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The parlor Carr Ghost by W.
Bob Holland, all drape with blue Denham,

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the seaside cottage of my friend Sarah
Pine. She asked me to go

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there with her when she opened it, to have it set in order for

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the summer. She confessed that she
felt a trifle nervous at the idea of

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entering it alone. And I am
always ready for an excursion so much.

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Blue Denham rather surprised me, because
blue is not complimentary to Sarah's complexion.

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She always wears some shade of red
by preference, she perceived, my wonder

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she is very near sighted and therefore
sees everything by some sort of sixth cents.

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You do not like my poor tears
and curtains and table covers, said

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she. Neither do I. But
I did it to accommodate. And now

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he rests well in his grave.
I hope whose grave, for pity's sake,

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mister J. Billington prices? And
who is he? He doesn't sound

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interesting, then I will tell you
about him, said Sarah, taking a

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seat directly in front of one of
those curtains. Last autumn, I was

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leaving this place for New York,
traveling on the fast express train known as

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the Flying Yankee. Of course,
I thought of the Flying Dutchman and Wagner's

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musical setting of the Uncanny Legend,
and how different things are in these days

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of steam, et cetera. Then
I looked out of the window at the

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landscape, the horizon that seemed to
wheel in a great curve as the train

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sped on. Every now and then
I had an impression at the tail of

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the eye that a man was sitting
in a chair three or four numbers in

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front of me, on the opposite
side of the car. Each time that

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I saw this shape, I looked
at the chair and ascertained that it was

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unoccupied. But it was an odd
trick of vision. I raised my lorgnette,

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and the chair showed emptier than before. There was nobody in it,

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certainly, But the more I knew
that it was vacant, the more plainly

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I saw the man always with a
corner of my eye. It made me

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nervous. When passengers entered the car, I dreaded lest they might take that

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seat. What would happen if they
should? A bag was put in the

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chair that made me uncomfortable. The
bag was removed at the next station.

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Then a baby was placed in the
seat. It began to laugh, as

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though someone had gently tickled it.
There was something odd about that chair.

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Thirteen was its number. When I
looked away from it, the impression was

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strong upon me that some person sitting
there was watching me. Really, it

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would not do to humor such fancies, so I touched the electric button,

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asked the porter to bring me a
table, and taking for my bag a

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pack of cards seated to divert myself
with a game of patience. I was

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puzzling where to put a seven of
spades? Where can it go? I

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murmured to myself. A voice behind
me prompted, play the four of diamonds

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on the five and you can do
it. I started. The only occupants

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of the car besides me were a
bridal couple, a mother with three little

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children, and a typical preacher of
one of the straightest sects, who had

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spoken play up the form. Madam
repeated this voice. I looked fearfully over

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my shoulder. At first I saw
a bluish cloud, like cigar smoke,

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but inodorous. Then the vision cleared
and I saw a young man whom I

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knew by a subtle intuition to be
the occupant scene and not scene of chair

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number thirteen. Evidently he was a
traveling salesman and a ghost. Of course,

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a drummer's ghost sounds ridiculous they're so
extremely alive, or else you would

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expect a dead drummer to be particularly
dead and not walk. This was a

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most commonplace looking ghost, cordial,
pushing business like. At the same time,

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his face had an expression of utter
despair and horror, which made him

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still more preposterous. Of course,
it is not nice to let a stranger

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speak the one, even on so
impersonal a topic as a FOREI of di'monds,

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but a ghost. There can't be
any rule of etiquette about talking with

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a ghost, My dear. It
was dreadful that forward creature showed me how

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to play all the cards, and
then begged me to lay them out again

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in order that he might give me
some clever points. I was too much

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amazed and disturbed to speak. I
could only place the cards at his suggestion.

