1
00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:06,759
Speaker 1: Grand Dame's Ghost Story by C. D. I don't know

2
00:00:06,799 --> 00:00:09,439
whether you ever tell your children ghost stories or not.

3
00:00:10,199 --> 00:00:13,560
Some mothers don't. But our mother, though of German descent,

4
00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,199
was strong minded on the ghost subject, and early taught

5
00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:19,920
all of her children to be fearless mentally as well

6
00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,879
as physically. And though dearly fond of hearing ghost stories,

7
00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:27,679
especially if they were real, true ghosts, we were sadly

8
00:00:27,719 --> 00:00:30,440
skeptical as to there being anything of the kind that

9
00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:35,280
could harm. We were quite learned in ghostly lore, knew

10
00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:39,520
all about doppelgangers, will of the wisp, blue lights, et cetera.

11
00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:42,079
And we could not have a greater treat for good

12
00:00:42,119 --> 00:00:44,840
behavior than for our mother to draw on her store

13
00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:50,159
of supernatural tales for our entertainment. The story I'm about

14
00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,640
to relate she told us one stormy night, when gathered

15
00:00:53,719 --> 00:00:57,039
round her chair in her own cozy sanctum before a

16
00:00:57,119 --> 00:01:00,960
cheerful fire, we ate nuts and apples and listened while

17
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,400
she recited an o'er true tale told her by her grandmother,

18
00:01:05,879 --> 00:01:10,560
who herself witnessed the vision. It was a fearful night.

19
00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,959
The wind sobbed and wailed round the house like lost

20
00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:19,400
spirits mourning their doom. The rain beat upon the casements,

21
00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,920
and the trees, writhing in the torture of the fierce blast,

22
00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:27,680
groaned and swayed until their tops almost swept the earth.

23
00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:33,120
Bright flashes of lightning pierced even through the closed shutters

24
00:01:33,159 --> 00:01:37,519
and heavy curtains, and the thunder had a sullen, threatening

25
00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:41,879
roar that made your blood creep. It was a night

26
00:01:42,079 --> 00:01:45,359
to make one seek to shut out all sound, draw

27
00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:49,680
the curtains close, stir the fire, and nestle deep in

28
00:01:49,719 --> 00:01:52,760
the armchair before it, with feet upon the fender, and

29
00:01:52,879 --> 00:01:56,480
have something cheerful to think or talk about. But I

30
00:01:56,599 --> 00:01:59,359
was all alone, none in the house with me but

31
00:01:59,439 --> 00:02:02,439
the servants, and the servant's wing was detached from the

32
00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:04,959
main part of the building, for I do not care

33
00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,599
to have menials near me, and I had no loved

34
00:02:07,599 --> 00:02:11,719
ones near. It was just such a night that Nancy

35
00:02:11,759 --> 00:02:15,479
Black died. What a fearful night for the soul to

36
00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,120
leave its earthly home and go out into the vast

37
00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:22,199
unknown future. I spoke aloud, as rousing from a train

38
00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,360
of thought. I drew my heavy mantle closer round me,

39
00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,719
wheeled my arm chair nearer the fire, and cuddled down

40
00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:32,840
in it, burying my feet in the foot cushion to

41
00:02:32,879 --> 00:02:37,000
warm them, for I felt strangely cold. I was in

42
00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,039
the library. It was my usual sitting room, for I

43
00:02:40,159 --> 00:02:44,319
seldom used the parlors. What was the use. My books

44
00:02:44,319 --> 00:02:47,159
were my friends, and I loved best to be with them.

45
00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,919
My children dead or married and away. The cold grand

46
00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:56,800
parlors always seemed gloomy and sad. The ghosts of departed

47
00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:00,000
pleasures haunted them, and I cared not to enter them.

