| OCR Text |
Show li 1J!' CALLED BY A GHOST. B. 1 ill will "Wanted, lr a jatlcnt." Br .'(' It wa In tlip r'ly clajucf mjrjirofoj- Hi ifc- Wv1 !onal cnrrrrwliviitmtlcnti weroiicnrco, Bix V m ami though lw a In tho act of fitting H ill lilt IHh down to my chu;i, I hurried lnitontlj ilnta my inrKcry. I I entered krttklyi Lnt no nooncr did I 1 etitch right of th llguro Btamllui? lean Ing Against tho connter tluin I itortcd . back with a ttrango filing of horror. KoTt r ihall 1 forget tho ghaiUlnras ol i that fnco tho white horror atauiiwl 1 j on every feature tho aony which j seemed to rink tho tcry i)es1iencith tho contracted lirona, it wni nwfnl to ino to Itehold, accustomed m I vai to I accnea of t rror. J "You eeek adrlco," I began, with ! toino heiltatlon, "No; I am not 111." ' "Von renulro then" I "lluihr' ho Interrupted, approaching more nearly and dmptlng his already I low murmur to n moro whlijier. "I Im p iu i , Hate yon aro not rich Would yoa be B Ei f 111 ' N Uling to earn n thousand Ilouu(ur, Hill M,'lOl "Ishould 1 thanlifnl, If I colli 1 do Hi i! 1 ima ' nonoat,rn ' "l""d vrith dignity. HI 'II if ffit "What Is tho service required of mer Hl if; A I1"""" I00'' ' iutenso liorroi HI ill 1 1e ) passed ocr tho whlto faco before me, Hi'l' ;"ifll;i but tho bine-black lips nniivcrcilflnnly, HliC -, '' 'F "To attend a deathbed." H'R F It "A thonsand pounds to attend a death Hfrli 1 Jh i lcJI Wln.ru am 1 to go, then whom) HU,M . iflftl uitr , HLf H ':''!! ' "Jllno." HsTi Tb T'c 'n w'l,c'' th'" ,ra '1''1 Ha P !'''wlii rounded o hollow and distant that In HaLu W'BeTll voluntarily 1 ahrank back. "Youral HaA t ll What nonsennt Yon aro not a d)liuj HllS fT ' man. Yoa aro pale, but you apiicai HaUE SU Z I.rft1y healthy. Yon" HBl V "HnshP ho interrupted! "I know all Hani i 5 '' & "''' 'ou cann0' moro convinced Haln ' a Lflli ' ln7Pnfcal health thati 1 am mrelf HHt R Mji) jet I know that before the clock tolls HUE v' W tho first hour after midnight I shall bo a HH 1 3?' JI shuddered ullghtlyi but stretching Hbh i Hi h out his band commandlngly, inotlonol HBUl I ' mo to bo silent. "1 am but too veil In HVl ' 4? fonnedof hut I nQInn," ho said quiet- Hw l1 Jyt "1 hau recelvtdn mysterious um Haiu ' i ' iti loons from tho dcal. No mortal aid HKH ' (il I can avail me. I do notcotnu tlther to B2 y $i seek your advlcovr tonrguo thoiuattet Kj , Mi with jou, but (linplj to buy jour serv B 1 , Ices. 1 offer J oil 11,000 to am the e ' night In mychamUr and ultntss the 3 kl scenowhlch'taLts tlaco." Hf t li Tho words, strange as thej v ere, were Er ' j , ' spoken calmly enough, but mi eipres H' elonof such wild horror again juuscd IaaaH otcr the stranger's Xuco that in rpltout I , tho iminenso fee IhesitatM to answer I J J IIo placed boforo me n pari.hment 1 document, nnd following tho indication : , (i cf that white, muscular hand I read the aHKl ( I A words, "And to Mr. 1'rodcrlcV Iliad, ol C K VI 14 High street, Alton, I bequeath the Hl .; k tnmof 1,000 for certain ecrvlcea run- Bii Y I dered to ino," HHr I il "I havo had that will drawn up with HHJY ' '!il '" ",0 la,t tnrllt fo,lr ,10un ""1 ' Hal'1 ? 'JIhiI signed It an hour ago In tho prisence ol HaS'lli, lilirl comiotcnt wll!ics.ies. I am prtpired, BiaB 11 S ! ''1 4V I yu " K do j ou accept lay olfi r or H ' V F, r noli" H H ) My answer was to walk across the H ji ' j room aud tako down my hat, and thin H i ' lock tho door of tho surgery commuul H i eating with the house. H I i . It was a durk, ley cold night, nnd H ) . somehow tho courage and determination H ) I which tho sight of my own naiuo in rou H ! ' section with n thousand jiouuds had Hj I I , given ino flagged conhUcrablo as 1 found H I rnjsclf hurried along through