The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1869-10-15
to sleep in the haunted room to

j
| Indeed, doctor,'' the widow erie
, with a pale and frightened look, "I'
do nothing of the kind. would nc
spend another night there for all th
, wealth l possess. How could 20
ask me to do such thing?"
"My dear madam" said Pat, wit
a smile, l did not ask you to slee
there-I merely meant that the ser
wants should be made to believe yor
would. But this is not the request
hesitated to make. >;
! "What is it then ?''
Simply said the eyoung surgeon
and it really required an effort tt
make the strange request-"simply
that you would give me a bed here
to night"
The young widow drew back il
sur rise /; the warm blood crimsoned
on brow and cheek, and there was 4
look of offended delicacy in her eyes
"Sir !" she exclaimed, "I am afraid
you forgot yourself, or have misun
derstoOd you. l am here, a female,
without guardian or friend; and
surely you must be gentleman
enough to know how extraordinary
your request is under the circum
stances"
pardon me- Pat answered like a
gentleman, as the scamp was, but vet
with a slight smile playing round his
lips, 81 have not forgotten what is
due to etiquette and to womaDly del.
icacy. Bat l have undertaken to
lay the ghost, and / always keep my
word. To be able to exercise that
hideous phantom l must see it.
Besides" he said, "your ladyship's
health is somewhat preearious, for
your nerves have been greatly shaken,
and if you venture to sleep again in
what you call your own room, it may
be most desirable that your medical
man for the time being should be on
the premises. In fact" added the
rogue with wicked twinkle of his
eye, 'yOur ladyship is looking much
too well for the state of health in
which you must be this afternoon"
The young widow laughed at the
fellows glance and the emphasis he
put on the word, must.
81 comprehend all, !" she said. ''Be
it all as you wish. OF course you
desire TO sleep in the haunted room?"
"Just so. And if 1 do not lay that
same ghost who haunts it, when he
should, like any other sensible ghost,
be repOsing in his quiet grave, will
give my worst enemy leave to say that
not a drop Of the good old blood of
the Callanans flows in my veins.
1t was accordingly arranged that
the young widow whould make it be
understood that she would occupy her
own room again that night, that Pat
was to be her guest at dinner and
spend the ev ming, that a bed should
be prepared in a remote wing, in con-
sequence of the critical state of i'll
ness and nervous excitement in which
her ladyship felt, but that he was to
sleep in the haunted room for all
that.
"Well," said Pat, philosophically,
as he walked home to his surgery,
Il am disgracefully ungratefal black
guard, there's no doubt of it. This
ghost is the first friend-true friend
Il have met since 1 set foot on this
iuho;pitabIe land of England, and
hOF do l repay him Why by prov
ing his very worst enemy. Poor dev-
il /! all ghosts who walk about at
night in that disreputable manner
must be devils-barring they come
from Purgatory-there's no help for
him. 'Pon my soul, Mr.. Ghost, I'd
spare you if could but you see
there's a lady in the case /; and you
know all's fair in love and war
Still 1 must do something for you, for
l owe you much. Let me see-6ve
pounds to begin with. ah la good
dinner this evening and the society
of as lovely a woman az walks on En-
glish ground though even all her
charms don't lie in that-and-and-
Heaven knows what may remain be
hind. There is a tide'-yes, and by
this hand it will not be my fault if l
miss il"
When our hero got home the first
thing he did, after exchanging a few
words with his boy, was to open a
certain mysterious volume, wsnder-
fully like a grocer's cash book, ard
examine it carefully.
"All right" he muttered, "the boy
has made the entries carefully, and
there can not possibly be any mistake.
l see it all as clear as day. | think
I'll always stick to the stupid line of
honesty tits decidedly the safest.
Rogues never move step but they
leave a dangerous trail behind them
for justice, when she wisely opens
her eyes, to run down. IT'S painful to
think what trap that poor ghost has
laid for himself"
So muttering, Pat disappeared
within his sanctorum, and was seen
no more until he issued forth, dress
ed in his very best, with snowy linen
that certainly never rested on mortal
frame beforehand a decidedly hand
some and attractive fellow the Irish
scamp looked. Where was he going?
Bah what's the use of your askingP
Don't you know it was close upon the
widows dinner hour?
A pleasant dinner that same was;
and, take my word for it, among
the primest delights of this chequer-
ed life of ours, is a pleasant dinner.
It's few of them many of us enjoy;
and more's the pity. But we love
and enjoy them all the more-these
angels visit prandial-and there's
the compensation. And delightful
ly the evening passed away, only a
little too fast, thought Pat-as if it
could be otherwise in the company or
lovely woman. Her ladyship did
not play or sing, for that would be
inconsistent with her illness; but Pat,
the villain, among his other danger
Gus accomplishments, could thrum on
the keys to the accompaniment Of
his voice, and sing one of Moore's
Melodies, or a comic song of Lovers
Ito some splendid, rollieking old
Irish tune, thousand years old, but
composed" as usual, by Mr.. Low
.erO like-like-well, I'm hard up
for = simile, SO you may say like any
thing you think best in the vocal
line.
The talk of that delightful evening