48
00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:04,400
It was a long, wide room across the hall from

49
00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:07,479
the parlors, running the whole length of the house, and

50
00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:11,560
was lined with shelves from floor to ceiling. My husband's

51
00:03:11,599 --> 00:03:15,120
father had been a bibliomaniac, and my husband had leaning

52
00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,960
that way also, and the shelves held many an old,

53
00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,759
rare work that was worth its weight in gold. The fire,

54
00:03:23,439 --> 00:03:27,080
though burning brightly, did not illumine one half the room,

55
00:03:27,159 --> 00:03:29,919
of which, sitting in the chimney corner, I commanded a

56
00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:33,280
full view, and had been looking at the shadows playing

57
00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:36,240
on the furniture and shelves as the flame shot up,

58
00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:40,159
and after a flickering moment, would die out, leaving a

59
00:03:40,199 --> 00:03:43,680
gloom which would break away into fantastic shadows as the

60
00:03:43,719 --> 00:03:47,319
firelight would again shoot up. While watching the gleams of

61
00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:51,599
light and darkling shades unconsciously, the wailing of the storm

62
00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:57,319
outside attracted my attention. There seemed to be odd noises

63
00:03:57,599 --> 00:04:02,560
of tapping on the windows, and saw and sighs, as

64
00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,960
though some one was entreating entrance from the fierce tumult.

65
00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:11,199
And as I sat there again, I thought of Nancy Black,

66
00:04:12,039 --> 00:04:15,159
the old schoolgirl friend who had loved me so dearly,

67
00:04:15,879 --> 00:04:18,160
and the night when she went forth to meet the

68
00:04:18,199 --> 00:04:23,439
doom appointed her. Resting my head upon my hand, I

69
00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,480
sat gazing in the fire, thinking over her strange life

70
00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:32,000
and still stranger death, and wondering what could have become

71
00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:34,360
of the money and jewels that I knew she had

72
00:04:34,439 --> 00:04:39,759
once possessed. While sitting thus, a queer sensation crept over me.

73
00:04:40,639 --> 00:04:43,560
It was not fear, but a feeling as though if

74
00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:48,560
I'd look up, I'd see something frightful. A shiver not

75
00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:52,160
like that of cold, ran from my head to my feet,

76
00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:56,120
and a sensation as though someone was breathing icye cold

77
00:04:56,199 --> 00:04:59,680
breath upon my forehead, the same feeling that you would

78
00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,120
cause by holding a piece of ice to your cheek.

79
00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,959
It fluttered over my face and finally settled round my lips,

80
00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,079
as though the unseen one was caressing me, thrilling me

81
00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:17,000
with horror. But I am not fearful, nervous, nor imaginative,

82
00:05:17,959 --> 00:05:20,839
and resolutely throwing off the dread that fell upon me.

83
00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:25,399
I turned round and looked up, and there so close

84
00:05:25,439 --> 00:05:29,319
by my side that my hand involuntarily thrown out, passed

85
00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:35,240
through her seeming form stood Nancy Black. It was Nancy Black,

86
00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:40,639
and yet not Nancy Black. Her whole body had a

87
00:05:40,639 --> 00:05:44,560
semi transparent appearance, just as your hand looks when you

88
00:05:44,639 --> 00:05:48,319
hold it between yourself and a strong light. Her clothing,

89
00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:53,120
apparently the same as worn in life, had a wavy, seething,

90
00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:57,800
flickering look like flames have, and yet did not seem

91
00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:02,160
to burn. In the name of God, Nancy Black, what

92
00:06:02,319 --> 00:06:06,519
brought you here? And whence came you? I exclaimed? A

93
00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:11,279
hollow whisper followed. Thank you, my old friend, for speaking

94
00:06:11,319 --> 00:06:15,920
to me, And oh how deeply I thank you for

95
00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:21,319
thinking of me. To night I shall have rest rest,

96
00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,600
I heard echoed, and a jeering laugh rang through the

97
00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,399
room that made her quiver at its sound. I have

98
00:06:29,519 --> 00:06:33,120
been near you often, but always failed to find you

