Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1873-03-18


weeks the children who were play
ing "soldier" in the yard were call
ed to school by the ringing of this
bell, which they instantly recoG- /
ni1ed. While thoy were ca boring
at the door OF the empty school
house the teacher appeared coming
down the street. 1t was a quarter
before the hour for opening the
school and the incident betrayed
the spirit for once in a facetious
mood. - ---s
A more emphatic exhibition took
place one afternoon in the passage,
upon which occasion five doors
opened. One Of these, the street
door. is supplied with an ordinary
molticc lock, which was fastened rs
nsnal, with the key on the inner
side. Another door, the one leading
to the cellar, has, besides its latch,
n common bolt, which, when shut,
is very secure. The remaining
doors have no locks, mere latchse
and turnknobe, which, however, an
swer the purposes for which hey
are Intended, and are in good re-
pair.
On the day in question Miss Per-
kins closed one of-the doors, which
was open, but it Immediately few
back again, as did another which
had been tightly closed, one after
the other, but they at once flew
open, together with the remaining
three, and all five swung to and fro
upon their hinges. PerpleXed but
not daunted, the teacher attempted
again to accomplish her object, bat
she was similarly defeated. No
sooner would she secure one door
and hasten to the other, thau the
first would open again, in spite of
her efforts. She then pushed the
cellar door to, with difficulty, and
threw the holt into its place, and
Mt once seized another. But the
holt was pulled sharply back and
the door flung open with such vio-
! lcnce that it struck an iron coat
hook and was indented by it.
AS these strange doings became
known in the community, visitors
began to throng the school; and
,, their presence was valuable, for the
! reason that they were enabled, by
their unprecedented minds, to give a
more severe scrutiny to the modes
and character Of the distul Dances.
But TO solution was offered in any
ease, and the presence of an nncX-
plainablc force was admitted as
l proved.
On one memorable day, the teach
CT, annoyed beyond endurance, eX-
claimed:
"Why do you make such n noise
: If you want anything, why don't
you ask for it in proper manner !
| am tired out with such behavior :"
Silence instantly ensued, and
presently several light knock were
mysteriously delivered upon her
desk, as If in token of acquiesccncc.
The school was thus left in quiet
for the remainder OF the day.
There are two phepomenas more
impressive than those that have been
detailed, and which are as fully at
tested as the others. One OF these
is a seeming attack of the atmos-
pheric currents upon the building.
Several scholars protested at the
same time Sh&t they woro prevented
from studng by rush of air which
made their ears sing and their
heads ache. The teacher, on in
vestigating the matter, discovered
that there was circling rapidity
about the room, and over her head
a strong breeze, which was gradu-
ally gathering in concentric cir
cles toward the open ventilator, aud
with loud, rushing noise.
After it had been apparently
swallowed in q vortex, it resumed
its activity, but in the reverse or
dcr-that is, the wind circled out
wardly from the centre, until it
reached the limits of the ceiling,
when it whirlcd round and round
with great force. All the time there
had been no agitation in the air
outside; the day was perfectly
calm.
Another phenomenon, even more
extraordinary than this, consists of
the illumination of the entry as if
by strong sunlight. The glare is
to he seen through the window in
the partition by all the scholars
while sitting in their seats. Ii is
uniform in its strength, and does
not appear to proceed from any
one particular point. 1t is natur-
ally more vivid on stormy days
when the sky is overcast, and the
appearance prolonged one, last
ing at times for hours. On two or
three occasions this spectacle has
has been varied and heightened by
vivid electric glitter, which shoots
from one end of the passage to the
other, resembling the action of
chain lightning.
Up to this point the writer has
described manifestations of char
acter with one exception) which
might possibly be accounted as the
results of partially understood, but
still natural causes; yet there
would still be enough of mystery
left to please the most practical.
The one exception referred to is
the case in which the CELLAR door