A Phantom Feast

The Ghostly Doings and Invisible Guesis t a New York Table. Apropos of the stories of haunted houses and ghostly doings to which the prevailing Spiritualistio manía has given rise, a correspondent sends the following to the New York World, vouohing for its truth : There is a gentleman who visits our city every three years, who excites a great deal of interest on account of some peculiar circumstances which always attend him. His personal appearance is striking - rather tall, with head firmly set on broad shoulders, iron grey hair, brushed off from a f uil, white forehead, well cut features, and eyes dark, with a strange inward expression. He takes rooms at one of our ürst-class hotels, and remains three days. The first is spent in giviny directions for a banquet to be served in his private apartments, and he is particular to the minutest detail. The second day he superiutends everything, and his face wears an anxious look. At about four o'clock he retires to his dressing room, after (riviug a last injunction to the servan tsto be in attendance at the appointed time. The hour approaches ; the table is resplendent with sil ver, crystal and flowers ; the servants stand expectantly waiting, yet no guests have arrived. At length the doors of the inner room oppn and the strange gentleman enters, his face flush ed and head bent, as if listening to some remark addressed to him. With polite gesture ho indioates seatsto numerous invisible guests, and at last seats hiraself at the head of the table. With a motion to the astonished servants he signifies his wish to have the covers removed and the different courses served. All is profuund silence, and yet the host appears to be engaged in earnest conversation, frequently bowing and smiling toward different parts of the table. At length the wine is poured, every glass is filled ; and as this is done the host rises, holding his glass high over bis head. Instantly every chair ia filled with lovely woinen and courtly men, sparkling eyes look love to eyes that speak again, and rosy lips seem ready to part with rippling laughter. Soon the iadies disappear through the door - float, as it were, out of sight - and the gentlemen rem&in. Conversation seems to be renewed, when suddenly the gaze of all is riveted upon two young men who appear to be very angry. They both rise excitedly, one draws a dagger, uplifts his arm, and with quick, descending motion buries it in the bosom of a beautiful girl who has rushed in and thrown herself in Front of the intended victim. Jewels gleam on her polished throat and amid the shining gold of her hair, while her life blood, like a crimson thread slowly trickles over the snowy whiteness of her dress. Every face is filled with a look of horror, and with a cry of agony the host falls Dack in his chair insensible, and as he falls the guests fade away and vanish into air. Nearly all of the servants have long since fled with fright, but a few, allowng their curiosity to overeóme their fear, have remained to the end. They now summon assistance, and the strange gentleman is carried to his bed. Por a long time all means of resuscitating him fail, but at length, with a deep sigh, he opens bis eyes and moans, " Oh, is it all over ?" Then he falls into a deep slumber, and so remains until the afternoon of the third day, when he makes hir appearance at the office, oalm and collected, calis for his bill, pays it without the least demur, orders a carriage, and is driven to the Grand Central Depot, and there we lose sight of him until three years roll over our heads, when we feel sure that he will visit us again. There are many stranger things happen thnn ever appear in print, and this probably would have been one of them had not the publio become excited over the Eddy mysteries and fairly roused our 8cientific men to investigate the indefinable something that steala up stairB after us every-day people, and lays its cold hand upon us in our sleep. The circumstances here related can be corroborated by a number of people, if necessary. Dr. , who has been a witness of them, has a theory which may be the right one after all, chimerical as it may seem at first. In this case he thinks the gentleman has in reality gone through just such a scène as has been described, and that probably the young lady was his daughter. The dreadful shock her loss produced acted in a pecul iar way upon his brain. It must take three years for somo unknown force to work within to the point when he feels compelled, perhaps as a sort of relief, to repeat as far as possible the event. When the wine appears this inner force must be reaohed to culmination, and the visión, so intensfly vivid in the mine, is projected into or upon the atmosphere, like a reflection in the glass, so that it becomes visible to all who may be present. The prolonged insensibility followed by a deep sleep is an effort of nature to repair exhaustion and restore eauilibrium. The privilege of gathering the dead leaves that fall in the publio squares of Paris is worth something. Parties pay $17,000 per annurn for the right.