99
00:06:33,199 --> 00:06:35,639
in a condition when you would be in rapport before

100
00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:39,120
to night. What I came for I will tell you

101
00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:44,399
whence I came. You need not now suffice it to

102
00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:47,720
say that were I happy, I would not be here

103
00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,519
on such an errand, nor on such a night. It

104
00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,399
is only when the elements are in a tumult, and

105
00:06:54,519 --> 00:07:00,240
the winds wail and moan, that we come forth. When

106
00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,040
you hear these sounds, it is souls of the lost

107
00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:08,000
you hear mourning their doom. Tis then they wander up

108
00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:13,160
and down to and fro their only release from their

109
00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:18,519
fearful home of torture and undying pain. I have come

110
00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:21,120
to tell you that you must go over to the

111
00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:24,959
old house, and in the back room I always kept locked.

112
00:07:25,519 --> 00:07:30,240
Have the carpet taken up from toward the fireplace. You

113
00:07:30,279 --> 00:07:32,360
will see a plank with a knot hole in it.

114
00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:37,360
Remove that and you will find what caused me to

115
00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:42,040
lose my soul. Have prayers said for me? For tis

116
00:07:42,079 --> 00:07:46,000
well to pray for the dead. The money and jewels

117
00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:51,680
given charity bury in holy ground. The others you find,

118
00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:58,240
and pray for them and me. Ah, Jeanette, you thought

119
00:07:58,279 --> 00:08:03,040
your old friend though stray and odd, pure and innocent.

120
00:08:04,319 --> 00:08:06,959
It is a bitter part of my punishment that I

121
00:08:07,079 --> 00:08:12,399
must change your thought of me. Farewell, do not fail me,

122
00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,519
and I shall trouble you no more. But whenever you

123
00:08:16,639 --> 00:08:21,160
hear that wind howl and sweep round the house as

124
00:08:21,199 --> 00:08:25,519
it does to night, know that the lost are near.

125
00:08:26,759 --> 00:08:31,040
It is their swift flight through space, fleeing before the

126
00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:36,960
scourge of memory and conscience that causes that sound. That

127
00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:40,279
to morrow you may not think you are dreaming. Here

128
00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:43,720
is a token. And she touched the palm of my

129
00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,840
hand with her finger tips. And as you see, my child,

130
00:08:47,879 --> 00:08:51,679
to this day, there are three crimson spots in the

131
00:08:51,759 --> 00:08:56,519
palm of my hand that nothing will eradicate. Do not

132
00:08:56,759 --> 00:09:01,720
fail me, and pray for us, Jeannette, pray, And with

133
00:09:01,759 --> 00:09:07,480
a longing, wistful gaze and a deep, sobbing sigh, Nancy

134
00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:14,159
Black faded from my sight. Am I dreaming? I exclaimed,

135
00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:17,120
as I rose from my chair and rang the bell.

136
00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,799
When the servant entered, I bade him attend to the

137
00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:23,679
fire and light the lamps, and I went through the

138
00:09:23,759 --> 00:09:27,000
room to see if any unusual arrangement of the furniture

139
00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:31,200
could have caused the appearance. But nothing was apparent, and

140
00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:33,480
I bade him send my maid to attend me in

141
00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:36,919
my chamber, for I could not help feeling unwilling to

142
00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:41,440
remain in the library any longer. That evening, while making

143
00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,240
my toilet for the night, my maid said, have you

144
00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:48,200
burned your hand? Madam? Glancing hastily down, I saw three

145
00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,559
dark crimson spots upon the palm of my left hand.

