^^Some time in the early hours of the mom-



TRUE OHOST STORIES 103

ing I awoke with an indescribable feeling. I
waa Buddenly wide awake — ^without the slightest
traces of sleep ; yet I did not know how I awoke ;
and had not any recollection of waking. But
there I was wide awake, and staring up at the
ceiling with wide-open eyes. My right hand
was hanging over the side of the bed ; so that it
fell outwards, into the room. Imagine my hor-
ror, then, in feeling a hand suddenly grasp my
hand, and I felt distinctly that it was minus the
middle finger. The hand was icy cold, and of a
peculiar hardness. I hung on to the hand, how-
ever, determined to go to the bottom of the af-
fair. I gripped tightly; and still retained the
hand in my grip. Bending over, I stretched out
my left hand, and, with the fingers of that hand,
felt over the hand and wrist I was holding. I
then commenced to trace it up the arm. I had
about reached the elbow — or a little below —
when the arm suddenly ended — came to nothing ;
was no more ! Yet the hand in mine was as solid
as ever. This gave me such a shock that I let go
the hand I was holding, and sank back onto my
pillows. Then terror took possession of me ; and
I do not know what happened later. I only
know that I had brain fever, which laid me low
for several weeks. The occurrence has never
been explained''



104 TRUE GHOST STORIES

THE APPABinON OF THE RADIANT BOY

The following is a famous case, well-known
as the "Apparition of the Radiant Boy." It was
seen by the Marquis of Londonderry, and fre-
quently spoken of by him afterwards.
