The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-05-09


g forgotten the subject In the interest
Il the supper, though I, sad I also fa
u ciei Emma, felt % little nervous
u we CccasiOuG l. glanced fgrt-va
y aTOIHi the room. Once cr twic
= also, i caught myself instructive
looking over my should -- toward Il
= corner cupboard behind ne.
r Supper over, AIr. Walton, gii1 W,
I i p fine reader, entertained Us with SON
j chapters from Dickens latest wOli
b and we were soon so much iEtereste
I. - to forget everything else. In th
very midst OF this, Ha veyeT, / VI
= startled by feeling a faint breath
e cold air upon my neck, and at th
I same instant saw my sisters eye
I lifted with frightened glance tOwar
the corner closet behind me.
| instinctively started up and cross
{ ed over - tie opposite side of the fire
, place.
? "What is it, Louisa - said Emma
, nervOusly, 'I saw tie door of Ga
. closet Open.n
Mr.. Walton closed his book and sa
looking attentivcly at thr cupboard
And il WAS while We were All thus
AANNAaf rtaNuaA sL4AfA AfAaAA
sound broke tils Stiilue5s-lJ lirs
what seemed the jingling Piiiais ant
rs.tiling uf chains, and then tiIc iaiu
. uncertaii. sand of muilled voice
which 1 had beard more than once be
fore, all coming Enthusiastically from
the little triam Ej'lJT closet in the corn
/ er.
go, Richard, ,!p you hear:7 gaspe,
Emma, sciZing IJ~t hold uf her hus
bands arm. Fer myself, 1 came very
near screaming outright
''Hush he qlipt,' saiI Mr.. Wal
ton. AMI taking the lamp .ie advan
eel To- the cupboard, threw the dOol
wide open, and surveyed il infinitely
lt was simply a c.pset built Of dea
boards against the naked white wash
ed walls of the rOOm- Three Tickety
shelves UnOccupied, and much stain.
ed with ink and other liquids, wert
all itcCntained. Between the lower
and middle shelves w.ss u strip Oi
wood nailed against the wal, as ii tC
cover . place where, as we could see,
I tile plaster rad fallen away; and be-
meath this strip could be discerned,
what seemed to be n rat hOi.. Besides
these not thing else was visible in
! the closet.
1 And yet, as live, while we three
stood there gazing in the empty clos
ct, from its rect tsses came a hollow
laugh and low, childish voice said
plaintiveiy:
"There-all dead-poisoned" ("
Emma sat down, half swo0nlng.-
Even Mr.. Walt0n's face, as / fancied,
became shade paleT; and then we
heard the voice again:
Bury thcm-grave under the mag
nOlia.n
1 looked again ri nay br0ther-in-
law, and saw his lips compressed,
and kind of desperation appeared
on his face. He advanced close to the
closet, pUt his head almost within,
and shouted loudly aad distinctly:
''WhO are you2 Who is it that
speaks ?"
In answer came a Shrek, LOUD and
appalling, ringing in our very ears.
raen the same breath of cold air
swept past, followed by violent
shutting Of a door, and grating of
key in lock. We looked at each
other against, but before we had time
to utter a word, we were again star
tied by another sound-thaU Of chil-
dren's cries, and footsteps hurrying
along the galleries to the room in
which we were. The next moment
the door burst open, and in rushed
MOmma Abbey, the cOlOred nurse.
bearing a baby in her arms, and fol-
lowed by the assistant, Chloe, drag
ging the three children after her-all
the latter pale and terrified, and Fred
die, in particular, shTieEing shrilly.
"What is the IN Itter? What has
screamed Emma forget
ting her own recent terror in alarm
for her children.
con Imaster Oh, missus - gasped
Momma Abbey, piIeously, her eyes
rolling white in their sockets, ga
ghos' = ghOs' in the nursery"
''A ghost ,"
ain the cOrner-cl0set in the nursery!
| heerd il. We all heerd il Marster
Freddy was lookin' in dat closet to
see if dar was any mice in de trap
what he'd set, and sure as Use alive |
dis minute, marster, somebody in dat !
ARE closet hOliered out, who is you? |
Who dat talkin' dar?' We all heerd |
it, we did."'
hIr. Walton turned around once
more looked into the closet. Then, |
taking the tongs from the hearth he |
inserted them behind the bit OF board /
which have mentioned rs nailed to /
The wall, and wrenched il away, ex-
posing rs he did 50, small aperture |
surrounded by metallic ring.
al have discovered the mystery ut /
last :" he said, turning to us with a
smile. at is no ghost, but simply a /
tube. Stay here, and wnen
you hear the spirits, place your mouth /
ID this and answer tnem.'
He lsft the room, and in n few min
ltes we again heard the mysterious
sepuIchral voice in the closet, only
more distinct now since the board /
lad been removed.
'tHOiD are yOH dVF'
/ summoned courage to answer
'bIuch better ~ And then there
.ame 4 low laugh, gh0stly enough,
To have caused our blood to
:ur,lle had We not been aware of the
IDENTITY OF the apparent ghost.
And so il WAS All explained, and the
mystery Of the haunted closet cleared
ip. There was, as Mr.. Walton had
aid, Il speaking tube communicating
,etWeen the Office room and the dis
ant nursery-placed there, dOnbtless,
" the eccentric English naturalist,
Dr.. Mather, for his own convenience;
md he, on leaving the house, had sim
,ly care!essly boarded over the mouths
# the the tuOe, not dreaming Of or
Indifferent 20 the consequences Of his
Probably II had been
hese very mysterious sounds which
lad driveI away the last occupants
+ the house; and certain il is that,
Or the fortunate discovery OF their
ource, we ourselves might have been !
gOu over 20 tile ranks Of spiritualists
nd ghost believers. Sue. results
ave, ere now, been produced 10y
Ii ghteF cases than these.
The explanation of the various
Ound5 heard by Us il the Office room
5 very simple. TnC corresponding
Mouth OF the tube was in q closet Ul /
he nursery, precisely Similar to that
n the Office, MUmmy Abbey stored
n this closet the yariUUs cups, phials,
,c., used IN the nursery, and to Sc
ure these from tie children, the clos
t was generally kept locked. 1t was
he opening and shutting Of this closet
Oor, with tie grating i the key in |
ae rusty lock, That had 50 uf-en alarm
d me; and when it was open and a |
earch going on among it contents
Jr some special Article, the noise thus /
made anu the words spCA-A in the
lOset could be heard, more or less
istiuctly, ia the office. AIs1, when .
he c.Osct d0or was suddenly shut to,
! would produce u carIent of air
Trough the tube Sufficient 10 slight
y open the ClIice cupboard. Master
'reddie's idea OF setting a moUse-trap
q the clio e., b}ited with poisoned foId, |
al added much 10 the effect Of the
lystcry; and it was li;tle AiaFy's
Oice that pleaded SO patheticalIy for
he three victims Of Her brothers. ex-
eiimenf, imp.0ring that they might
c buried umdcr the magnolia tree.
Mr.. Walton used To say tIiat Il was
Imost a pity that tine tube should
ave been discovered, ani thereby so
lpIjal % ghost story spoiled
\ Jolly young fellow, named Cor
arau, when he arrived i'm this {
JuHtry, some years since, propoun-
ed a puzzle b a grulf old clerk in 8
ne New Eo.k C.ty HslI, which is he !
eved to havs = t1ai-le.. tllt officials ;