The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-06-06
A STRANGE EXPERIENCE.

/ took the rooms without much consid-
Grafton, for / had gone to Dusseldorf upon
a miserable errand: none other, indeed
than to consult a famous oculist there.
He wanted to watch over me for at least
a month, and preferred that / should
have the quiet OF an apartment in a
private house rather than be subject to
the noise and hustle of hotel. He
knew the very rooms for me-they be-
longed to an artist friend of his, an ami
NAL painter, who was away on a holiday,
and who would be glad to.get tenant
for the time being. They consisted of a
large studio and dormitory attached,
with cupboard-like ante-room that
gave by an outer door upon the main
stair, whilst both painting room and
bedroom opened by separate doors into
this tiny vestibule. Only after had been
settled in them for some hours had the
spirit even to regard the contents of my
new abode. There we're soft couches,
thick curtains, rich tapestry, double
piled rugs, antique mirrors, cabinets,
book shelves, tables, chairs, lamps, what
not. but save an easel or two slowed
away in further corner, little or moth
ing to indicate the presence of pro-
fsssional artist. Some pictures there
were about, but with one exception they
we're hung upon the walls as part of
their decoration. This exception, how
ever, was noticeable, and was standing
unframed on a.chair, where, had dared
to. have withdrawn the blind, the rays
from the high studio window would have
fallen upon it.
Placed there in the obscure light, to-
ward six o'clock in the autumn evening,
this picture looked to me like the pic
ture of crouching animal; a leopard,
panther, cheetah, one could not say. /
could not see clearly, and it did not in
terest me; merely saw it as Isaw else, au-
tomatically, dimly. My mind was toofull
of the gravity of my condition, of my
prospects, my future; was very lonely,
too, the more SO because my man, who
would otherwise have been reading to
me, had been taken i'll in the afternoon
and had been obliged to 60 to bed, his
room being at the top of the house.
Thus, then, sat in the darkest corner
of the room, with nothing but my own
gloomy thoughts for company. Gloom
Ter and gloomier they grew as / dwelled
upon them until, indeed, worked N.Y.
self into nervous fever, fever
prehension. Presently was startled by
q gentle knock at the door, one single,
gentle knock. Involuntarily l cried,
"Come in" but no one appeared, and
for the matter of that had noticed no
footstep. So 1 thought 1 had been mis-
taken, and that the knock had been only
one of those mysterious noises heard in
rooms and not at all times easily ac-
counted for. But five minutes after
ward it was repeated exactly as before
one single, gentle knock-there was no
mistake, this time. Itwas not a knuckle
against the wood but as of real metal
mocker. 1t was plainly, undeniably a
knock at the studio door, which
opened into the aforesaid ante-room.
Again / cried out, !" Come in" though
again I had heard no footstep. Yet
there was no responses and then remem-
beriRg / was abroad and my words might
not be understood, uttered their equiv
alent in German, though knowing little
enough of the language Still no result;
SO waited and listened now, and in five
minutes once more there came the
knock, precisely ike the last. Then /
rose hurriedly, anxiously, and went to
the door, opened it and looked out.
There was no one there; faint as the
light was and growing fainter now every
minute, I was sure Of that. stepped
across to the door opening upon the
main stair. 1t was slightly ajar. As I
did so / was seized by a curious cold
sensation-a sensation Of goose flesh all
over me, as it is called. Opening wide
this outer door, still found no one upon
the landing-not creature was about.
upon or down the stairs; all was silent as
the grave.
Considerably puzzled and nervous,
after minute | returned to my seat in
the studio, shutting the door behind
me. had scarcely been seated an in
slant before that same chilly feeling
crept through me again, amounting now
to shudder, that would have set NV
teeth chattering had / not controlled it.
With it there came, too, vain sense of
dread anda shrinking as it were, within
myself, quite indescribable. What
could it meant The weather was rather
sultry and close than otherwise, and !
had hitherto felt heated; now 1 could
have borne a fire. Nay, L would have
lighted one had therebeen any prepare.
tions for winter yet, in the elaborately
ornamented china stove at my elbow.
AS it was l sat shivering at intervals a.
if ! had an ague coming on, and feeling
more miserable, i'll and depressed than
ever. Yes, ! sat, I.suppose, half an
hour, strangely disinclined to move, but
listening eagerly and wondering if j
should hear the knock again; but il
never came, thesilence was unbroken.
Very little light now remained in the
apartment, and my gaze from my cor
ner fell upon the picture on the chair
it was the only object discernible, tn,
rays Of twilight lingering longer O
course just beneath the high window
Still merely regarding this object me
chanically, l can hardly say what j
was that made me look at it with any
thing like an attentive interest, that frs