The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-11-11

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convulsively, so much SO that the mother
refrained from asking any further ques-
tions. Softly singing to him, he was
soon asleep again, and she stole quietly
from the room. 1t was almost dark, yet
she distinctly saw, walking a few steps
before her, the figure of a woman which
she yet believed to be the cook.
"Why, cook, I thought you had gone
out with nurse"
The figure had just reached the bot
tom of the flight of stairs; it turned
slowly round, revealing the face of an
old woman with a white cap-border
closely crimped around her puckered-
up, leering face. A gruesom, weird
light seemed to surround her, SO that
Mrs. Comyers distinctly saw the shriveled
lips move, the bleared eyes CLEAN; and
the shaky, skinny hand, which was raised
and shaken menacingly at her. The
figure then turned and ran swiftly down
the stairs.
For a moment Mrs. Comyers was
frightened; but, girding up her courage,
blamed herself for giving way to nerv-
ousness-persuading herself that it must
be some person engaged by the cook.
She walked slowly down the stairs, her
heart beating violently, and called out
c~ourageously:
"My good woman, who are you, and
what is your business here 2"
For answer, a c%huckling laugh re-
sounded throughout the echoing old
house. The clatter of many feet was
heard upon the stairs; still, the brave
little woman hardly quailed. But what
was she to do2 She was too terrified to
venture after the figure. Just then there
was a knock at the hall door, and, with
a sense of relief, she hastened down to
open it. The two women servants en-
tered.
"Cook," said Mrs. Comyers, "didy you
leave any one in the house during your
aosence2"
"No, madam"
well, you had better go and look in
the kitchen, for some woman went down
the stairs just now"
Lights were speedily procured, and
every inch of the basement story IA
unavailingly searched. The doors were
then secured, and as Mrs. Comyers saw
the servants were rather frightened, she
wisely RETAINED from entering into any
particulars concerning either the manner
of the figure or the strange noises which
she had heard.
The next day she related the circum-
stance to her husband, who laughed at
her nervous ~fancies, and practically sug-
gested that a close eye be kept on the
area gate. The weeks few by, and the
affair seemed to be almost forgotten,
until one evening, as Colonel and Mrs.
Comyers sat alone in the dining-room,
the sound of many footsteps was heard
in the drawing-room overhead, and a
plaintive air was played upon the old
spinnet. They listened amazed for a
minute, and at length Mrs. Comyers
said:
"Henry, 1 am sure it is that-that
thing 2"
"You little goosei" he exclaimed,
laughing "Stay where you are, and I'll
go and see."
He bounded up the stairs-there was
a hurried shutting of feet; the music
ceased, and he soon returned. The
scene he had witnessed he could not re-
late to his nervous, delicate wife.
Therefore, to avoid being questioned, he
said, with an assumption of gaiety-
"Mabel, congratulate me! have at
last seen you mythical old woman"
Mrs. Comyers shivered, and nestled
into her husbands sheltering arms, as
she whispered, family: eyes, 1 know
you have seen her, for. I saw her go be-
fore you out of the room"
They could not account for the
phenomenon, and naturally were diff
dent about mentioning it to any one.
Thus the time passed on until Christ
mas.
With the Christmas time there arrived
a nephew of Col. Comyers-clever,
handsome, merry Val Wycherley; q
young doctor who had just taken out his
diploma. He had passed a brilliant ex-
animation, and before again resuming
work had come to spend a few weeks in
Dublin, for the purpose of resting his
overtaxed brain. 1t was agreed that he
should not be told anything about the
mysterious old woman
On Christmas Day a number of friends
expected to dine. There was also to be
an evening party therefore, in order to
save trouble, Mrs. Comyers had had the
dining-table arranged early in the
afternoon, and then locked the door.
She was very proud of her daintily-ar-
ranged table ; she had tastefully dis,
posed the quaint olored and gilt Vene-
tan glass, and the rare old china belong.
ing to the house. Groups of shepherds
and shepherdesses holding cornucopia
filed with g~listening holly, interspersed
with its own bright red berries, and the
snowy white ones of those of the mistle,
toe, were placed at intervals along the
table.
About 5 in the afternoon, as Col.
Comyers and his nephew were saunter,
ing home round the square, a sudden
and heavy shower came on. They
walked fast, but by the time they ar,
rived at the hall door they were thor,
oughly drenched. Col. Comyers imme.
diately went into his dressing-room
on the first landing, inviting his nephew
to follow, but that free-and-easy young
gentleman preferred taking off his wet
boots in the hall.
"Here, Bridgeti-Mary!- Whoever
you are, take these boots, like a good
girl" said he, addressing a woman stand.
ing in the shade at the top of the kitchen
stairs.
An aged woman, habited in an old,
fashioned black gown, with a white hand.
kerchief pinned across her bosom, ap,
preached him. He threw the boots tc
her, and, to his horror, they then went
through herl And then the figure van.
ishedl Val, being a doctor, his practi
cal thought was, "By Jovel my head
must be in a precious queer state A
bad lookout for me, and Christmas fare
in prospective. I had better say moth.
ing, however, or these good folks may
think 1 am completely off my head"
He walked slowly up the stairs, and OIL
the first landing again was the figure
1t preceded him step by step, but Va
did not feel frightened-as before, as
cribing. the vision to purely physica