Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1860-04-27

tecnth.
/ Ny second startling situation" was
not q sho.tly one. although the location
was far better adapted for such phenom-
enon than the highroad to Paris--a fno old
manor house IN S,sFordshire. that had been
u petty stronghold In the tims OF the civil
wars. Rupert had sailed out Of !, a. the
head Of his rakehelly Babeater.. and CrJm-
we'll had ,,ormed IL with his lronsides, smi.
ting Agag-,hat Is to say, lts then posses
.or. Sir Jasper Sstop-hip and thigh. lie
was Gu, to pieces in the erca, hall, which i'
now the mushroom, or was in the days
knew II and the clash Of steel !, still TO be
heard ,hero IN wild winter midnigh,s. al.
though ! cannot say that ever heard Il,
myself, for certain. There were, however.
the mos, mysterious nightly sounds 10 that
old house, whose furniture, though good
and costly, was, throughout. from garre. 10
still room, ancient. ] never was. indeed.
in any dwelling. house whore Antiquity
had |, 50 much her own way. IL was full
OF unnecessary and unexpected flights Of
old oaken stairs. OF iortuou, passages. OF
long, dark, slippery galleries, and o.pc.
cially full Of lingering echoes, always dy.
inr out. and never dead. Nine ten,hs Of
the mysterious noise. came. Of course. from
these same echoes but who made the 9th.
er tenth, and sst the noises going. was a
problem not easily solved. Who emp,i.d
sacks Of potatoes every nigh, down the wide
upcarpetel oak staircase in tho Aforesaid
nu.ic.hall. was quite an open question; for
everybody agreed, though thsrc werc no
potatoes to 30 found ,bsrv. tha, that VA,
tho operation which tho disturbance mos,
rssemblcd. Who wen, about. and seemed
20 li'ten-vith li'tslippers on-at the
ehamber.doors' Who rang the drawing.
room bells when nothing was wanted, and
everybody was abed. Ny answer on ne.
count Of the philosophic character OF my
nature wa. always, Rats. Tho house
swarmed with them. that |, might have
been called Rats Castle. Tho arra., In such
Of the chamber. a, were not in constant u.s
was rat.oaten as veil q, moth.el,sn. The
wainsco,' wcrc riidled by rats. and they
were only kept away from the provision. OF
:as household by patent sale, that was
the one modern con,riyaueo in Burlby Hall.
Nevertheless, tho old plar. was the very
home Of Christmas hospitality, and had for
me who diI no, care for rats, only ons
source Of annoyance dared no, &c, up
early in a., morning aud sleep walking a'
Seton. who, snpged by thu state OF terror
ia which the female portion Of the dome.-
ties va. placed, perambulatsd the house al
all hours with a revolver, wherswith be had
pledged himself to pa, an end to all di.,ur-
bcrs oi the household peace. His sistsr',
being Sston'. were, OF course, afraid OF
nothing; but I confess tha, for nv part,
did no, like that sI.barrelled implement OF
the young drasoon at all The nightly
noises. however. were M whit decreased by
tai. amateur watchman and one Deeem.
ber night when grim north.eas,er WI
,ryin. doors aud window. from without,
and tho rat. we're at work as usual with
their potato sacks, and Is, slipper, within
hs added considerably to the general tu'
mutt by ringing huge alarm bell-which
he had placed in his bedroom in case o.
such an ernsrgsncy-and all the inmates o
the mansion locked to the Summons ne bees
are gathered by tho hiVesman. We found
the captain in his dressing gown. in the
centre Of the western gallery, standing By
an ugly mark in the pannelling. which he
had made with his pistol.
Here ho is."crisd he; 1.-the fellow
went though here, Ill take my oath !
heard him listening at my door. and wa,
on, IN a minute taking n snapshot. at him
but the thing missed IRE"
I" Heard whom heard whom - inquir'
ed Sir Arthur.
~ don't know how should 2" replied
the young man. Perhaps ghost. or, il
not, somebody who was never 50 near beng
gho., as he he wa. Eve minute. hack.
will have this pannol broken in. No faith
or we'll no, lcavert till tomorrow, II you
/ please that's how these things go on-le'
us do 1t a, once. There's picsaIo IN th,
s,able.yard; 70 and fetch j. ThomSs.'
!, So the pickaIs was brought, and-Sir
Arthur unwillingly a-cn,ins-vo broke uT
the oak panellin: into hundred 'plin,er'
and then through thick stone wall, with
I out hinge or entrance. ms it seemed, oI
any Kind in IL, into u chamber, oi the exi''
tencs OF which no person in the house had
ever known. A mod'rn chamber small
sit,ing.room, barely furnished with chars
and a table Of date Of construction later
by q, least two hundred years than any
thing in the house, except tho patent safe
bu, there were no windows to tho room
nor any means o, ingre.s that could bs dis
covered. save that very rough one OF our
own. DO not think that sither shos. OF
burglar could have affected us more strange
, ly than :he sight OF tha. untcnanted and
unknown modern room. IL iss,ill to be
.een in the ives. gallery Of Burlby Hall,
the sole approach to is-fOr so the S,e''on'
will have i,--ye, lying open between the
.plin,sred plsnks and broken .'One-work,
a, when 1t was first found. The mystery
concerning 1t and its occupants iin had
| - L.