Life — December 4, 1897 — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“Pooh, you'd never dare go amongst live people by daylight,” said she. Well, well, never mind, never mind, darling.” Was she really jealous of her own great-grauddaughter? ‘Come over here under the mistletoe and I'll take it all back.” Then, as they glided to the centre of the room he murmured affectionate’ “Well, well, Lucia, you're getting to be a big spook now!” As she looked up at him he stooped to kiss her, with his arm around her smal) st, and bis eyes afire with the old flame them when he was a lieu- tenant on Washington's own staff in’ The first rays of the rising suu shot into the window and sent a beam of light through the spectral pair, making them seem still more tenuous and transparent in the new day. Suddenly the phantom of Lucia gave alittle scream of terror, her hand clutched her husband's arm convulsively, and she shuddered violently. Even the brave ghost of Lieutenant Tristram Tobie felt his hair rising under his wig, and his heart seemed to stand still. Together the terrified ghosts hovered, wavering in the middle of the room, rooted to the spot and unable to disappear, while A> PEIRCE. “2 ‘YOUSE A BIRD, Yo" 18, 8AM JOBNSINO! the door slowly opened and ayoung woman entered the room, She had her arms filled with packages, and she was so absorbed in filling the stockings at the fireplace that she did not see the apparitions. “It is our great-grandchild the phantoms to each other. “T must speak to her,” the spirit sire mut- tered, firmly, whispered I'S A GOOD MIND TO EAT Yo" HEART!” “G'WAY, CHILE, Yo' CAN'T MAK’ MA HEART QUAIL!" . hand from his cl “Tristram—you must no girl ghost, frantically. At this moment there was a sound of footsteps coming down the hall. It was too much for the spectre bride, and she fainted away in her husband's arms. And he, distracted by anxiety over his uncon- scious phantom wife, whom he tried, for a while vainly, to restore to her senses, did not see the young man that came in and surprised the living daughter of the house at the chimney corner, “A merry Christmas!” cried the young man, unconscious of his ghostly witnesses, Tristram, horrified by the sound of this exclamation, and by the new-comer, paused in his efforts with Lucia and looked up. But the young couple were not yet alive to his presence, and he chafed the wrists of the young ghost wife. At last Lucia opened her eyes and gazed wildly around her, “Are they gone?” she said. “Hush, not yet!” whispered the spectre who supported her. What was happening during this time on the other side of the room by the chimney corner the spectres never knew. When Lucia’s spirit had recovered sufficiently to ch the little drama the live young man ying : not—I cannot take ‘no’ for an I rose early, so as to be the first to greet you. Surely, on Christmas Day you cannot refuse ? They had come forward into the centre of the room, under the great beam. The young girl tried weakly to disengage her p, and her , travel- ing abstractedly along the floor, reached the spurs and top-boots of the spectre lieuten- ant. In astonishment they rose to the dimity skirt of the girlish ghost in the phantom’s lap. As she gazed in surprise at the spirits of her affectionate forbears, Lucia smiled at her embarrassment, and, looking up again, kissed her dead hus- cried the comicbooks.com