Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-02-14
spend the night, as usual, In my little Office


was aroused by the door of the corner clos
et slowly creaking. The moonlight end
bled me to see that this door stood ajar,
though distinctly recollected having clos
ed II before retiring. II hal neither lock
nor bolt by which IL could be secured.
sat up in bed, Watching the closet and
looking hall-fearfully around the room ;
and as ! looked, with my eyes fixed upon
the half-open door, heard within jingle
of glasses and pbials. II was a sound not
TO be mistaken, and almost at the same in
slant voice said near me in hoarse whis-
per: Bring lightP'
started up trembling, and with cold
perspiration breaking out on my forehead,
reached for match and the lamp, and tried
TO strike light, but in vain. had but
one or two matches left, and as 1 dropped
the last in despair, 1 heard the voice which
had before spoken. say slowly and distinct
ly: "Poison ~
NV first impulse now was tJ flee from
this haunted room, but had my life depend
cd upon 1t, 1 could not have passed that
closet and sped through that long deserted
gallery alone. sank back upon my pill
low and drew the sheets about my head,
and remained thus Till daybreak.
II was now no lofEer question with me
as to whether should or should not in
form my relatives of what had occurred
told them he whole, and as I had EXPECT
ed, was met with laughter and badinage.
"Try 1t yourselfl" was all could say in
answer and on that night my brother-n-
law, Mr.. Walton, agreed TO occupy the Of
flee room. I remaining with my sister
"Well, Richard, did you hear or see any
thing of Louisa's ghost?' inquired my sis
ter, playrully, on our meeting at the break
fast. table in the morning.
"I saw nothing" he answered rather
thoughtfully. "But really, Emma, it did
appear as though, more than once during
the night, I heard some unaccountable
sounds-the turning of key in the lock, a
sort of moaning and sobbing child's voice
and very distinctly the shutting of small
door. And this last sound" he added de-
cidedlv, "certainly came from the closet or
cupboard in the corner of the room"
Emma opened her eyes and look ed
frightened. "Oh, Richard you don't re-
ally think that you heard these sounds in
that room, with no one there but your
self ?"
at il very unaccountable at present, I
admit but you know that do not believe
in the supernatural. We must examine
more fully into this 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
TO the closet door, only traces of one that
had been there. tt ere was no room adj
Joining, no cellar below or garret above,
and the whole thing was most singular and
unaccountable. And once he even hesitat-
ingly suggested, "Could 1t 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 his wife we made inquiries in regard
to the former occupants of the house,
1t had for twenty years within his mem
ory, Mr.. Grover said, belonged to small
farmer, an illiterate 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 q
| very learned man and writer. Mr.. Gro
yer and the rest of the neighbors believed
| him TO be "a little cracked" He used tc
| go about the country gathering sea-weeds
plants, and insects, but would repel all APP
proach to acquaintance. He had wife
with whom it was said he lived on bad
terms, and three sickly children, whose
presence he would scarcely tolerate. The
wife and two of the children died, and then
DR.. Mather went away with the remaining
child, leaving the place to an agent for sale
1t was then rented for time by some peo.
pie, who, for reasons only known TO them
selves, would not remain their term out
and finally, we had taken it, furnished as i
was, for the summer. This was all that Mr.
Grover knew.
Upon hearing this simple account, ther,
instinctively formed in my mind an ex
planation, If such it can be called, Of tn,
mysterious circumstances which had s,
puzzled and disturbed us. "They had al
three died" and my memory reverted
with a shudder to the word "Poison =
which had he rd uttered by that myste
rious voice. Perhaps murder had beer
committed in this kouse-even In the very
Office room which had appropriated; ant
this Impression was deepened upon benl
informed by Mr.. Grover, in answer to m,
inquiries, that that room had in realit,
been DIR. Mather's study or library, int,
which no one was ever admitted and tha
he would sometimes remain in it who'll
days and nights together without being in
terrupted-having his meals brought an,
deposited outside the door, in the adjoining
gallery.
The Office and gallery we're now careful
ly stunned by us all, with the exception q
Mr.. Walton, who haunted it with persist
ency doubtless equal to the ghost itself
He was determined, he said, to learn al
that could be learned of this mystery, an,
If possible, to thoroughly unravel it.
One evening after rain, heavy sea 70
set in upon the coast, aud the atmos
phere became all at once so damp aud chill
ly as to render a fire indispensable to com
fort. The two most comfortable apartment
of the house for cool weather were the nur
sery and the ofiice-room, which were stu
ated at opposite extremities of the lon
building. So, leaving the former to tn
nurses and children, Mr.. Walton propose
that he and Emma and should make oul
selves comfortable for the evening in tn
haunted room, as he now called it, maugr
the ghost and, as an inducement promis
ell Us a hot oyster supper The oyster
were To be had fresh out Of the wafer. al