PURSUED BY A BLONDE GHOST.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1715, 11 January 1905, Page 64

PURSUED BY A BLONDE GHOST.

(By Viggo Toepper.) They were sitting together in a firstclass compartment of the Berlm-Paris express, an elderly man and a young student, evidently not more than twenty, chatting as if they had known each other for years and not for only a few hours. The train stopped at Cologne, and they were idly looking at the departing passengers when the older suddenly. turned pale at the sight of a. beautiful girl with golden hair who passed by. He soon recovered, however. but as he saw that his companion looked at him in surprise, he said as the train started: ‘ You must tmnk it strange that I was startled at the sight of that blonde girl, but I will tell you the story and then you may understand. I have met her before, and the sight of her now means nothing good. “She was the governess of my sister, but her hair was brighter then, and she was still more beautiful, and she had a peculiar red mark on her forehead. which was there by my fault. She had come from hug land, and -when I proposed to her she was not at all surprised.

“In the most natural manner she told me that she had expected my proposal. As soon as v r e had met the first time she had known that I would influence her whole life and that it was fate that she should accept me, and so she did, without hesitation, kissing me full on the lips. “But I soon got tired of her, only because she loved me too much. I spoke harsh words to her and she cried. Once she exasperated me so that I picked up a heavy bronze candlestick and tUrew it at her. It left a red mark upon her forehead. Without a word of reproach, she looked at me with eyes filled with tears and left the room. Without knowing why, a terrible sensation of fear came over me. I felt that something awful w r as to happen.” ‘•'And did any tiling happen?”

“While I sat there in the room, still trembling with fear, I heard voices outside, and my sister Catherine came rushing in crying that her governess had drowned herself. She had taken a boat, rowed out on the lake, and deliberately jumped overboard.” “Of course she was saved?”

“The lake had a whirlpool and a mysterious outlet, and though the whole force of labourers and servants looked for her body for two days, it was never found. I need not tell you that I was on the verge of despair, and blamed myself for her death. I saw her every night in my dreams, and at last even in day time, and always with that terrible mark on her white forehead.

“Nobody else knew that there had been, anything between us, so they were, unable to understand my melanchol3 r , which grew worse every day, and irresistibly drew nie toward the lake. At last my father said that' I must be sick, and insisted that I should make a long trip and see new people and new countries. Though I had no desire to go anywhere, I agreed to go. Three days afterward I found myiself on board an express train. I intended to get off at -one of the first stationvs to visit my aunt before leaving the country. The train was due there about midnight, and during the evening I fell asleep ” “And missed your station?”

“No, a few minutes before we were due I woke up and looked around me to see if -other passengers bad come in, and in so doing nearly fainted. Near the door on the seat opposite me sat the English girl staring at me. The red mark on her forehead seemed to have grown larger. The train stopped at my station, but I did not get out; I was so paralysed, and we rolled out into the dark night. Shortly afterward the young girl got up, looked at me in a threatening way, and disappeared. When the conductor came to the window next time I asked him if he had seen her, but did not receive any answer, as his head fell off and rolled down the embankment/’ ‘'But how ”

“A second afterward we ran into another train, and all the cars in our train were smashed into kindling wood. I was the only passenger who escaped alive and unhurt, hut for a few bruises, but I felt sure that the girl had appeared before me to prevent me from leaving my train, hoping that I would be killed in the accident. Since then I have been living in a continuous state of terror. Every time I see a light haired girl my heart commences to beat as if it would break my ribs, but "weeks passed after the accident, and I did not see her.

“One evening, however, I arrived late at a Swiss hotel. Nearly all the rooms were taken, and I had to take a small bedroom on the toil floor. I had hardly entered it when I felt an irresistible desire to take a walk in the fiesh air. The halls wc-e dark, and i lost my w r ay. I found an electric button, and pressed it furiously. A chambermaid appeared and showed me to my room. W hen we reached it I looked at her. It was the

English girl with th© terrible mark on her forehead.' She looked at me, too, with an angry expression, lifted her hands threateningly, and disappeared through the door. Like a madman, I rushed after her, slammed the door and turned the key, and with my last remaining strength I barricaded it with a heavy wardrobe. I dared not sleep, but laid down on my bed to wait for dayiight. It soon got lighter, but it was not daylight. The hotel was on fire. Half dead with terror, I tried to push Iho wardrobe away Horn the door, but could not move it an inch. The thought that I must perish in the flames almost made me insane. I ran to the window and jumped without looking. I landed on a fat waiter, who was killed, th© weight of my fall breaking his neck.

“ I was sick for weeks afterward, and on the fourth day, just after dusk, as I was tossing on my bed, she came again. This time she wore the dress of a nurse. Her hair was bright and golden, and her blue eyes as beautiful as when I kissed her the first time. The red mark on her forehead was larger than ever. She sat down on my bed and prepared some medicine for me. I knew immediately that she intended to poison me. I jumped up and caught hoid of her arm, shouting at the top of my voice. A physician came and I told him that the nurse had tried to poison me. Then he, too, commenced to shout for assistance. The girl had disappeared, but hundreds cf people came rushing in.”’ “And what became of her since?” “That I have never been able to find out, because I was put into an insane asylum, and only escaped yesterday.” The young student beat a sudden retreat into the farthest corner, where he could reach the danger signal, and was happy when the next station was reached, especially as two gendarmes politely asked his companion to follow' them, as his presence was necessary to identify the body of a girl with yellow hair. Their rue© was successful, and a minut© afterwards he was in the hands of two attendants of th© asylum from which he had escaped.