tho silent B t darkneua by ft man whoso deathbed I K w. as about to attend. H I lie was grlmlj silent, but nil his hand H I touched mine, in splto of the froat.lt B , tilt like a burning coal H ' ' On wo went tramp, tramp, through B thesnow on,on,tillevtnlgrevwcarj, Hl and at leugth on my a) lulled tar struck B i thochiinesof uchurchclock, whllocloso B : at hand 1 dljtlngnlshinl tho Buowyhll- H h locks of achurchjard. B ' "Ulo en," groaned tho doomed man. H' "Uraclous (lodl but two hours moro B and that ghost mcssengir will bring tho B summons. Come, come, for mercy's B i sabo, let us hastint B ) Thero was but a short road ecparating BBBv ! ua now from n wall which surrounded u HH lt largo mansion, and along this wohas HH Uned until wo rtachid u small door. Hb' ' Passing through this wo sUalthily as. HH L cended the jirhatostalrcaso tousplen- H! i dldlj furnlshid nitartiucut. Hjr All was iutennily silent, however, HHt I through tho hrmjo. My com)anlou HHt , glanced at tho clock on tho mauUl HH; shelf and sank Into a large chair by tho HHB rldoof tho flro with n shuddir. 'Only HH ou hour and n hulf longer," he mut BBVH ( tercil. "OrcatheuMnt 1 thought I hud BBB . more fortitude. This horror unumus HHf ' I i I'ut Inv I'""1' on '' uTtit, for thero HH ,1 was now a foer in his sunl tn ejes HHf j ' which cbeckid tho superstitious chill HHB '' ' t which had been gathering bcrmo and H j ' , , "j l made lnu hojw that after nil mj tlut H i 3 j I suspicion was comet and that my pa. B ' 1 i ) tlentwasbut the lctlmof roiuo ftarful K 9 1 1 hallucination, und, wutihlug myoipor BIB l1' .. 1 1 tunlty,sllppiduslecpliigiiouderwhich BIB r"Sru 1 1 ' '""' ,ua"uU(,tl ta !"" 1 y locket bo- HHB ittk U foro loatlug the surgery Into the turn- HHB I Js''IbK Ucr 0t cluut tlult ttuaJ "M" ulla It was with sincere satisfaction I saw him drink the wine and then strctih himself on tho luiurlous bed "Ha," thonght I, M the clock struck 13, and InsUsd of a groan tho deep breathing of thotleepereonnded through the room, "you won't recclio any summons sum-mons tonight, and I may mako myself comfortablo " Noiselessly I rcplcnlshel the file, poured myself out a largo gliss of wine, nnd, drawing the curtain so that tho flro-light flro-light should not disturb the kleeper, 1 put myself In A position to follow hlscx-Ainjlo. hlscx-Ainjlo. How long I slept I know not, but sud lenly I aroused with n start and a thrill of horror Kometllng what, I knew not reem-cd reem-cd near, something nameless, but nnut terably nwful Tho Are emitted n faint blue glow Just sufllcicnt to enable mo to sen that the room was exactly tho sauio as when I fell asleep, but that tho long hand ot tho clock wanted but five minutes oi tho mysterious hour which was to be tho death moment uf tho "summoned4 nmnl The silence was Intense. 1 could not even hear n breath from tho bed, and 1 was about to rlio and n)-I n)-I roach, when again that mvful horroi seised mo, nnd at tho samo moment my eye fell npon tho mirror oipwd'o the dour, ainl 1 saw un nwful shape ghistly mockery of what had boon humanity! It stood thero In vlslblo death clothes bnt th3 awful faco was ghastly w III) cor ruptlon.and the sunken ijes gleamed w ith a green, glassy glarp which seemed n tcrltablo blast from tho Infernal fires below. I saw that horrid shipo ino o slowly toward tho bed. What was tho nwful rceno tnactcd thero I know not. I heard nothing except u low, stifled, ngoulzcd groan, and 1 saw tho shadow of that fcli-utly messenger Iwndlng over tho bed. For an instant tbo shadow of n claw Ilka hand, from which tho third lingci was missing, appeared oxtenlcd ovei the doomed man's hoad, and then, rt the clock strack ono clear ellury stroke, II fell, aud a wild shrkk rang through tin room 1 am not given to fainting, but I cer talnly coufent that tho next tin mlmitd ol my cxlstouco was n cold blank, and even wl en 1 did mausgo to stagger to my feet 1 gazed around, mainly endeav oriug to understand tho chilly horroi which still irauiwod mo. Thank Und! tho runui was rid of that awful presence. 