The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-11-19

spend the night as usual in my little Office
room.
The first few hours passed away quiet
ly, and l was just falling into doze, when
was aroused by the door of the corner
closet slowly creaking. The moonlight
enabled me to see that this door stood ajar,
though l distinctly recollected having
closed it before retiring. 1t had neither
lock nor bolt by which it could be secured.
sat up in bed, watched the closet and
looking halffearfully around the room; and
and as / looked, with my eyes fixed upon
the half-open door, heard within jingle
of glasses and phials. 1t was sound not
to be mistaken, and almost at the same
instant a voice said near me, in hoarse
whisper: "Bring light p
started up trembling, and with cold
perspiration breaking out on my forehead,
reached for a match and the lamp, and
tried to strike light, but in vain. had
but one or two matches left, and as /
dropped the last in despair, / heard the
voice which had before spoken, say slowly
and distinctly: "Poison p'
My first impulse was to flee from this
haunted room, but had my life depended
upon it, could not have passed that closet
and sped through the long deserted gallery
alone. ] sank back upon my pillow and
drew the sheets about my head, and re-
mained thus until daybreak.
1t was now no longer question with me
-, cl, -,
form my relatives of what had occurred.
/ told them the whole, and as had ex-
pected, was met with laughter and badin-
age.
"Try it, yourself?" was all could say
in answer; and on that night my brother
in-law, Mr.. Walton, agreed to occupy the
ofiice-room, remaining with my sister.
"Well, Richard, did you see or hear any
thing of Louisa's ghost?" inquired my
sister, playfully, on our meeting at the
breakfast table in the morning.
81 saw nothing" he answered thought
fully. "But really, Emma, it did appear
as though, more than once during the night,
l heard some unaccountable sounds-the
turning Of a key in the lock, "a sort of moan
ing and sobbing childs voice, and very dis
tinctly the shutting of small door. And
this last sound, )" he added decidedly, seer
tainly came from the closet or cupboard in
the corner of the room"
Emma opened her eyes and looked fright
ened. "Oh, Richard you don't really
think that you heard these sounds in the
room, with no one there but yourself?"
at is very unaccountable at present,
admit; but you know that do not believe
in the supernatural. We must examine
more fully into the matter"
For some days he kept sole possession of
the room, reporting once or twice that he
had again heard the mysterious noises,
and especially the grating of rusty key,
as in the lock of the corner cupboard, was
very distinctly audible. And yet, as we
all knew, there was neither lock nor key to
the cupboard door, only traces of one that
had been there. There was no room ad-
joining, no cellar below or garret above,
and the whole thing was most singular and
unaccountable. And once he even hesi-
tatingly suggested, "Could it be, after all,
spiritual manifestations? My own mind
echoed the inquiry.
Our nearest neighbor was farmer who
lived about mile distant, and of himself
and wife we made inquiries in regard to
the former occupants Of the house.
1t had for twenty years within his men,
ory, Mr. Grover said, belonged to a small
farmer, an iliteratc but good sort of man,
who had finally sold out and purchased a
better place farther south. Then the house,
with part of the land adjoining, had been
taken by gentleman who was known as
DR.. Mather, and was understood to be
very learned and writer. Mr.. Grover and
the rest of the neighb ors believed him to
be ga little cracked" He used to 90
about the country gathering sea-weeds,
plants, and insects but would repeI all ap-
proach to acquaintance. He had wife
with whom it was said he lived on bad
terms, and three siclkly children whose pres
cnce he would scarcely tolerate. The wife
and two of the children died, and then DIR.
Mather went away with the remaining
child, leaving the place to an agent for
sale. It was then rented for time by some
people, who, for reasons known only to
themselves, would not remain their term
out; and finally, we had taken II, furnished
as 1t was, for the summer. This was all
that Mr.. Grover knew.
Upon hearing this simple account, there