The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-02-11
A Strange Story.

. ... Tile GALAXY. "
"A Strange Story. ID.
It ia possible that some readers
may boz fond of ghost stories, and
therefore | relate for their benefit
the following legend about a Ger,
tain London house. For obvious
reasons l suppress the fames OF
persons aud exact localities, and ]
further desire it to be understood
that do not hold myself RESPONSE
bic for the accurate truth of all the
details of the story; I need only
add that Che events are to be taken
as having occurred some years ago.
Some years ago, then, a gentle
man whom we will call Somervillc,
was desirous of buying house in
the e-west end of the town, and pass
ing7oue day through a well-known
square, be observed a house, to, be
sold, which seemed 70 him, as far
as outside appearances and situation
were concerned, to be the very
thing he wanted: The printed bill
Referred HIM to a firm OF estate
agents in the city, and to them he
at once went, though he could not
help entertaining a misgiving that
the price woulI be exhorbl family
high and beyond. his means, No
harm, however, lconld be done by
simple inquiry. :, lie was agreeabbty
astonishcd to find that the sum de:
manded was only four thousand
pounds. Not being Il commercial
man, he could not help expressing
his astonishment at the small sum
demanded, and naively inquired il
the mansion was very much out OF
repair. The representative Of the
firm unhesltatipgly replied that the
house was in very good repair, and
would not require more than the
usual outlay upon decoration. Tho
colonel pressed his inquiries, and,
as he seemed a likely and desirable
purchaser, he was soon Informed ot
the circumstances under which the
house In question was to be sold
1t had belonged to a queer old gen
tleman who lived in Clcrkenwell
and who died intestate, and the sale
was ordered BY his next of kin.
who had been found with some dit:
ficulty. This old gentleman had
died, strangely enough, in the very
act of drawing up his will. lie had
Just penned the words "And | de-
sire that my house in - Square
should be" when some kind OF a
fit seized linn, and he was discov-
cred next morning by his house
keeper dead in his chair. Now the
next of kin was found in Australia,
or some remote, colony, and was
anxious to realize the property as
quickly as possible. The house in y
- Square had been unlnhablted
for years. There was not a scrap OF
| furniture in it; but it had been
IscrupulousIy cared for and kept
clean by an elderly woman, who dld
not live in it, but used to so to it
every morning and spend almost all
day there, and preserved it in such
condition that the owner might
have furnished it at any time, ,%and
come to live there without expert
encing any sense Of discomfort
which would ordinarily arise from
residing in house which had moi
been Inhabited for a long time. II
was well known, l may add, that
the elderly care-talSer never SLEPT
there. The Colonel went to view
the house. He found that he hao
not been deceived by external ap
pearances, or by the description O.
the accommodation detailed by the
agent; it was, in short, just such {
house as he and his wife wanted fol
a town residence, and in due course
Che purchase was completed. A.
he was in no particular hurry to, en-
ter, and as Mrs. Somcrvillc happen
ed to be unwell at this particular
time, and unable to come to Lon
don to supcrintend the furnishing
he contented himself with prepar
ling bedroom for his own use OF
the first floor, and another for hi
valet Gn the floor above. lie re
tslned the services of the elder!.,
| deaf woman, who appeared to b.
grateful for his consideration, a
she alleged that the pay she recely
ed for her trouble was almost al
}, that she had to live on. The hous
became the property of the Colc
| mel at + midsummer 1858. Toward
the end of July. the rooms men
toned were furnished in a tempo