The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1877-05-30
Boarding-House Mystery.

mounted the steps and read the in
scription, which was written in pale,
blue ink. 1t is fact, CLEANED from a
large experience, that boarding house
keepers invariably write their Turing
notices in blue ink, and this particular
paper wasa boarding house keepers
notice: "Furnished rooms, with board,
for single gentlemen"
"Just what I'm looking for" said
Thomas Thompson to himself. "I'll
see what they are. The house looks
as If it might be economical"
lie rang the bell, which was ex-
ceedingly Gcketty, as boarding house
bells always are. A bedraggled, Wild
eyed woman came to the door. Fhomp-
sou knew, the moment he put eyes on
her, that she was landlady; she had
the look of the tribe.
"What are the rooms that you have
vacant?' asked Thomas Thompson,
demurely.
He had been so often crushed, sub
dued, and tyrannized over by land
ladies that he always addressed them
with misgiving.
five got Just one," was the roply.
She did not seem very fierce, and
Thompson plucked up courage.
"What are your terms ?" lie asked.
She did not reply for moment, and
during that moment she crlticallys sur
veyed Thompson from head to feet.
"Well," she said at last, "perhaps
you'd better step in and look at it..
You look like brave man"
Wondering at her last strange re-
mark, Thompson followed her into the
hall and up two pair Of stairs. She
led the way :nto a good-sized room,
tolerably furnished.
"pm afraid" said Thompson, "that
your charges for this room would be
100 high sHI
Don't you be too sure of that" re-
piled the woman, mysteriously ly; "wait
till you hear my offer. If you will
take this room and keep it for one
month, sleeping in it every night, l
will not charge you cent"
"Why, WHAT
Don't ask me any questions These
are my terms, and you can accept or
decline them"
Thompson glanced around the room.
1t looked comfortable enough. His
purse was light, and the terms were
certainly tempting.
"But | have one condition to i'm.
pose," added the landlady; eff you
leave before the month is out you are
to pay me at the rate Of twelve dol.
lars n week"
81 agree" said Thompson; "Ill
take the room"
He moved in his trunk that day, and
made his first appearance sc Mrs
Grifiin's table to dinner. After dinner
he went out for stroll, and congratu
lated himself OH his good fortune over
good cigar. lie Was not entirely
calm in his mind, however. There
must be something queer about the
room, or the landlady would never
have offered such remarkable induce
ments to an occupant. So it was no
: with a very quiet anticipation tha'
Thompson retired, and before doing Sc
he fortified himself with rum-sC
much so, indeed, that he wes a little
fuddled.
He examined every part of the room
! carefully, locked the door, blew on
, the light, and went to bed. Ills quo
tations had made him sleepy, and h
= soon dropped off into Inconsistencies
Thompson knew not how long h
slept, but he awoke to witness strang
phenomenon. The room was pitcl
dark but toward the far side of tn
room was a round, luminous spot
bright and staring, like great, round
fiery eye.
? The first thing that Thompson dio
was to throw the bed clothes over hi
head, and tremble like a shaken jelly
S 81 must have dreamed it" he fnall
mused "the rum went to my head
). and imagined l saw it,"
There was the fiery eye, as brigh
and staring as ever-a horrible dis
of light, apparently about six inche
IS in diameter and quite round in SHAPE
70 Trans6xed with horror, Thompson ga,
i ed upon it; but even as he did so
n begon to move. Slowly it passed alon
the wall, finally sinking out Of sigh
leaving nothing but darkness.
$ 1t was long before Thompson coul
$, again get to sleep, and when he did s
ID his dreams were peopled with ghos
NJ and hobgoblins of the most torrib
k, nature. Sometimes they took the for
rs of Mrs. Griffin, and again they resol'
- ed themselves into innumerable glOb,
o. of light, like that which he had see
- In the morning he awoke but lit