A Land of Ghosts.

Evening Post, Volume LXVI, Issue 152, 24 December 1903, Page 12

A Land of Ghosts.

"I have just come from a country where ghosts are part of tie population and don't count," said a young woman who had been at St. Thomas, in tho West Indies. "I went down there with a friend and she found accommodations for us in an old stone building perched <m tho cliffs, so near th© sea that the M'aves shook it. Wo had- separate rooms, bub nobody said anything to us about ghosts. Indeed, there was hardly time for that, because on the ,very first day, and not very long after I had unpacked my things and settled down to rest a moment and enjoy the view, I had my first visitor of the uncanny sort. As is th© custom there, tho door of the room was not locked,' bub to prevent too sudden intrusion by callers (they never think of knocking), a screen it set up in front of the door. I was sitting by the window (the sun was shining brightly at tho time) when, from behind the screen, very quietly walked a nice-looking young girl of eighteen or nineteen, dressed ,in white, aud with two fang braids of very black hair hanging down over her shoulders in front, I did not notice- further particularly, thinking she was a maid, as I had not yet become acquainted with the household. She stood at the foot of the bed, just away from the screen, as if awaiting orders, and'l asked her what she- wanted. 1 She did not reply, but turned and went behind th© screen again, and, thinking it rather strange, I w^nt to see what she wiu* doing. "There was nothing behind the screen and tho door was shut. I had not heard it close, and, somewhat surprised, though not thinking of ghosts, I opened tho door and looked out in the hall to see where the girl had gone. A maid was sweeping some distance down tho hail, and I ' asked her if she had seen any one go out, and sh© said she had not. That made mo a little nervtfus, but I kept my own counsel. I was not going to start a ghost story for a beginning, anyway. Later in the afternoon I wanted a Biblo and went to tho landlady for it. She> told mo I would , find ono on tho shelf in my room. I went after it, and in getting it down, as I had to climb for it, I dropped it and a photograph fell out. I picked it up, und much to my 'surprise I saw that it was a picture of the girl who had visited mo. I went right away to the landlady. " 'Who is thisV I asked, quite carelessly. " ' It's a picturo of a young lady who died in that room threo months ago,' said tho landlady, taking it from my hands. , " 'Died?' I almost screamed at her. 'Why, I saw her in my room only this afternoon. 1 '"Oh, yes,' smiled the landlady, quit© unconcernedly ; 'we have all seen her about the houso, but ehe does no harm.' "I was in a quandary, I didn't want to show the whit© feather, and I didn't want to live in the same room with a ghost, I didn't care if she was harmless. We didn't do thut. way with ghosts at horns, and I wasn't used to It. At tho same time, if tho people in tho houso were not afraid, why should I be? But I was, just tho same, and still I mad© up my mind to stay in that room. I confess when dark cam© I was dccidodly nervous, but I reasoned that possibly a ghost which visited in tho daytime stayed away at night; and as far as I could see, my reasoning, was correct, and I got to bed without seeing anything. I hadn't been there, though, more than a few minutes when I felt something pull at tho cover on tho bed. I thought it might be a dog, and spoke to it, but received no answer. I got up and lighted my caudle, but saw nothing, and went back to bed, blowing out the light. Again I felt the tug at the covers, and they went down to tho foot of the bed. I pulled them up, and I don't know how nuuiy times it was repeated,' but I vowed and declared that I would nob be chased away by i\ ghost. And I wasn't, for I was there in the morning, though I had not slept much,- and Mas feeling very uncomfortable. - I was out all thut day, and when night cam© I still felt like holding tli© forb againsb my uncanny visi- ' tor. I -went to bed as usual, but I guess my nerves were overwrougnt, for at th© very firsb pull on th© covers, as it happened the night before, I could nob stand it ; and, making a flying leap from the bed, I went with a wild rush to the room of my companion further down the hall. Next day I changed my room and (here the ghosb did not com©. The landlady laughed at me, and So did others who were used to St. Thomas ghosts, but nobody could explain the mystory, and nobody teemed to care enough to bother about it. There were ghosts everywhere, apparently, and I accustomed myself to them as much as I could, but I never went into that first room again, and I never saw tho girl in th© whit© dress and the two braids of coal black hair. And I never want to — ugh I" and tho young woman shivered and drew her skirts around her. — Cleveland Pluindealer.