The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-11-17

away, crossed to another entrance
to the house and summoned my
landlady to unravel the mystery for
me if she could. She expressed no
surprise at my recital, merely re-
marking that they had often been
troubled by the appearance of this
curious gaseous object, but they new
er could discover the cause; and as
the Doctor had said that it was per-
fectly innoxious. they had given it
no further attention. l inquired if
there was not a cellar underneath my
apartment, and l suggested that
there might be some decayed vege-
table matter likely to generate such
miasma deposited there. At all
events considered it by no means
wholesome. Mrs. Marston replied
that there was q cellar that ran for
considerable distance under the
house, but they had never used it,
having a more convenient one In the
wing of the buiIding-which wing l
have before described. Nothing
more was said on the subject till we
met at the tea-table, when l inquired
of the Doctor for his solution of the
mystery. He evinced no more sur
prise than his wife at my inquiries
regarding my mysterious visitor.
He said that he could really give me
no satisfactory explanation of the
phenomenon, and wound up the sub
ject in his reserved way by suggesting
tbatit was not at all likely that l would
be troubled in the like way again, l
left the table dissatisfied and annoy
ed. l had just fled from palpable
pestilence, and this seemed to be the
coming shadow of it. However,
time wore on, and [ saw no more of
what reminded me so strongely of
the Fisherman and the Genii in the
Arabian Nights, with the absence of
my vGXahOn, my good humor and
cheerfulness returned.
My children's chamber overhead
was a sort of study and play-roOm,
where most of their morning hours
were passed with book and pencil.
Ny youngest daughter inherited
from her father a remarkable talent
for drawing, which had always en-
couraged, for her development in the
art was really wonderful in one so
young. l loved to sit in my little
parlor and listen to the merry peals
of childish laughter called forth by
likely, caricature, for children are
naturally satirists. One morning l
missed the usual honest, Jolly laugh
ter, and my ear was offended by an
IIncOuth sort of gibbering and gig
CLING, which was as offensive as it
was unaccountable. l rose to re-
prove my pets for indulging in such
folly, when they suddenly entered
my room, looking startled and
troubled.
Mamma, said Nellie, my baby
artist, what is that funny noise
We heard it before, and l don't like
it, mamma, for just now it was close
to our door.
This piece of strange intelligence
was confirmed by the elder girls,
and as / had never known them in
their lives to deviate from the truth,
l confess l was quite as puzzled as
was the children themselves. They
had never before expressed a fear of
anything. Having them always un-
der my own supervision, they had
escaped that dangerous association
with servants which so often forms,
| or rather deforms the characters Of
children. The ignorant delight in
the marvellous, and a story loses
nothing by repetition. l have al
ways observed the more ignorant
! the relator, the larger the spectre and
the louder the supernatural footballs
always the accompanying horrors
of a servants tradition.
There is no born fear in children.
What they have never heard of, they
certainly can never fear. l laughed
| at the little ones, and then laughed
| 1Cith them, at their underlined suspi-
ciOn of something startling and un-
usual. But when after while l re-
! fiected began to think there was
| something WrOng-sOmething l
could not fathOnA-and l made up
my mind that, on a recurrence of the
mornings events, l would leave the
/ house at once. l felt convinced that
some one was practicing on our Gre
| dulity, and l was determined that the
| chirdren should be neither annoyed
nor terrified. Then The question
presented itself, Who is the mischie-
Vous elf playing off this farce, and
what the motive? Was there no one
save ourselves under the roof, but
the Doctor, his wife and daughter,
/ and a servant-maid, stout, steady
! Scotch woman, who seemed to live
amost entirely in the little wing of
the house, and who, though evident
! Iy a sort of servant housekeeper,
! looked to staid and sensible to in
dulge in any prank of this sort. Be
| sides, she seemed too fond of chill
I dren, and when. on one or two Oc-
| casions, she had encountered my
I - o1 nhn ool1n6 fhnT1T 10
manner was exceedingly kind and
/ tender. / had always entertained
/ the utmost contempt for practical
| joking, and to play upon the fears of
any one, especially children, was a
crime in my eyes never to be forgiv-
en-. Now, then, what to do?-for l
felt that something must be done,
and that Immediately. My suspi-
cions leaned towards the daughter !;
and as suspicion is always very mar
row and iliibeTal, l attributed her
reserve and melancholy manner to
this extraordinary and unfeeling
phase of monOmania into which her
mind had drifted. Ny resolve was
formed. ! sent the children for a
ramhle, Cknowing there is no nerve
tome like fresh air and sunny skies, }
and prepared myself to see Mrs.
Marston at once. While making
some little addition to my morning
i. toilet, / again heard the same mean
ingless laughter. This reused me,
and turned to leave the room pre-
cipitately, when a sight met my eyes
which l shall never forget. Stand
ing III the doorway were two chill
dren, I should Judge from ten to
twelve years of age. The girl was
entirely without clothing, but her
, beautiful dark hair, reaching nearly
. to her knees, covered her like veil
The boy had some light garment on
/ Il could scarcely tell what, for II
III .r-n- II, tn ttnr.- q 9 thnN stnnl- thRiI