The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-07-05
Miscellaneous.
WAS IT A DREAM!

pTlpnUSuGu Hall Oul Vi our WIS tudu
night at Mrs. Hollands, alone and
quite unprotected in the wild old house,
wonder whatever put it into our heads
to sit mp till past midnight, telling all
sorts of horrible stories Of ghosts, mur-
ders and robberies 1t must have been
the perversity ofour woman-naturcs, for
L know, all the while we were talking
and listening, we started at every
sound, and hardly dared glance over
! our shoulders.
There were six of us besides Mrs.
Holland invited TO spend the night
with that lady for the sole purpose of
keeping her in good heart during her
husbands brief absence. ! do not know
had found herself left in the lureii by
! her only man servant, and so had gath
cred this group of chattering, rattle
braiHed girls about her. Her place was
on the outskirts of a Western city,
somewhat retired, although from
its windows of nights the lights of the
4 town could be plainly geen.
/. I don't know how our tongues got al
such mistaken subject. l know that
I Belle Sloan played and sang in way
1ajS TojS thot iobgo hohSShlnf aJ 6m 2nght o5 f
thoughts. We recited poems, discussed
the fashions, danced, read, and last but
not least lunched, all before we ventur.
ed to look into Bluebeard's chamber.
1t mi sht have been the sight of the
silver on the sideboard, or tea urn upon
| the table that first started it. ] knew
that Mrs. Holland was very careful
about locking up the plate, and sug
gested that some one should put the
key of the sideboard under their pillow
when they went to bed that night.
remember, too that Gertrude Haws was
the only one who had courage enough
to pocket the disagreeable charge.
| OF all the terrible things that wer
related, and I am sure each one vice
with the other iii telling frishtfu
stories, mono afe ctod me as did al
"o'er true tale" told by Caroline M
! Dowell, and vouched for by her cousil
Lucy. At this date I do not remembe
all its details; l only know that som
aunt, uncle, or cousin OF the famil
rented a house near the city; ths
when they took possession of it,
seemed the most delightful as we'll a
the most desirable Of places; but whe
.. they had occupied it week or two
feeling of disquiet and unrest came ovc
each member of the family.
Though there was nothing unusGf
heard, and everything was as q uiet an
well ordered as in any house, they 500
+ gotin the way of budding about the pal
lor fire of nights, dreading to ssparai
when bedtime came, and looking feal
fully over their shoulders as they wer
into the hall and up the long stairwa.
Though the house had southern an
eastern exposure the rooms grew dam
and cheerlesS, an uncanny atmosphel
constantly pervading them. They di
not talk of ghosts or spirits, for none
the family believed that the dead can
back from their homes to terrify or a
noy US here, but that there was nam
less something that disturbed the
they grew to have little doubt.
They We're not given to discussil
their affairs among their friends al
neighbor5, so they took counsel of nol
outside. Indeed, not for many, maj
weeks did the members of the 1ami
confess that anything was wrong,
seemed wrong III their home. Comil
TO mutual confession, at last, did II
mend matters in the least.
, Tho something about and above al
y below them seemed to take license fro
their words of doubt and veXatic
The crisis came soon after. Whatev
, it was that disturbed them they on
F" g Nv shadow A shadow thrown c
pu usite them on the wall of evening
ne yer seen at any other time. Th
we. C usually grouped in the centre
the square parlor, sewing or readir
and this spectre, or more proper
speak ing, this substance, spread Its
upon he wall, with arms extended a
head M owing from one side to the 9th
Oueeres, of all was, that it always w
hat and carried a handkerchief in
l. right han d,
=, The stor was interrupted here b!
" dry remark from Hattie Brown;
1Guess tn, Q old fellow had cold"
"More like ly he was baldheaded,
kept on his hat to conceal the b
spot,n said .Belle Sloan, "or like
= old chap in iA, play, he couldn't take
le hat off for fe, ar he'd sneeze his h
or off,"
SSyy "How dare S'ouW answered L
''' Mcdowell. who had a great dea