American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-01-03
VOL. XIV.

| THINK 1t likely it's them Motif
boys said Ben. They're dreadful mis-
chievous rascals, and a door-bell's a nov
city in these parts; they're likely trying
| their pranks on it,
| This seemed plausible; so we all went
in To breakfast. We had scarcely fin
| ished before the bell rang again. Mother
| was inclined to let the Mofiatt boys alone
thinking they would soon tire of this fun
but | was vexed. I'm teach 'em better
manners said |, than to disturb peace
| able family after this fashion, | had
| promised your mother to plant a bed of
| radishes and early peas, and as that part
| of the garden was in sight of the front
door, | thought this good time To do it
| might have IA chance to catch the fell
| lows. / had worked until almost noon
time without being disturbed The little
| rogues see me at work, thought I; they
will not come again while | am here; but
| just before my work was completed the
bell rang again. | looked up quickly
from my work-so quickly that no one
could slip away from the door without
my seeing them-but there was no person
| in sight Mother opened the door from
within as | approached from without
ooh, was that you, Mark?' she asked,
apparently relieved ct seeing me. Did
you ring?' l asked, in reply, scarcely re-
alizing how foolish was my question. 4
ring? No; did you?' We seemed to be
mutually confused and mutually confils-
ing each other. did not ring; she did
not ring; there was nobody there who did
ring, and yet the bell was constantly ring
ing.
perhaps the bell isn't hung right
said mother, as if anxious to explain
away her own fears, and the jar of our
footsteps makes it ring But even as she
spoke the bell rang once more without an
echo of a football to disturb, and without
a hand upon the beli-pull.
.s'It must be rats said 1.
"'We have neither rats nor MICE said
mother, The house is new, and have
not seen rat or a mouse since we have
lived here
Together we went down in the cellar to
examine the bell itself There it hung,
looking in all respects like every other
bell, apparently innocent of all intention
to puzzle us. l could see nothing about
it which would cause it to ring in any alb
normal manner.
"'Pshaw, it's nothing' said mother; 4
don't mind it, betraying in her very
tones the anxiety which her words de-
MED
However, we could not stand there
watching the bell, SO 1 went out in the
garden TO my work, and your mother went
to her churning, each of us striving to
hide from the other the annoyance we
felt but were unwilling to confess. AT
long intervals through the day the bell
rang, and even at midnight we were
aroused by the short, sharp twang of the
wire and the Jingle, tingle of the bell. l
could not sleep. l longed for the daylight
to appear that l might make more
thorough examination into the matter. l
arose at the dawn, and proceeded to make
a fresh investigation. The bellpull was
all in order; the bell itself was beyond
the reach of anyone passing; we did not
use the cellar where il hung, and in spite
of my endeavors l could not account for
the mystery.
Ben Smithers, who was very super
stitious, said at once it was the ghost of
old Mis- Watkins; that she was still
walkin', even eff the old house was pulled
down about her ears!'
a was sorry to have Ben get on that
{. ,fck, for / dreaded, Of ali things, to have
the peace of my family disturbed by such
idle reports Without telling any one
about it, cut off the wire close to the
bell-pull, but this did not prevent re
newal of the ringing. Sometimes for a
whole day it would cease, and just as we
were about to congratulate ourselves that
we should have no more trouble it would
ring again.
Mary Ann gave warning that she
should leave if this trouble continued,
and even Ben declared he wouldn't live
in a house where the ghosteses were
goin' it day an night
Mother began to lie so nervous that
she could neither eat nor sleep; and as
for myself, | wished had never heard of
Mrs. Watkins and her ghost, for although
l tried to reason with myself that such
loud and distinct sound could not be pro-
duced by any other than some natural
cause, yet my rest was so disturbed at
night that l found myself getting irrita-
BILE and impatient and felt angry at any
allusion to the bell.
81 was almost provoked enough to kick
old neighbor Greene off the premises be-
cause he came hobbling along with the
aid of his stout staff to ask me if it was
really true that Mis- Watkins ghost had
come TO the new house, l snubbed the
old man in the most disrespectful way;
and heard him say as he walked beside
Ben to the barn, that l needn't be so cross
about it. l might we known the ghost
wouldn't give up the old place.
"Old Mr. Greene had hardly disappear
ed down the Springfield road, before l
saw Deacon Hadley climbing over the
post and rail fence that separated his farm
from mine. The Deacon was "a great
L
it would be told from one end of the town
to the other. | stood there with long
wooden rake over my shoulder, and felt
almost angry enough to fling it at his
head as he rested moment the top
rail, took off his hat, and wiped his fore
head with the red handkerchief which he |
carried in the crown.
"Just at that moment mother came out |
from the kitchen and ran toward me with
such a smiling face that l felt sure she |
cate, and as nothing could seem pleasant |
to me or cause me TO feel happy SO long |
as that ringing bell lay like an incubus |
upon my breast, l knew she must have |
made some discovery in regard to it.
Mark, come here, quick!" she called
put to me, and | followed her rapidly
Town the cellar steps, and led me to a
room which had not yet been used 1t
was lighted by small window placed di-
rectly under the front piazza.
"'Oh, Mark IL have found the cause
Of the b-bell-.' She was so breathle,s
from the haste of running up and down.
from the hot summer morning without to
The chill of the dark, damp cellar, that in
her excitement she could not gasp out the
words. | looked from the stone walls
around to the cement floor below, and
really could see no explanation either of
her actions or the cause of our ANNOYANCE
began to add a new fear to my troubles
in the thought that perhaps all this ex-
element and worry had bewildercd her,
and that she was becoming insane. | was
about to take her in nv arms and carry