The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1879-03-20

any of my household indulging in
spGculaIiOns. ! at least would not di-
rect attention 10 the matter, as Mr.
Gayling did, and contented my family
and dOmestics ly sann9 thar l didn't
consider it safe for people TO so on the
roof.
Now, IN spite OF my resolution, l
found myself perpetually recurring to
the strange chest. For the sake Of
quiet and air, had appropriated the
two large back and front rOOlns at the
top of the house for my hedream and
study, and thus slept every night just
/ beneath the white chest.
Before ! had been in the house u
month it began TO act as a nightmare
on me. an incubus ! could not shake
of. was oppressed and depressed by
| it in way quite unaccOuntable. | was
puzzled at myself | could not have
believed four weeks before that could
ever have become SO affected Ly such
contemptibln FestieSness, disqulet and
distTust. These feelings at last reached
such Il pitch that finally changed my
bedroom. / would not sleep any longer
directly underneath this accursed, ,mys-
terious fabric.
Another month passed, during which
more than once | was tempted to go
secretly on the ld0f aud lock at the
thing again; there was no harm in
that, that was not forbidden i'm the
bond, need hardly say, | saw nothing
to provoke any new comment.
About week after my last visit to
the roof a lengthy debate Kept me
| late 1t the House of Commons, and
walking home for the sake Of flesh air
! found the mldsbinmeT dawn break
| ing as J struck into Park lane. Reach
/ ing Oxford street was started by OBJ
| serving in the western sky a strong
light, not due to reflected sunrise. At
the moment | saw it a fire engine
passed me ut full speed, and presently
the first sign Of the cOmmOtiOn which
a cOntlagratiOn caIises an tt,e streets
bncaIue evident. No man undergOeS
this experience when he has been away
from home many hours, and sees the
red glare rising in the direction of his
own house, without a pmg of anxiety,
if not of terror, How Well-fOunded
was this sensation in the present case
was made evident ere | had walked
another two hundred yards. Yes,
merciful powers Ii was my house
that was on fire.
l can scarcely record what followed: /:
l only know that somehow | found
myself in the midst cf the pQlics and
iiremeB. that I: explained TO the
Superintendent | was, and that
under his escort l soon ascertained
that all the inmates of my house, my
children, their gOverness, and the SER
wants were in safety, and had been
taken mty 4 neighbOrs at the rear;
that as soon rs found this to he the
case, / accompanied still by the Super
intendent, mounted to the top of an
adjacent residence, whence the fremen
We're diraotng the hose upon the
flames.
Once on this vantage point my mind
reverted to the white chest. Was il
still there? Yes; the flames, though
bursting out from all the windows of
the upper stories, back and front, had
not yet done more than wrench and
crack portions of the glass case. For
a time it seemed rs if this would be the
most that might happen. The water
seemed to be getting the upner hand,
and as it fell in torrents en- the hot
roof such clouds of stedm were thrown
up with the smoke Us would have
completely hidden everything from
view, but that our position had been
skilfullY selected, and was we'll to
windward Of the burning mass. But
presently, amid the roar of the flames,
there came a dull, heavy rumble for Il
moment, and then, with q tremendous
crash, the roof fell In. With it, of
course, went the fragments and frame
work of the glass class, and the now
blackened and charred chest itself. |
had my eyes upon it at the moment,
and down it went deep into the OBJ
security Of the dense smoke and steam
which always Sucteads tOthis climax of
a cdniiagratiun. For several minutes
nothing was TO be diScerned through
the overwhelming wreaths of black
gray fumes. But presently, though
the light from the fire had been
qTenched, there began to be visible, by
the aid Of the increasing light of the
morning, the depths or this pit of
AcherOn. Yet it was not so very deep
after all, for the fire hajing originated
on the second floor, the falling roof
had only crushed down as vet rs far rs
the dTawing-rOOm, and there, when my
eyes had become accustomed to the
spectacle of the indescrihahle debris, l
plainly hehsld, Nesting SlantWays
across a stubborn remnant of wall,
what had heen the white chest; it was
now split and smashed, and its con-
tents were revealed,
Good Heavensl what was it that !
looked down qpOny | turned my face
for a moment with q Shudder, for
there, protTudmg through the splinter
ed fragments of its once creamy white
wooden case, was = huge leaden coffin,
which in its turn melting and burst
ing with the heat. displayed with
i'm the unmistakable form of a.
shrouded corpse. ! was IN the
act of drawing NY COmpaniOn's
attention To II in horror when
suddenly there flew up around 1t with
redOubied fury such mass of flame
and smoke that il was entirely hidden,
and soon the fire had so spread and
burst out again that the horrible spec
tacle of this unintentiOnal incrematiOp
was shut from sight, amt the house
was finally buried 10 the ground.
l pass over what Immediately fol-
lowed after had made my way back
TO my friendly abode where the mem
bers of my family We're snugly shell
tered. In 4 few days they were SET
tied AGAIN IN another home, Fortunate |
IL hot very much the worse for the ter
rible scare. In due course the time ar
rived for looking into my losses. and
when | was doing 50 received a letter |
from Mr.. Gayling, who had come 10 |
town reqgestingan interview, / was
glad Of this. far | fdIesaR it must lead /
10 saiae explanation of the strange
circumstances surrounding the agree
ment | had signed. My curiosity as
TO the contents of the white chest had
been rudely satislied, ii was true, but
what had been the reason Of placing
such an object in such a place? And |
this | was determined to find out. |
Unexpectedly, Mr. Gayling disclosed it |
to me Immediately we met. Il have
asked for tins interview, sir" he said