Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1875-02-19
srlettrd aalisfellanp.
A PHANTOM TOE.
a TRAVELLERS STORY.

am not superstitlous man--far from
it; but, despite all of my efforts to the
contrary, could not help thinking. di-
rectly | bad taken a survey Of my cham
Der, that / should never quit it without
going through a strange adventure.
There was something in its immense size,
'heaviness, and gloom that seemed to an
nibilate at one blow all my resolute skcp-
ticism as regards supernatural visitations.
1t appeared to me totally impossible to
go into that room and disbelieve in ghosts
The fact is had incautiously partaken
at supper of that favorite Dutch dish,
sauerkraut, and supposed it had dis
agreed with me and put strange fancies
into my head.
Be this as it may, only know that
after parting with my friend for the night
| gradually worked myself into state of
6getiness that at last wasn't sure ]
hadn't become a ghost myself.
The old cumbrous hangings ofthc bed
appeared to my diseased mind to be SWELL
ed out as with whole arbor Of COLLINS
indeed, almost thought / saw them
move of their own accord the car
we'd figures upon the mantcl pieces seemed
to have entered into some devilish com
pact on purpose to plague me. Every
thing, in short, had a suspicious look,
and my nervousness was increased when.
upon turning to the door to fasten it, |
found neither bolt nor lock
The new discovery raised host Of new
fears ia my brain, and thousand recol-
lections Of midnight robbers shot through
my mind.
Surprising, )" ruminated l." suppos-
ing the landlord should be practiced
robbcr, and should have taken the lock
and bolt from off this door for the pur-
pose of entering here in the dead of
night, abstracting all my property. and
perhaps numbering me. thought the
dog had very cut-throat air about
him
Now, never had any such idea until
that moment. for my host was fat, stu
pid-looking. fellow, who don't believe
bad sense enough to understand what
robbery or murder meant. But some
how or other whenever we have my
thing really to annoy US (and it certainly
was not pleasant to goto bed in strange
place without being able to fasten ones
door, we are sure to aggrayate it by myri-
ads Of cbimeras of our own brain. SO
on the present occasion. in the midst Of
a thousand disagreeablc rcveries some
Of the most wild absurdity, | jumped
very gloomily into bed. having first put
out my candle, for total darkness was
far preferable to its Pickering, ghostly
light, which transformed rather than re-
vealed objects, and soon fell asleep. per-
fectly tired out with my days riding.
How long lay asleep, don't know
but suddenly awoke from disagreea-
BILE dream Of cut-thoats, ghosts and
long. winding passages 10 haunted inn,
an Undesirable feeling-such as new
er before experienced--being upon me.
It seemed as if every nerve in my body
had hundred spirits tickling it. And
this was accompanied by so great heat
that inwardly cnrsing my hosts sauer-
kraut. and wondering how his guests
could endure such poison, | was forced
to sit up in bed to cool myself The
whole Of the room was profoundly dark
excepting at one place, where the noon
light, falling through crevice in the
shutters. threw straight line Of about
an inch or so thick upon the hoor--clear.
sharp, and intensely brilliant against
the darkness. I leave you to conceive
my horror when. upon looking at this