146
00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:56,120
They had an odd look, seared as though touched by

147
00:09:56,120 --> 00:10:00,759
a red hot iron. Yet the flesh was soft, not burned,

148
00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:05,240
and not painful. Making some excuse for it. I did

149
00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:08,200
not allude to it again, and dismissed her speedily, that

150
00:10:08,279 --> 00:10:13,000
I might reflect undisturbed over the singular occurrence. There were

151
00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:16,159
the marks upon my hand. I could not remove them,

152
00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:20,799
and they did not fade. In fact, their deep red

153
00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:23,639
made the rest of the palm lose its pinkish hue

154
00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:27,440
and look pale from the strong contrast. Could I have

155
00:10:27,519 --> 00:10:30,600
been asleep and dreamed it all, and by any means

156
00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:35,600
have done this to myself? I thought, but finally concluded

157
00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:38,480
that on the morrow I'd go over to Nancy Black's

158
00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:43,240
old residence and settle the question, And with that conclusion

159
00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:47,960
had to content myself until the morrow came. Nancy Black

160
00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:50,759
was an old friend from my girlhood who had owned

161
00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:54,000
large property in the town and lived all alone in

162
00:10:54,039 --> 00:10:58,039
a spacious stone house directly opposite my home, and who,

163
00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:01,840
when dying, had left me the sole legettee of her property.

164
00:11:03,399 --> 00:11:05,879
When morning came, I took the keys and with my

165
00:11:06,039 --> 00:11:10,399
maid went over to Nancy's house. It had never been

166
00:11:10,399 --> 00:11:14,120
disturbed since her death, which was sudden and somewhat singular,

167
00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:17,759
and the furniture remained just as she left it. When

168
00:11:17,799 --> 00:11:21,519
taken to her last resting place, we went to the

169
00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:25,480
room Nancy had directed. I bade Sarah take up the carpet,

170
00:11:25,679 --> 00:11:28,279
and sure enough there was a plank with a knot

171
00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:30,799
hole in it. So I sent her from the room

172
00:11:30,919 --> 00:11:35,200
and lifted the plank myself, and there between the two

173
00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:41,480
joints rested a long box, the lid not fastened. Opening it,

174
00:11:42,159 --> 00:11:46,679
I was horrified to see two skeletons, those of an

175
00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:51,600
infant and of a woman, small in stature and delicate frame.

176
00:11:52,519 --> 00:11:55,120
In a moment, it flashed before me that I saw

177
00:11:55,279 --> 00:11:59,720
all that remained of Nancy Black's young sister, a girl

178
00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:04,120
of seventeen, who had left home somewhat mysteriously years ago,

179
00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:09,039
and had died while absent. At least that was the

180
00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:12,480
version Nancy had given of her absence, and no one

181
00:12:12,519 --> 00:12:16,080
had dreamed of doubting it. Her tale was so naturally

182
00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:20,200
told left orphans when Lucy was only two years and

183
00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:23,799
Nancy eighteen. She had devoted her life to the care

184
00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:26,639
of this young girl, and when she found her sister

185
00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:30,440
had fallen, she and her pride of name and position,

186
00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:35,240
had destroyed mother and child that her shame might not

187
00:12:35,399 --> 00:12:38,840
be known, and had lived all those dreary years in

188
00:12:38,919 --> 00:12:44,240
that house with her fearful secret. Round the box heaped

189
00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:47,919
up on every side were money and jewels, and a

190
00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:52,480
parchment scroll among them had written on it Lucy's share

191
00:12:52,759 --> 00:12:57,440
of our father's estate. I carried out Nancy's wishes to

192
00:12:57,519 --> 00:13:00,600
the letter, for now I firmly believed that she had

193
00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:04,480
come to me herself. That night, To avoid scandal resting

194
00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:07,799
on the dead, I took our clergyman into my confidence,

195
00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:12,039
and with his assistance, had the remains varied quietly in

196
00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:16,000
consecrated ground. The money and the jewels were given to

197
00:13:16,039 --> 00:13:19,120
the poor, and the old building I turned into a

198
00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:24,480
home for destitute females, and morning and night. As I

199
00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:28,879
kneel in prayer, I pray forgiveness to rest upon Nancy

200
00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:36,159
Black and peace to her troubled soul, and of Granddame's

201
00:13:36,159 --> 00:13:36,960
ghost story.