The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-01-16

b uHuSu ~ my ears ugdlu' Ahu IVY
landing was q large one; five doors
opened from il into different rooms, anu
i listened, with all my faculties ON the
alert, in tue endeavor to detect through |
which door they passed. But they baf-
fed my vigilance. Tuey died away, and
| could not determine this time whittier
they had gone.
| felt like eulprit and a coward my
| self, as l tried the different aoors, which
one and all were locked. What right
mad there, seeking to unravel the mys-
tery olIthe James mouse, and attempting
TO pry into the secrets vi rooms which l
mad nothing to do with. "rne footsteps
shall never again lead me into such
depths OF meanness." l resolved, as |
ran rapidly down to the sanctuary Of N,
Town sItLing-roOm. "Pll stay out three
months withuu. ffinchiug," SAID To my
sell; "but snail be very glad when the
three months are over"
| Tnat same afternoon, under .pretense
of taxing her some game that had been
sent TO me, made my way to Mrs.
James, sitting-room. Tle dear old lady
had just woke up from her aiter-dinner
nap, ana Was sitting-speobacles on nose
ana Bible III. lap-In calm frame OIL
mind that was exactly suited to my pur-
pose.
"This is dear, interesting old home
Of yours. 1 suppose you have lived 10
1T all your Hle," l began, wnen she had
asked me to sit down, and generally
evinced de sire to be sociable.
"Dear, no, ma'am," she answered; |;
"tne house belongs to the FANNY, but
none of them cares to lives in it now
SO my daughter and l nave it at low
rent-low, tnat is, considering the house
it ls--and hope 10 add tosour income by
taking lodgers. We've only been IL II
six months.
"Wny DON'T any of the family care to
: live hefer l asked, abruptly; and she
shifted her position ugeasily aud held
her face away from my observation as
she replied:
They nave their own reasons. ma am,
l suppose; and tough Pm an old and
faithful servant OF theirs, should never
think of asking them."
"Because YOU know without asking,
dou't you, Mrs. James?' coAXlngly.
"Isu't tnat it? You know the cause of
those sounds hear, don't your
Mrs. James eyed me steadily as l
spoke, aud when mad finished sne took
off her specUacles, wiped Them and said,
in toue that Was rather trying to me:
Pm not TO know what sounds you
hear i'll my house Til! you tell me-"
II hear footsteps"
"rhere would be something strange
indeed about the house il you didn't,
considering there are SO many OF us
moving about. Is that all you hear p
sue said briskly.
"Allw l replied, quickly, feeling an.
noyeu. Il MT it enough? Footsteps are
sounding all about tue house when NO
one living ia In it but myself; this very
morning, when you were all out In the
garden, and the children and Clara were
In the wood, these footsteps led nae to
follow them up to the top landing"
st was your lancy, or Laddle, the
doxw she said, coolly; but l saw she
had no faith in her own words.
"Laddle was up in the wood with the
children"
"But your fancy was at home with
YOU, ma'am," she said with q quiet, sad
smile. "Wio could be walking ABOUT
my house that didn't know oil? 1t was
your fancy that led you up to the top
! landing"
"My fancy trod very noisily before
me all the way up, and went through one
of the doors that are looked" | said
tsturdily. "Come, Mrs. James, tell me
j. the story, for there is one, Pm sure, OF
: PHI find it out for myself"
> s.Dld you know which door the sounds
lpassed through?' she asked; and /
n Thought that an expression OF relief
= IcTePI oFel Aei Aace nneh tolu HeI
I Mo"
: ''rake an old woman's advice, Mrs.
! Floyd, and forget Wnat you have heard
or what you fancy you have heard, and
y don't let my daughter know that you
q have been up to the top landng,' she
j. then said, and gathered from her grim.
: ly resolute look mat it would be useless
for me to seek to gain further lnforma.
ton from her just then; "but Pll find
y cut whatever there is to be found out
!. before l leave the house," | said to
my self, as went back TO my own quar-.
y ters.
e l had grown 30 accustomed to the
h sound OF those Invisible wandering feel
n that if by chance day passed without
d my hearing them felt disappointed and
F; afraid that the mystery was going to
r. cease altogether before could get ole
l. them gladly whenever l heard them
/. leven though their restless, troublous
sound fell upon my ears in the dark
n mystic hours Of night. Still, constantly
l. as heard them, | was no nearer to the
q discovery Of their cause when the ftst
It day of my last week Of residence in the
" old house dawned than l had been when
O first heard them pass me in the garden
o on that never-to- be forgotten evening o
l. my arrival.
et 1t had come to be quite understood by
II us ali that these invisible !eet were per
IS petually t0iling about the house, and, al
e had got over all fear concerning then
before the children and Clara heard
J. them, they took my tone about the mat
ii ter, and regal ded it as perplexng, bu
d nothing more. Miss james maintained
l. a stUlld silence when l mooted the sub
n lject 10 her, and evidently drilled hel
4 mother into observing even greater eau
If tlOntnan the old lady had shown when
II first spoke to her about it. SO, finding
!. them thus obstinately bent on preserv
g ing the secret, instead OF intrustlng 1
!, 10 me and to my honor, openly pro
q claimed my intention OF making in
lquiries about cit" and "Lhe lamily'
t. elsewhere.
+. From solne tradesmen in the village
4 Learned that the DanYers had been lOca
It pOtentates in this region TOR centuries
a The family mansion stood i'll fneiy-
/. wooded park, about two miles ava,
t. from The village, and the house in whtct
i was now lodging had been the dover
II house OF the widows Of the race unit
% lthe death of the last squire. He hat
y been married twice, my lufOrmantS tolt