfortable,'' she added drearily. I certainly liad no thoughts of goinj; to bed and leaving the house and itg iumate8 to the caprice of a mad wowan, and I turned invohintarily to the cornei she liad indicated. Aa oíd chalr htoou there which to niy recollection, had noi been out of iu place sii.ce I first rented the house. She had uot turned her head as, she spoke, to look for it, but referred to its position with perfect confidence asf she herself might have placed it there I brought it nearer to the fire and sai down, iinUIng it as she liad said ver} comfortable. As soon as I was seated she bejcan in a low monotone andwith many pauses'" tjillr but not more to me apparenth man to herself and for her own rene! The quality of deariness iu her voice thai [ had already noticed dld not prevent it liaving a soit of minor music which wa tar froni disagreable. "I caunot help feeling that this is mj house. It was once, not quite two year igo, before I - died." I gave a start which she ntust haví loticed, for she repeated: "Yes befnre J lied. I am a ghost. Does that frightei yon? Do uot let it - I never harm an;. ne, - I am only unlurppy." She lifteil her hand and though it wat ield between me and the file, I saw nom f tlie rsy color which tire-liglit mak 18 ir shines throuh translucent lmni.-i flesh and blo-d. She twisted the welling-ring slowly round aid round,- everything that she did was done slowl and lifeles-xly, - and said: "Sometimes ] wish to take my ring off, it rcminds ni. -o; but I died with it on and I must weic .t." While she had been speaklng I h callcd to mind the fact that the owner 01 the house was iu reality 0:1 hls seconi weddiug-journey, having lost his finife withiu six nionths afler their maní lite This must be tlie Suplanted wif' . HaviDg come to this conclusión, startin; with the hypothesis that giiosts exlst, 1 vas ready to understand when she said: "He is very handsome ao you not think -o?" I glanced at the portrait on the wall. roward the original of which I began ti iiave a distinct sentiment of dislike, bui L said, "very handsome" to satisly her. "He liad dark gray ejes," she went on, of all eves in the world, the dark grin can say the most. "He was very lonely when I died; he traveled everywhere, J was lonely too, - I wanted to see him and I ued to come back sometimes. H never saw me but when I was near ltiu ne could not help thinking of me. Om day I found him in tiis room in a littli hunting hotel in Switzerland. When 1 went into the room he was reading, bui soon he began to feel my nearness. He threw down his book crying, 'shall ] never be able to forget?' and left the room. He wished then, to forget me. I had uever thought of that. I had been hanpv before, in a quiet way at the time when ] was allowed to go to him, but that waf11 over. I never followed him again After that it secmed as if I ihould die 01 ny loneliness and my lonsing to see him." I looked up quickly as she s-poke tlil' last sentance, a strange one for a persoi' already dead to utter, but she had nol noticed and went on. "Since I could not be where 9lie was, 1 came to the house where she had been si' nappy together. I wandered through tht eoaaoM at nieht and looked out of thiwindows where we had stood so often anü watched the sea ; but I never disturben anything. I did not want the servants t' know that I came. I thought I had suflered all there was to suffer. When wt think that, there is always soine ne crouble ou the way to us. One niglit 1 tound an open letter on the table. It wat in his hand, and I kissed it Then -1 read it. It was to tlie house-keeper directing her to lent the house. He was to ue manicd and to travel again." There was a long silence. My heari rose in pitty for the poor young tliinj: who had beüeved In vows of eternal love and reniembraiice, and itgrew harder toward the original of tlie portrait. I coulil nothing of my own, but the woids nl rfcripture feil involuutarily trom my lips: "Like the remembrance of a guest thai tarrieth but a day." She paid no heed to this Job's-comfortinsr, but rested her chin iipon her hand and, with her eyes stili lixcd upon the flre wliich was now indeed uothing but embers, went on: "I can not blame him,- he was lonely and that was the only way to helpit. But tliey will come back and I can not beait, and so I shall be driven from liere. I wonder if she looks as I used to. If she did, ever so little, and I could know that that was what drew him how it would comfort me!1' "I have met many wives tince I died, wive that lived with their husbands nearly a lifotime, and yet witiiin a year their places were fllled. They teil me that it is to be expected and that I sliall grow used to it." "Itcan not last forevcr, I know ; but oh, I want to see him so!" I bent my head to hide the tcais that gatbered as the monotonoua voice en'Jed In tbis plaintive cry. When I ralscd my eyes, I sat alone; the arm-ckair was empty and there was notliing to reiiiiiiil me of my guest except a chill in the Mr as if the wind had swcpt tliroueli tne room. I sat stili ti...i..,ff, tiii.ikmg, untin i lell asleep. Ju the gray of tlie moming I awoke. Was it a dreara ? I asked my9elf, but the two chaus stood there together to coiiTince me that It wa8 not.