South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-04-21
TWO MYSTERIES EXPLAINED.

myeeil, we gave up housekeeping, and f0l
some time travelled about England. Tired
at length of wandering, we returned to oul
old neighborhood, and looked about for q
settled residence. One day, while walk.
ing down well remembered street, we
were struck with the appearance of q
large handsome corner house, where we
recollected perfectly, only year or two
before, had been a greengrocer's shop.
We stopped and asked deferential cross
ing-sweeper how that imposing edifice
had grown there, and were told that the
shop had been burned down with every
thing in it, and this house built on its
ruins
We were concerned to hear such mel
ancholy account, having known the green
grocer well, and we inquired anxiously if
there had been any loss of life. "Troth, my
lady, and there was" said our glib inform
ant-lrish, of course-'for the masther
wakened in the night and smelled the fire !:
and he reused the wife, who had a young
baby, and bade her wrap in blanket, and
take the wee thing and go straight down
through the door, for the fire was in a
room above; and he rushed up to save the
other childer, and he did it, and got them
all safe out on the roof of the next house,
and so down into the street; but when he
came to look for the mistress, faithl she
was nowhere to be found; and boy that
was standing by, frind of my own, tould
me that he saw her, from a backyard,
stand at the window, and then turn as
though to come down the stairs-and she
had sheet wrapped around her, and the
baby in her arms under the sheet; but
why she stopped so long, and why she
looked out o. window, and why she niyer
came at all, at all, sorra one NV us ever
larnt, for the roof fell in and none burst
go near the flames; and, shure enough,
next day they found her, and the bit of
baby in her arms still; and whether she
stayed to gather up her tIinkets and such
Ike, or her sinses forsook her, or the
smoke choked her, not living crater can
tell, for the sowl went out of her poor
body and niver came back to tell us the
rason, and Thank We kindly, my lady"
Shocked and distressed at the sad ending
of the poor woman, and anxious to escape
minute details, we abruptly left the Irish
sweeper, and went our way. / remem-
bered the poor greengrocer's wife very
well, and had often remarked that her
gooseberries were the driest and
wholesomest, her raspberries lest mashed,
her strawberries the least suspicious look
ing of any fruiterer's in that district /
Well, in the end, we took that very
house. 1t was then autumn and there we
remained the winter, spring, summer. and
autumn again; and then came that terrible
hard winter of 1861 As the frost in
creased, we found the cold of our bed
rooms impossible to bear; so my sister and
L agreed to occupy one large room with a
southern aspect, and keep a fire in it con-
stantly. The first night that this arrange
mr. mt xr-ac mt in
stairs at our usual time, about twelve
o'clock. Our bedroom was over the
drawing room floor, and there were other
rooms above, where the servants slept
The staircase window on the second floor
was exactly opposite our door, on the
curve of the upper stair, which formed a
small landing. We found our fire burning
brightly, and while my sister stirred and
heaped it with Goals, put down what 1
was carrying, and went back to shut the
door. But, instead of shutting it, stood,
holding the handle, staring into the dark
ness outside, speechless, motionless, con-
scious of nothing but an unutterable hor-
ror; my eyes fixed upon an object not two
yards distant, whose appearance alone,
without any other reasoning, witnessed
that il was no inhabitant of earth.
On the top stair of the flight that led to
the upper window stood the figure of
woman, wrapped from head to foot in a
thick white covering; rounded and bulky
about the shoulders and arms, as if hold |
ing child or bundle; tapering towards
the feet, as if but slenderly clothed; ev-
cry fold, every wrinkle, every curve of
the limbs as distinct as we see them in
each other under strong light. But the !
crowning horror was this: through this
perfectly formed and apparently solid fig
ure distinctly saw the staircase window, |
the opposite wall, the faint light coming
from outside-all as plainly visible as if |
nothing stood between them and me; and |
yet there was woman, tall, broad, envel- |
oped in thick covering, and placed in a |
position which ought to have screened |
everything beyond herself from view.
She stood on the top stair; one foot COW |
cred with stocking but no shoe, put for |
ward as if about to touch the lower step;
and I noticed, with a sickly shudder, that |
as the fire, stirred and renewed, leaped I'D |
in rampant flames, the figure became agi- |
tated moved its foot, now up, now down;
swayed little from side to side; some |
times seemed to step backward, sometimes |
forward, like one uncertain which way to |
go; that the arms worked, as if clasping |
their burden tighter; and still, through it |
all, came the light from the window, and |
the outline of the opposite wall ; and still |
| stood staring in silent terror, believing, |
disbelieving. How could believe the ex-
ploded folly of spirits departed coming |
back to haunt the spot where they had |
suffered and been released. And yet how
disbelieve my own eyesight?
At length my sister, from the other end |
of the room, astonished at my silence and
the still open door, turned suddenly round,
started at my fixed look and face of terror,
and exclaimed, " Is anything the matter?
What are you looking ats'
The sound of her voice was an immense
relief to me; it aroused my paralyzed
senses. Still keeping my eyes fixed on the
apparitiOn, | said quietly, "Come here a
don't be frightened; there is
something strange on the stairs"
She came hurriedly, but in spite of my
caution, gave cry of terror as she caught
sight of the figure "Good heavens! what
can it be% she whispered
Don't move, said; "we must watch
it. You remember what the sweeper told
us about the greengrocer's wife"
Silent and shivering we stood, exchang-
ing now and then a frightened whisper.
Had any one told me beforehand that
should see such a figure, and inquired
how would act under the circumstances,
1 should have said, "Iwould walk straight
up to it"; but standing where [ did now,
l felt that the distance was not at all too
great between it and me, and had no wish
whatever to lessen it.
For long time we watched, and the
only change in the figure was one or an
other of the movements have mentioned.
Meantime the fire burned low; the phan-
tom became rather less distinct, and re-
mained quiet. We stood with the door
only partly opened, and had not courage
to put it any wider. At last, with a sud
den resolution, shut it,
1t is no use looking any longer" 1
said; 1--WE shall only terTify ourselves to
death, and catch dreadful colds besides"
Then We sat down by the fire, and dis
cussed the matter. The strange appear
ance no longer visible, my natural hardi-
hood and disbelief in spectres returned.
I don't care" said, in answer to re-
ma-k from my sister; Though have
stood and looked at the dreadful thing for
nearly an hour, 1 don't believe in ii. II
must have cause. Perhaps figure out.
side the window: light is so deeeivip1D