1 saw thntt so, gulping down fimio wine, I lighted n wax tncl and staggorcd toward tho lied, llut ono fil inco win sufllclent. Kren as 1 gazed tho expression of the faco seemed to lhangc, tho blackness fadeil Into a dtathly whiteness, tho eon vuljed features relaxed and, even as II tho ictim of that dread apiuritlou still lit iil, n sad, solemn smllo stole ot er tho palo lip. I was Intensely horrified, bnt still 1 rctaluod sufllclent self consciousness ta 1m struck j rofusslunally by such a j ho-nomenon. ho-nomenon. Again I rcrntlnlred tho dead face, an 1 ei en tho throat and chest, but with the exception of ft tlnyplinplo on ono tern-I tern-I lo beneath r cluster ot lialr not a mark upi-tared. As noiselessly as 1 coul 1 I mado my way out of tie Iiouko. No ono met ids on tho private rtulrcue; tho lltth (loot opening Into tho roa 1 w as easily unfiut-cnctl, unfiut-cnctl, and thankful ludeed was I tu feel agitln tho fresh wintry nlr ns 1 hurried aloVS tho rmd by tho ehnrehjard. 'Rero was a magnificent funeral soon In that church) ard, nnd it was raid that tbo'-wldow of tho burled man was In consolablot aud then rumors got nbroid of n horrible aMiaritlon w hlcli ha 1 licen seen on tho night of tho death; nnd It was whispered tho jimiy widow was tcrrftled and insisted ujion leaving her splendid mamlon Iwm too in) stilled with tho wholo affair to risk my reputatlmby sijing what I knew.and I should hatonllowcd my sharulnt to lie forever burled In ob lltiou had 1 not suddonlj he ird that the widow , objecting tu many of the leae les in thn last w ill of he rhusliand, lutouded to dlpto It on tho scoro of tnsanltj, aud then tlieio gradually arose tho rumor of his In lief In hat Jig recclt cd a injsterlotis summons On this I went to tho lawj er und rent n mess ige to tho la ly that, as tho last person who hud attended her hustiand, 1 undertook to protu his saultj', and I Ik sought her to grant mo nil Inter low. Tho samu eveulug I reeelred an Invtt v tion to go to the mansion. 1 was usht reel into u splendid room, nnd there, stumlliu Iwforn tho lire, wni tho most dazzllugly lieuutlful jouug creaturu 1 had eurvecn. bho was lory small, bnt exquisitely mado. Hud It not Ken for tho dignity ot her carringo I should hat ubdlotcd her ii mere child. "I como on n strrngo errand," I bo-gan, bo-gan, and then 1 started, for I happt ued to glance full Into her cjes, und from them down to tho small right liand grasplug tho chnlr, Tho wedding ring wasou that baud. ' I conclude jou aro tho Mr. Head who requested permission to tell mo somo absurd ghost story, and whom my lato husband mentions here." And ils tho sjiuko she stretched out her left hand toward somtthlug but what 1 know not, for my tjca wcro fixed ou that ban. Horror 1 Whlto nnd dellcato It might be, but it was shaped Uko ftcliu.nud tho third finger was missing! Ono sentence was enough after that. "Mudi li, all I can tell jou la that tho ghost who summoned j our husband w as marked by n singular deformltj . Tho third finger ot the left hand was missing," miss-ing," I said stcrnl j ! nnd tho next Instant I had If It that beautiful sinful presence. That will wus uetcr disputed. Tho next morning, too, 1 recelted n cheek for a thousand jiounds, and tho next news I heard of tho w Mow w as t,hat rho had herself seen tho awful apparatlon and had left tho mansion Immediately. A. 11 in New York News. |
