The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-04-04


pense. A day or two after, about
O'Clock in the afternoon-a most unghost-
like hour-I was reclining on my lounge
between the door and window, reading
The Woman in White" then just out.
Suddenly as l turned leaf, l heard
faint grating sound as of a key just be
hind me, and then 4 voice speaking IN
low, indistinct murmer, inexpressly hol-
low and sepulchral.
| did not stir I arrested the hand
which was about to turn the page, ana,
holding my breath, listened with deilber-
ate eagerness | would now be certain
that this was no fancy playing me fantas-
tic trick
For an instant only came the lndistinct
murmer, and then a silence The sun
light was streaming down In slender gold
en- threads through the gently swaylng
| branches of the willows; out on the lawn
/ saw the gardener at work, and Oh the
| beech l heard the merry voices OF the
children l felt courageous. Rising l
searched around the room, under the bed
and lounge, and in the triangular cup
board in the cOrner-th9 only places
where a person could be concealed. Not |
| a living thing was to be seen, and was |
about closing the closet-door when | heard |
distinctly a low, faint laugh, close IN my |
ear. and then moaning sigh or groan, |
which seemed to die way into lnhnlte
distance.
/ confess that at this instant my nerves
did fail me. and cold shiver ran curd-
ling through my veins. hastily closed
tire closet-door, and, without waiting
even to snatch my book, ran along
the gallery to the other part OF the
house.
Should tell my sister and brother IN
law? No; | still shrank from the thought
Of their laughter. Should | return to
the room which appeared haunted by
some invisible presence, and sleep there
again alone? | must confess that l dld
not like the idea, yet what good reason
conld | give for so suddenly changing my
apartment? Finally-and the reader
. will credit me with the possession OF al
most more than feminine courage IN SO
doing-I resolved to keep silence for the
; present, and spend the night as usual, IN
5 my little office. room.
The first feWhours passed away quietly,
! and was just falling into doze when L
! was aroused by the door of the corner
closet slowly creuking. A faint moon
! lioht illumined the room suthcie Uy tC
\ enable me to perceive that this door stood
= aiar. though | distinctly recollected hav
/. ing closed it before retiring. 1t had
! neither lock nor bolt by which 1t could
g be secured.
h sat up in bed, Watching the closet
"a and looking half fearfully around tn
re- room: and as | looked, with my, eyes
" fixed upon the halfopen door, hearG
- within a Jingle of glasses and phials. |
q. was a sound not to be mistaken, and al
as most at the same instant voice SAID nea
re in a hoarse whisper:
lie '"Briag q light = =,
II I started up, trembling, and, with
tn cold perspiration breaking out on IN
.le forehead, reached for a match and tn
,r- amp and tried to strike a light, but !
k ain. had but one Or two matches lei
or Ind as [ dropped the last in dispaIr
or card the voice which had before spoke
he y " slowly and distinctly;
nd - Poison y
he NV first impulse now was to flee FRO
,sy this haunted room; but, as L arose Il
by that purpose feeling such as L II;
Of never before known-a feeling OF supe
I'd stitious fear and hOrrOr--overcame m
,ut and, had my life depended upon it,
Inf, could not have passed. that closet an
cb sped through that long deserted gale
bv alone. | sank back upon my pillow al
nv drew the sheets about my head, and r
he NAMED thus until daybreak.
ose 1t was no longer a question with I
ON rs to whether l should or should II
+ a inform my relatives of what had
,ok curred. [ told them the whole, and,
T expected, was met with laughter
had badinage. =,
the Cry 1t yourself was an l 0Tuio
and in answer; and on that night my broth
fra in law, Mr.. Walton, agreed TO occu
lus- the ofice.room, l remaining with
the sister,
ned "WeT, Richard, did you see
tile hear ANYTHING of Louisas ghost?"
ing ouirsd NV sister, playfully, on our me
into ;no, At the breakfast-table i'll the mo-
low ing. ,.,uor.a r,tI
den tbouohtfully. But, really, Emma,
der did appear as though, more than o
,ers. during the night, | heard some IN
sion countable sounds--the turning of
in a lock: a sort of moaning and s
It, bing child's voice; and very dlstnt
little the shutting of small door. Anu
was last sound" he added decidedly, s.
the tainlv came from the closet or cupbo
rip in the corner of the room.
muir Emma opened her eyes and 100
is 81 frightened.
ound 3Good gracious, Richard you d
like really think that you heard these sou
~ Of in that room, with no one there Out y
er or self"
upon cit is very unaccountaple at pres
und / admit; but you know tAat IL 10 mo-
one lieve in the supernatural. W e must
anime more fully into this matter"
urse, For some days he kept sole posses
, nv of the room, reporting once OK twice
when be had again heard the mysterious no
perry, and in especial the grating OF rusty
n the as in the lock of the corner cupbo
HESS. was very distinctly audible. Three t
ice or he said he had heard this sound, and
Il was as we all knew, there was neither
nor kew to the closet door, only trac
fully one that had been there. de had
st in amined all the doors and windows,
line a searched the whole room mInutely,
yer in without discovering the slightest cle'
le far the mystery There was no room
itious- Joining, no cellar below or garrett
to re- whence the sounds could have procee
ernirg and the whole thing was most slnI
1 spir- and unaccountable. And once he
e case, hesltatlngly suggested, coulu II o0
ircun bic, after all, that there were IN g
made such things as spiritual manifestat
n nae. My own mind echoed the inquiry
g it as Our nearest neighoor was ID
one of who lived about mile distant, al
itch DO himself and wife we made lnqulri
,en the regard to the former occupants o
ght 40 house.
1t had for twenty years within
I1l1
again memory, Mr.. Grover sald' belong