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This I did so as not to
appear to be listening to the empty

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air and be supposed to be a
crazy woman. Presently, the ghost spoke

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again and told me his story,
Madam. He said, I have been

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riding back and forth on this car
ever since February twenty two, eighteen ninety

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seven months and eleven days. All
this time I have not exchanged a word

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with any one for a drummer.
That is pretty hard. You may believe

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you know the story of the Flying
Dutchman. Well, that is very nearly

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my case. A curse is upon
me and will not be removed until some

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kind soul. But I am getting
ahead of my text. That day there

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were four of us traveling for different
houses. One of the boys was in

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wool, one in baking powder,
one in boots and shoes, and myself

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in cotton goods. We met on
the road, took seats together, and

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fell into talking shop. Those fellows
told big lies about their sails. Washington's

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birthday, though it was. The
baking powder man raised the amount of the

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bills of goods, which he had
sold better than a whole cannabis stuff could

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have done. I admitted the straight
truth that I had not yet been able

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to make a sail. And then
I swore, not in a light minded

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chipper style of verbal trimmings, but
a great round heaven, defying oath,

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that I would sell a case of
blue denims on that trip, if it

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took me forever. He became dry
with talk, and when the train stopped

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at Rivermouth, we went out to
have some beer. It is good there,

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you know. Pardon me, I
forgot that I was speaking to a

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lady. Well, we had to
run to get aboard. I missed my

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footing, fell under the wheels,
and the next thing that I knew,

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they were holding an inquest over my
remains. While I disemboweled, was sitting

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on a corner of the undertaker's table, wondering which of the coroner's jury was

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likely to want a case of blue
denims. Then I remembered my wicked oath

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and understood that I was a soul
doomed to wander until I could succeed in

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selling that bill of goods. I
spoke once or twice, offering the denim's

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under value, but nobody noticed me. Verdict accidental death, negligence of deceased,

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Railroad Corporation not to blame deceased got
out for beer at his own risk.

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The other drummers took charge of the
remains and wrote a beautiful letter to

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my relatives about my social qualities and
my impressive conversation. I wish it had

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been less impressive that time. I
might have lied about my sales, or

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I might have said that I hoped
for better luck. But after that oath

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there was nothing for it. Back
and forth, back and forth on this

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road in chair number thirteen. To
all eternity. Nobody suspects my presence.

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They sit on my knees. I'm
playing in luck when it is a nice

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baby, as it was this afternoon. They pile raps, bags, even

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railway literature on me. They play
cards under my nose, and what duffers

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some of them? Are? You, madam? Are the first person who

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has perceived me, and therefore I
ventured to speak to you, meaning no

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offense. I can see that you
are sorry for me. Now, if

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you recall the store in the Flying
Dutchman, he was saved by the charity

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of a good woman. In fact, Santa married him. Now, I'm

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not asking anything of that size.
I see that you wear a wedding ring,

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and no doubt you make some man's
happiness. I wasn't a marrying man

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myself, and naturally am not a
marrying ghost, and that has nothing to

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do with the matter anyway. But
if you could I don't suppose you would

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have any use for them, but
if you were disposed to do a turn

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of good, solid Christian charity,
I should be everlastingly grateful. And you

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may have that case of Denham's at
seventy two dollars and fifty cents, and

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that quality is quoted to day at
eighty dollars. Does it go, madam?

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The speech of the poor ghost was
not very eloquent, but his eyes

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had an intense, eager glare,
which was terrible something pity fear. I

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do not know what compelled me.
I decided to do without that white and

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gold evening cloak. Instead. I
gave seventy two dollars and fifty cents to

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the ghost and took from him a
receipt for the sum, signed J.

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Billington Price. Then he smiled contentedly, thanking me with emotion, and returned

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to chair number thirteen several times on
the journey, although I did not perceive

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him again. I felt dazed when
the train arrived at New York, and

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I, with the other passengers dismounted. It seemed to me that a strong

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hand passed under my elbow, steadying
me down the steps. As I walked

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the length of the station. My
bag, not heavy at any time,

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appeared to become weightless. I believed
that the parlor car ghost walked beside me,

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carrying the bag, whose handles still
remained in my other hand. Indeed,

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once or twice I thought I felt
a touch of cold fingers against mine.

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Since then, I have no reason
to suppose that the poor ghost is

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not at rest. I hope he
is. But I never expected nor wished

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for the blue denims. The next
day, however, a drey belonging to

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a great wholesale house backed up to
our door and delivered a case of denims

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with a receipted bill for the same. What was I to do? I

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could not go about selling blue denims. I could not give them away without

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exciting comment. So I furnished the
cottage with them. And you know the

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effect on my complexion. Paiting me, dear and credit me, frivolous woman,

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as I am, with having saved
a soul at the expense of my

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own vanity. My story is told, What do you think about it?

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And of the parlor Carr ghost,