Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-05-06
IIIuainnn.

A gentleman who had lately lost his
wife, looking out of window in dusk OF
evening, saw her sitting in garden
chair. He called one OF his daughters
and asked her to look out into the gar
den. why" she said, mother is sit
ting there" Another daughter was
called, and experienced the same illu-
sion. Then the gentleman went out into
the garden, and found that garden
dress of his wife's had been placed ever
the seat in such position as to pro-
duce the illusion which had deceived
himself and his daughters. During the
last week Of the long vacation | went
alone to Blackpool, Lancashire. There
took lodgings in house facing the
sea. Ny sittingrocm was on the ground
floor. On q warm autumn night l was
reading with the window open, but the
blind was down and WAS waving gently
to and fro in the wind. 1t happened
that was reading book on demonol-
ogy; moreover / had been startled
earlier in the evening by prolonged
shrieks from an upper room in the
house, where my landlady's sister, who
was very i'll, had an hysterieal fit. |
had Just read to the end Of long
and particularly horrible narrative when
/ was disturbed by the beating of
the curtain-the wind having risen
ssmewhat-and | got up to close
the window. As turned round for the
purpose the curtain rose gently and dis
closed startling object. A fearful face
was there, black, long and hideous, and
surmountedby two monstrous horns. It's
ewes, large and bright, cleaned horribly,
and a mouth garnished with Immense
teeth grinned at me. Then the curtain
SLOWLY decended. But / knew the hor-
rible thing was there. ! waited, by no
means comfortably, while the curtain
fluttered about, showing parts OF the
black monster. At last it rose again so
az 10 disclose the whole face, But the
face had lost its horror for me; for the
horns were gone. Instead OF the two
nearly upright horns which before had
shown black and frightful against the
light background of sea and sky, there
were two sloped ears as Enthusiastically
asinine as felt myself at the moment.
When | went to the window (which be-
fore | felt unable to approach) saw
that several stray donkeys were wander
inr through the front gardens of the row
Of houses to which my lodging belonged.
1t is possible that the inquisitiveo gen
tleman who looked in at my window
was attracted by the Tapping curtain,
which he may have taken for something
edible. "If so, / remarked to myself,
1.-TWO of your kind have been deceived
te.night." Atriepd Of mine told me he had
been disturbed two nights running by a
sound as of an army tramping down
road which passed some two hundred
wards from his house; he found the
third night q had suggested an expert
mental test as to tho place whence the
sound came) that the noise vas pro
dueed by clock in the next house, the
clock having been newly placed against
the party wall We all know Carlsle,s
story Of the ghostly voice heard each
eysning of a low.spirited man-a voice
as if one, in likeful dumps, proclaiming
once was hap.hRp-hsppy,. but now
am meeserable=- and how the ghost re-
solved itself into rusty kitchenjack.
There is the case of lady who began to
think herself the victim of some delp-
sion, and perhaps threatened by ap-
preaching illness, because each nj ight
about quarter Of an hour alter she mad
gone 10 bed, she heard hideous din in
the neighborhood Of her house, or else
(she was uncertain which, in some dis
tant room. The noise was, in reality,
the slightest possible oreak within q
few feet Of her pillow, howeyer), and
produced by the door Of a wardrobe
which she closed every night before get
ting into bed. The door, about a quar-
ter of an hour after being closed, recoy-
cred its position Of rest, slightly beyond
which it had been pushed in closing. In
another case the crawling of q snail
across a window produced sounds which
we're mistaken for the strains Of loud
but distant music.-Fhe CorBbfV 4agG-
zine for AprH. ,rE 49,