The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-04-06

hall was quite an open question, for ever,
body agreed, though there were no potatoes
10 be found there, that that was the opera.
ton which the disturbance most :esembled.
who went about and seemed to listen-with
list slipper on the feet-at all the chamber
doors?
Who rang the drawing-room bells when
nothing was wanted, and everybody had gone
to bed? Ny answer. on account of the phi.
losophic character of my nature, was always,
Rats. The house so swarmed with them.
that it might have been called Rats Castle.
The arras, in such cf the chambers as were
not in constant use, was rat-eaten. The
wainscots were riddled by rats; and they
Were only kept away from the provisions OF
the household BY patent safe, that was the
one modern contrivance in Burlby Hail.
Nevertheless, the old place Was the yer,
home Of Christmas hospitality, and had foi
me who did no, care for s,only one source
of annoyance: dared not indulge liz two
Of my usual habits-getting up early in the
morning, and sleep-walAing q. nigh,-tor
fear of being shot by Capt. Seton, the eldest
son Of Sir Arthur, who, enraged by the state
Of terror in which the female portion Of the
domestlcs were plunged, peramoulated the
house at all hours with revolver, " wherewith
he had pledged himself to put an end to ali
dislurbers Of the household peace.
His sisters being Setons, we're, of course.
afraid of nothing; but confess that. for nv
part, did not like that six barrelled imple-
ment OF the young dragoon at all. The
nightly noises, however, we're no whit de-
creased by this amateur watchman; and one
December night, when grim north-easter
VAS trying doors and windows from without,
and the rats were at work as usual with their
potato-sacks and list-sllppers within, he add
ed considerably 10 the general tumult by
ringing huge hard nl-bel-which he
had had placed in his bedroom in case Of
such an emergency-and all the inmates Of
the mansion tlocked to the summons as bees
are gathered by the hivesman. We found
the captain in his dressing gown, in the CEN
ire of the western gallery, standing by an
ugly mark made in the paneling, which he
had made with the muzze of his pistol.
"Here he is. cried he 1.-The fellow went
through here, III take nv oath, heard him
listening at my door, and was out in min
ute, taking snap shot at him, but the thing
missed fire."
Heard whom heard whom ?" INQUIRED
Sir Arthur.
Il don't know ;how should ?" replied the
Young man. "Perhaps ghost; or, if not
somebody who was never so near being one
III warrant him. as he was five minutes back.
III have this panel broken in No, father
we'll net leave it till TO morrow, if YOU please;
that's how these things 20 on-lct's do it Il,
once. there's pickaxe in the stable yard
80 fetch it, Thomas"
So the pickaxc was brought, and-Sir Ar.
thur unwilIingly assenting-we broke up the
black oak panelling into hundred splinter.
and then through thick stone wall. wi,hou,
hinge or entrance, as ii seemed, of any
kind in ii. into chamber, of the existence
of which no person in the house had ever
known. 4 modcyn chamber-a small sitting
room. barely furnished with chairs and Ia
bic Of date OF construction later nv at leas,
Two hundred years than anything in the
house, except the patent safe bu: there were
no windows to the room, nor any means of
inSress that could be discovered, save tina,
very rough one of our own. do not think
that either ghost or burglar could have affec
ted us all more strangely than the sight of
that untenanted and unknown modern room
IL is still to be seen in the west gallery of
Burlhy Hall, the sole approach to it-for SO
the Sstons will have it-yet lying open be-
tween the splinterrd planks and broken ston,
work, as when it Was first found. The mys
terry concerning it and its occupants-if an,
is still unsolved, and the rats make Just
as much noise about the grand old place al
ever.
My third remarkable adventure occurred
to me in broad daylight, when it is especial,
cfedltabIe to situation to be "startling." al
m ne undoubtedly was. was III Chester,re
81 ling with my family, consisting of my wife
an grown-up son ard daughter, in tempo
ray lodgings, three stories high. but other
wise very convenient. 1t was ten o'clock il
/ the morning, but, am ashamed to say, ",
were still at breakfast, for We were ava,
from home on pleasure, and had fallen int
all sorts Of idle habits. My conversation
happened to be on an incivility my wife hat
met with in town on the preceding day.
Some coal-heavers were uncar,ing coal upol
the pavement, and the roadway being yer,
wet, she had asked them TO desist from the
occupation for moment, so that she Nigh
pass. They did so. but not without one of
them observing, "And how do you think VI
should get our work done, missis. if We wer
to wait for every fool as goes by" We wer
expressing the hope that this gentleman's re
mark was not an exempli6ca,ion of Cheste
manners, when the third window of uu
room-that turthest from the breakf.st-tabl
was violeat y thrown open, and the heat
and unclothed shoulders of man thrus
themselves inward. My son anG ] were S
overcome with astonishment, and the ladie
with terror, that it must have been nearly
full minute before stopped down for the DC
ker, during the whole of which interval h
made the most hideous grimaces it is poss
BILE to conceive. Independently of these, hi
natural usliness was excessive, he being pei
fectly bald, and of bright scarlet color
such a complexion as | had neve. befor
seen on any man. AS ran at him, poker
hand, he slammed down the window, and b,
fore could open it was out of sight. Wor
derful as had been his appearance. his disar
pearance was far more SO, and, indeed, inc,
: plicable. The window which had been throw
> up was Observation-Disclosures is to say, it wa
co nmon to our room and the next to
which also belonged to the same house, b,
which was at that time uninhabiteG and loci
: ed up. Having satisfied ourselves BY tho
ough search that the appari,ion was not
} this apartment, there was nothing left b,
. the conclusion that he had made his wav 4;
long narrow ledge of not more than 70.
, inches broad, to some other house to Ii