The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-03-16

some great volumes on the ground be
fore the door-volumes which had no
ticed wnen entered the room on &C
count of the thick dust With which they
were surrounded. They were lying nov
in pool Of stagnant blood 1t woulc
be utterly impossible for me to attempt
to describe my sensations at that minute
1 was not capable of feeling any dis
tinct emotion. My brain seemed op
pressed, l could scarcely breathe-scar CO
ly move. watched the dreadful stream
oozing drowsy through the crevices o.
the mouldy, rotton woodwork-bulging
out IN great: beads like rain drops nithe
side of the door-trickling noislessly
down the knots Of the carved oak
Still stood and watched it, and it crepi
on slowly, slowly, like a living thing
and growing as it came, to my very feet
l cannot ssyfhow long l might have
stood there, facinated BY it, had not some
thing suddenly occurred to startle me in
10 my senses again; for full upon the
back of my right hand fell, with sullen
heavy sound, a second drop of blood. 1t
stung and burnt my flesh like moulton
lead, and the sharp sudden pain it gave
me shot up my arm and shoulder, and
seemed in an instant to mount into my
brain and prevade my whole being. L
turned and fed from the terrible place
with shrill cry that rang through the
empty corridors and ghostly rooms like
nothing human. did not recognize it
for my own voice-so strange it was
so totally unlike its accustomed sound:
and now, when / recall it, am disposed
to think it was surely not the cry. living
mortal, but OF that unknown thing that
passes before the portrait, and that stood
beside mo even then in the lonely room
Certain l am that the echoes that cry
had in them something inexprcssibIy
fendish, and through the deathly gloom
of the mansion they came back, rever-
berated and repeated from hundred IN.
visable corners and galleries. Now l
had to pass on my return, long, broad
window that lighted the principal stair.
case. This window had neither shutters
nor blind, and Twas composed of those
small square panes that were in vogue a
century ago As went by it threw
hasty, impalled glance behind me and
distinctly saw, even through the blurr ID
and dirty glass, the figures oftwo women
one pursueing the other over the thick
white snow outside. In the rapid view
l had of them l observed only that til
first carried something in her hand that
looked like pistol, and her long black
hair streamed behind her showing dark
" against the dead whiteness Of the
landscape. The arms of her pursuer
were out stretched, as though she were
calling to her companion TO stop; but
perfect as was the silence of the night,
and close as the figures seemed to be, L
heard no sound OF voice. Next | came
to a second and smaller window which
had been once boarded up but with lapse
of time the plank had loosened and part
ly fallen, and here | paused moment
to look out. 1t still showed slightly but
there was clear moon, sufficient to
throw a CHASTITY light upon the outside
objects nearest 20 me. With the sleeve
of nv coat ! rubbed away the dust and
cobwebs which overhung the glass, and
peered out. The two women were still
hurrying onward, but the distance be
tween the them was considerably less
ened. And now, for the first time, a
regularity about them struck Inc. 1t
was this, that the figures were not sub
stautial; they Hickered and waved pre-
cisely like flames as they ran. Az l
gsZed at them the foremost turned her
head TO look at the woman behind hcr,
and AS she did so stumbled, fell and dis
apesred She seemed to have suddenly
dropped down a precipice, SO quickly
aud TO completely she vanished The
other figure stopped wrung its hands
wildly and presetly turned and fled IN
the direction ofthe participates and'Rwas
soon lost in the abscurity of the distance.
The sights | had just witnessed in the
panalled chamber had not been ola ma
ture to inspire courage in any one, and l
must candidly oDfess.t that my knees act
ually shook and my teeth ratified as |
left the window and darted up the SOL
itary passage to the baize door at tie top
of it. Would had never unlocked that
door! Would that the key had been lost
or that l had never set foot in this abom-
Unable house! hastily I relastoned the
door, hung up the rusty key IN Its niche
and rushed into my own room, where L
dropped into chair with deadly FAINT
ness creeping over me. looked at my
hand, where the clot o. blood had fallen.
1t seemed to have burned its way into
nv flesh for it bad no longer appeared
on the surface, but where 1t had been
was round, purple mark, with an outer
ring. like the scar of burn. The scar is
on my hand now, ard | suppose will be
there oil my life. l looked Mt my watch,
which | had left behind me on the man
tlepiece. 1t was FIVE minutes past II.
Should | 60 to bed? stirred the smok
ing fire into blaze, and looked anxious
" at my candle. Neither fire nor can
die, | perceived would last much
longer. Before long both would be
expended and l should be in dark
ness. In darkness and alone in
tina. house. The bare idea Of night
passed in such solitude was terrible t.
me. | tried to laugh at my fears and
reproach myself with weakness and COW
ardice. l reverted to the stereotyped
method Of consolation under cir
cumstances OF this description
and ,trove to persuade my
self that being guiltless | had no cause
to tear the powers of evil, but in vain.
Trembling from head to foot, raked
the smouldering embers in the stove for
the las: time, wrapped my railway rug
around me-for / dared not undress
and threw myself on the bed, where |
Law sleepless ill dawn. But oh, what
endured all those weary hours no human
creature can imagine. l watched the
last sparks of the FIRE die out,
one by one, and heard the
ashes slide and drop slowly upon
the hearth. | watched the fame Of the
candle fare up and sink again dozen
times, and then at last expire, leaving
me in utter darkness and silence.
fancied, ever and anon, that could dis
tiaguish the sound of phsn:om fee. CON-
ing down the corridor toward my room.
and that the mysterious presence | had
encountered in the panneIled chamber
stood at nv bedside looking at me, or