The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-11-05

snowy white ones of those of the mistle-
toe, were placed at intervals along the
table.
About 5 in the afternoon, rs Col.
Comyers and his nephew were saunter-
ing home round the square, 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 aressing-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, Bridget MARY whoever
YOU are, take these boots, like a good
girl" said he, addressing woman stand
ing in the shade Mt the top Of the kitchen
stairs.
An aged woman, habited in an old
fashioned black gown, with white hand
kerchief pinned across her bosom, APP
preached him. He threw the boots to
her, and, to his horror, they then went
through her And then the figure van
ished Val, being doctor, his practi-
cal thought was, "By Jove my head
must be i'll precious queer state A
bad lookout for me, and Christmas fare
in prospective. / had better say moth
ing, however, or these good folks may
think am completely off my head"
He walked slowly up the stairs, and on
the first landing again was the figure.
1t preceded him step by step, but Val
did not feel frightened-as before, as
cribing the vision to purely physical
causes acting upon brain which he felt
was overtasked. Although a medical
man, it did not occur to him to apply the
unfailing test of pressing one eye SO as
to throw it out of the parallel focus with
the other. If the object be the result of
hallucination, it is seen still and simply;
if actual vision, it is seen double. The
figure entered the drawing-room. Val
what scene met his eye
On the polished oaken floor near the
fireplace lay the body of young and
beautiful foreign-looking woman, richly
dressed. There were wounds about her
neck, half concealed by her long raven
black hair. A tall, dark-complexioned
man stood near, holding long, thin
Venetian stiletto, while beside him stood
the old woman, who laughed fearful
laugh, as she spurned the body with her
foot
AS she laughed, the vision faded, and
Val Wycherley left the drawing room,
uneasy for his brain. At the door he
was met by Mrs. Comyers, who insisted
upon his coming down to see her pretty
dinner table. Col. Comyers was also
one of the privileged, and the proud
young housekeeper unlocked the dining
room door, when, 10 all the exquisite
old china lay in fragments upon the
floor The table-cloth was pulled away,
and all the pretty decorations ruthlessly
destroyed In recess near the fire
place stood dark, foreign looking man
and the old woman, both of whom
laughed devilishly, and then vanished
The scene was witnessed by the three.
Mrs. Comyers tainted in her husbands
arms. A serious nervous illness followed,
and as soon as it was practicable she was
removed from the house.
Val Wycherley recounted his expert
ence in the drawing room, and Col.
Comyers admitted that he had witnessed
the same scene. Of course they left the
house, but refrained from making the
reason public, beyond telling the pro-
prietors, who naturally did not credit it.
But tenant after tenant left, scared away
by strange noises and appearances, and
the house fell gradually into its present
state of decay not even care -taker
could be induced to remain in it.
The main facts of the preceding story
are perfectly true, and were related to
the writer by Mrs. Nugent's daughter,
the present proprietress of the ill-fated
house. The Argosy.