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Speaker 1: The parlor car Ghost by W. Bob Holland, all draped

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with blue denim, the seaside cottage of my friend Sarah Pine.

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She asked me to go there with her when she

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opened it, to have it set in order for the summer.

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She confessed that she felt a trifle nervous at the

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idea of entering it alone. And I am always ready

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for an excursion. So much blue denim rather surprised me,

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because blue is not complimentary to Sarah's complexion. She always

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wears some shade of red by preference, she perceived, my

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wonder she is very near sighted and therefore sees everything

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by some sort of sixth cents. You do not like

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my poor tears and curtains and table covers, said she.

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Neither do I, but I did it to accommodate. And

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now he rests well in his grave. I hope whose grave,

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for pity's sake, mister J. Billington prices? And who is he?

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He doesn't sound interesting, then I will tell you about him,

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said Sarah, taking a seat directly in front of one

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of those curtains. Last autumn, I was leaving this place

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for New York, traveling on the Fast Express train known

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as the Flying Yankee. Of course, I thought of the

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Flying Dutchman and Wagner's musical setting of the Uncanny Legend,

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and how different things are in these days of steam,

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et cetera. Then I looked out of the window at

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the landscape, the horizon that seemed to wheel in a

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great curve as the train sped on. Every now and

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then I had an impression at the tail of the

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eye that a man was sitting in a chair three

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or four numbers in front of me, on the opposite

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side of the car. Each time that I saw this shape,

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I looked at the chair and ascertained that it was unoccupied.

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But it was an odd trick of vision. I raised

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my lorgnette, and the chair showed emptier than before. There

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was nobody in it, certainly, But the more I knew

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that it was vacant, the more plainly I saw the

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man always with the corner of my eye. It made

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me nervous. When passengers entered the car, I dreaded lest

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they might take that seat. What would happen if they should?

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A bag was put in the chair that made me uncomfortable.

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The bag was removed at the next station. Then a

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baby was placed in the seat, it began to laugh,

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as though someone had gently tickled it. There was something

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odd about that chair. Thirteen was its number. When I

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looked away from it, the impression was strong upon me

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

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would not do to humor such fancies, so I touched

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the electric button, asked the porter to bring me a table, and,

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taking from my bag a pack of cards, seeded to

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divert myself with a game of patience. I was puzzling

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

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I murmured to myself. A voice behind me prompted, play

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the four of diamonds on the five and you can

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do it. I started. The only occupants of the car

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besides me were a bridal couple, a mother with three

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little children, and a typical preacher of one of the

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straightest sex, who had spoken play up the form. Madam

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repeated this voice. I looked fearfully over my shoulder. At

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first I saw a bluish cloud, like cigar smoke, but inodorous.

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Then the vision cleared and I saw a young man

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whom I knew, by a subtle intuition to be the

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occupant seen and not seen of chair number thirteen. Evidently

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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

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else you would expect a dead drummer to be particularly

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dead and not walk. This was a most commonplace looking ghost, cordial,

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pushing business like. At the same time, his face had

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an expression of utter despair and horror, which made him

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

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let a stranger speak the one, even on so impersonal

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a topic as a four of diamonds. But a ghost

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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

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showed me how to play all the cards, and then

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begged me to lay them out again in order that

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he might give me some clever points. I was too

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much amazed and disturbed to speak. I could only place

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the cards at his suggestion. This I did so as

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not to appear to be listening to the empty air

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and be supposed to be a crazy woman. Presently, the

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ghost spoke again and told me his story, Madam. He said,

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I have been riding back and forth on this car.

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Ever since February twenty two, eighteen ninety seven months and

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eleven days. All this time I have not exchanged a

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word with anyone for a drummer. That is pretty hard.

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You may believe you know the story of the Flying Dutchman. Well,

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that is very nearly my case. A curse is upon

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me and will not be removed until some kind soul.

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But I am getting ahead of my text. That day

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there were four of us traveling for different houses. One

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of the boys was in wool, one in baking powder,

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one in boots and shoes, and myself in cotton goods.

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We met on the road, took seats together, and fell

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into talking shop. Those fellows told big lies about their sails.

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Washington's birthday, though it was. The baking powder man raised

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the amount of the bills of goods which he had

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sold better than a whole can of his stuff could

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have done. I admitted the straight truth that I had

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not yet been able to make a sail. And then

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I swore, not in a light minded chipper style of

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verbal trimmings, but a great round heaven defying oath, that

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I would sell a case of blue denims on that

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trip if it took me forever. He became dry with talk,

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and when the train stopped at Rivermouth, we went out

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to have some beer. It is good there, you know.

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Pardon me, I forgot that I was speaking to a lady. Well,

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we had to run to get aboard. I missed my footing,

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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,

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was sitting on a corner of the undertaker's table, wondering

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which of the coroner's jury was likely to want a

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case of blue denims. Then I remembered my wicked oath

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and understood that I was a soul doomed to wander

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until I could succeed in selling that bill of goods.

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I spoke once or twice, offering the denims under value,

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

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Railroad Corporation not to blame deceased got out for beer

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at his own risk. The other drummers took charge of

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the remains and wrote a beautiful letter to my relatives

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about my social qualities and my impressive conversation. I wish

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it had been less impressive that time, I might have

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lied about my sales, or I might have said that

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I hoped for better luck. But after that oath there

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was nothing for it. Back and forth, back and forth

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on this road in chair number thirteen, to all eternity.

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Nobody suspects my presence. They sit on my knees. I'm

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playing in luck. When it is a nice baby, as

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it was this afternoon. They pile raps, bags, even railway

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

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what duffers some of them? Are you, madam? Are the

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first person who has perceived me, and therefore I ventured

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to speak to you, meaning no offense. I can see

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that you are sorry for me. Now, if you recall

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the store of the flying Dutchman, he was saved by

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the charity of a good woman. In fact, Santa married him.

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Now I'm not asking anything of that size. I see

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that you wear a wedding ring, and no doubt you

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make some man's happiness. I wasn't a marrying man myself,

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and naturally am not a marrying ghost, and that has

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nothing to do with the matter anyway. But if you could,

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I don't suppose you would have any use for them.

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But if you were disposed to do a turn of good,

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

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may have that case of Denim's at seventy two dollars

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and fifty cents, and that quality is quoted to day

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at eighty dollars. Does it go, madam? The speech of

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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.

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I do not know what compelled me. I decided to

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do without that white and gold evening cloak. Instead. I

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gave seventy two dollars and fifty cents to the ghost

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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,

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and returned to chair number thirteen several times on the journey,

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although I did not perceive him again. I felt dazed

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when the train arrived at New York, and I, with

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the other passengers dismounted. It seemed to me that a

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strong hand passed under my elbow, steadying me down the steps.

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As I walked the length of the station my bag,

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not heavy at any time, appeared to become weightless. I

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believed that the parlor car ghost walked beside me, carrying

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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

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cold fingers against mine. Since then, I have no reason

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to suppose that the poor ghost is not at rest.

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I hope he is. But I never expected nor wished

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for the blue denims. The next day, however, a dray

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belonging to a great wholesale house backed up to our

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door and delivered a case of denims with a receded

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bill for the same. What was I to do? I

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could not go about selling blue denims. I could not

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give them away without exciting comment. So I furnished the

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cottage with them. And you know the effect on my complexion.

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Pity me, dear, and credit me, frivolous woman, as I am,

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with having saved the soul at the expense of my

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

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about it? And of the parlor car ghost,