The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1867-09-19
THE QUEER SKELETON.

l announce myself to the reader as the
man who believes in 2hosts-perbaps.
At any rate, | believe in my father, and
he believed in the story am about TO re-
late. BY father resided at Ipswich, and
once had occasion to go to London on
business. 1t was during period of great
popular c0mmotion, and the city being
very full. he had some trouble in finding
lodging. The master of the house OBJ
served that it was good, large room
for ne could get but one-and very com
Portable, if he did not mind but here he
stopped, for his wife gave him n nudge.
that made my father suspect something
was not right.
cit isn't over a sIaughtor-house or
burial ground, or a dissecting room, is
il 2" says my father.
cob, dear, mol" says the landlord:
''but some people say the next house is
haunted and that everybody who sleeps
in this room can see lady in white cry
ing at that window that you can see
there"
ooh, is that all ?" say my father "per-
haps there's some poor maniac confined
there. Whether or no, however, that's
no objection, for l don't care a rush for
all the ghosts that ever were invented"
We'll, he took possession of the room,
and before night closed in he had an op-
portunity of taking an accurate survey Of
the neishboring premises. A lead roof,
apparently over a workshop, lay between
his window and that one where the ghost
was said to appear only there was this
difference, that he could easily step out of
his upon the leads, whereas the neiohbor's
was about nine or ten feet higher. Nv
father always vowed that he was perfectly
sober when he went to bed. He couldn't
tell how long he had been asleep, when he
was suddenly awakened by loud screams
and when he opened his eyes be saw that
the opposite house was on fire, He was
out on the leads in a moment. The
haunted room was filled with bright flames,
and at the window stood lovely Young
woman, clasping baby in her arms, and
screaming for help.
ooh, save my child-saye my child !"
she kept on crying, in tones of such an
guish that they went into my fathers very
heart.
"Give it to me- he said, 'sand then
jump out into my arms. The distance is
nothing you cannot be hurt. Take cour-
age Now, give me the baby"
She leaned forward, and dropped the
baby, wrapped in shawl, into my fathers
arms. Just as he got it safe, it seemed
to him that the roof fell in. There was
a crashing noise, but not very loud the
flames disappeared, and so did the young
lady. In at the window he rushed again,
and through the house, shouting ''F'ire -
Sire y with all his might, and with the
baby still in his arms. Out rushed the
landlord, as pale as ghost, and bis wife
after him, IN such a monument of a night
cap that it quite overawed my father,
even in the midst of his agitation The
maid was shrieking "Murder - down in
the kitchen, and the apprentices had tum-
bled out from under the counter in the
shop, and were poking their noses eau
tiously out, and kindly inquiring who was
killing her and on every landing up the
stairs the loungers were calling out to
know what was the matter There was
altogether terrible row in the place.
"The next house is on fire y said my
father.