The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1868-09-04

| the bed and fell into heavy sleep. Her
husband, after carefully searching every
part Of the house and its vicinity, and
| fastening every door and window, load.
ed his double barrelled fowling- piece,
and sternly set himself down beside his
sleeping wife to wait for intruders.
The little clock below stairs struck
ten, and at the same moment the clatter
of horses feet resounded along the leyel
road and presently stopped before the
cottage, while the same voices as in the
; preceding night We're heard talking
merrily together.
John Kevin sprang To his feet, threw
: open the window and leaned out. Not
, a form of man or beast met his sight,
and mile after mile of the level road lay
cleaning in the moonlight before him,
without moving object anywhere Wis
iblc.
But behind him, and beneath him,
arose already the same sounds of riot
ous mirth that had disturbed the previ- :
Gus night, and tightly grasping his gun,
John sprang down stairs and into the
room whence proceeded the sounds.
But in the moonlight everything lay so
quiet and peaceful, that the angry man
stood for moment half rebuked and
half terrified. A moment, and then he
wa startled by Maria's voice calling his
name in the shrill accents of extreme
terror, while at the same time sudden
tumult of Sound broke out in the cham
Der overhead, as if some persons was
there throwing about the heavy furni-
ture and stamping angrily up and down
the room.
kevin sprang up the stairs two at q
time and dashed open the door of the
chamber, but everything remained in
precisely the same order as when he had
visited it in making his rounds few
hours previously. Thoroughly bewild-
cred the young man crossed the little
entry and entered his wife's chamber.
She was covering beneath the bed
clothes and crying violently.
"What is it, dear? The noise in the
other chamber" asked her husband,
tenderly.
"No, no, it is that poor woman," sob
bed Maria, clinging apout his neck and
pointing to the opposite corner of the
room. John glanced over his shoulder
with voluntary shiver, but saw moth.
ing.
"She is moaning and crying so that
n l,raol l. ~ to In, h.r ,
ed Maria. go, what can he the mat
ter?"
But before John could either comfort
his frightened wife or listen for the
sounds she decribed, the door of the
trunk chamber which he had Just closed
opened and shut violently, and the
heavy footsteps of man We're heard
passing through the entry and out n
I the back door.
80 John, who is that? Don't go, {
don't go!" gasped Maria, clinging con
vulsively to him.
al must go, dear. will come direct.
ly back, but l heard that back dooi
open and close, and have the key of il
!, in my pocket"
So saying, Kevin, quietly disengag.
,, ing the clinging arms, ran down stairs
with little hope indeed of finding any
! solution to the mystery enveloping him
more and more closely, but with dog.
gcd determination to leave no means
; Of solving it untried.
The back door was shut, and onc
glance assured kevin, not only that thu
heavy bolt of the lock was shut, put
that wooden bar he had himself fitted
across it was undisturbed.,
Meantime this spectral feast had re-
commenced in the parlor, and John
standing in the little passage utterly he
: wildcred and diSheartened, could dis
tinguiSh the sounds of four voices, tw,
male and two female, of the clinking o
glass, the rattle of knives and forks
> and all the other sounds ofa merry les
! val. No words, however, were distin
= gui,hable, though he crept close to TIT
: door and laid his ear to the crack. Pres
entity he seized the latch and threw tn
u door violently back. The sounds ceas
as ifthey had never been, and the calm
! cold moonlight and rigid order of tn
y room seemed to mock his fcvcrish gaze
y and hot, painting heart.
} "IIold your devils holiday, them
i cried he, eXasperated beyond measure
= "Nou shall not fool me again"
y low, tittering laugh close in his ca
= seemed ut once to answer and mock II
y him, but as he tercely turned and threy
II out his arms they encountered onl,
u empty air. Shuddering in spite of him
y self, the young man turned and slowl
Is mounted the stairs. Tho sound of lo>
u but passionate sobs, mingled with bite
l. moass and murmured words, greete'
;, him from Maria's chamber, but as h
" approached the bed he perceived tina
y his wife lay mute and mOtionless in
= dead faint, while the sounds lamenta
= ton, as distinct rs ever, proceeded from
the other corner of the room, where In,
: II broad sheet of moonlight showing ev
y cry crevice of the loose floor, ever
II crack in the whitewashed wall, bu
Y nothing more.
Il "Cry away No doubt you had caus
~ enough, and have cause enough still!
~ muttered Kevin. turning his back uI
-, on the sound and STOPPING over his wifi
> who was just returning to consciou,
ness.
y "Don't leave me again, John! sha
% die ifyou leave me alone again." moan
~ ed she, as soon as she could speak.
20 "No, dear, / WON'T" said John, fold
|, ing her tcnderly in his arms, and 5
they sat through the remainder of tn
q night, listening, she with almost franti
:, terror, he with gloomy defiance, to tn
" Storm of sounds. combining all the,