Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-01-29


terriers, who had been left free to ram
bic about the house as sentinels, curled
themselves up in the passage near Miss
MacWinkle's door, and were never
heard TO bark or growl once.
Breakfast.used to be served at $50 in
Capt. Jaffie's house, and all the guests
staying under his roof generally came
to it. Miss MacWinkle had said over
night that she would do so; therefore,
when the company assembled, and the
coffee, tea, hot rolls, bacon, eggs, but
tered toast, rounds of beef, game, pies,
etc., were all spread out in tempting
array, eyes were turned toward the
door, expecting to see the heroine walk
in. But Miss MacWinkle was late
After a quarter of an hours delay,
Capt. Jaffie said to the butler: HAS
Miss MacWinkle's maid told her that
breakfast Is ready"
'I'll 60 and ask, sir" answered the
servant, and he went out. Five min
utes later he returned, looking rather
Hurried, and said, "The maid has
knocked several times at Miss Mac
Wrinkles door, and there is no answer"
"When did she first knock?' asked
Capt. Jaff1e.
IAN hour ago, sir: then she came
back, half an hour later, thinking her
mistress was asleep, She got no an
swer then, and now she's beginning to
get alarmed
Everybody else became alarmed all
of sudden. A general adjournment
was made to the passage, and Miss
MacWinkle's door was vigorously
thumped, but without any responsive
sound being evoked. The handle was
tried, but the door was locked on the
inside. "Poor thingl she has tainted
from frightp remarked one of the
young ladies of Is.
ga fainting fit does not last an hour;
we had better have the door forced
open," said Mrs. Jaffie, anxiously.
of we sent to the village the lock-
smith won't be here for an hour" OBJ
served the captain. II had better go
and get my tools and do the business
myself"
The captain hurried off, and while he
was gone, his guests, who were now
seriously frightened, indulged in every
sort of conjecture. If it had not been
for the presence of their hostess they
would loudly have blamed the captain
for having put the nerves of Miss Mac
Wrinkle to such a strain. AS it was,
some of them remarked that people
ought not to keep ghosts on their prem
ises, and that haunted rooms were only
good to hear of in novels.
Meanwhile Capt Jaffle returned and
after some trouble forced the door
open. Mrs. Jaffie and some ladies
streamed in and instantly uttered cries
of distress, which brought the men into
the room. The place was empty and
the window. stood wide open, thus tel
ling tale of some fearful drama which
must have been enacted In the night.
1t was evident that poor Miss Mac
rible scare and have leaped clean
through the easement. Luckily the
window was on the ground floor, so that
she could not nave been much hurt by
her fall; but where was she?
The ladies looked out, half expecting
TO see an inanimate form in a bed-gown
lying across a hower-bed. Mrs. Jatf1e
had been more prompt to remark that
Miss MacWinkle must have undressed
and got into bed, for the bed was in dis
order, and the poor lady's clothes were
thrown over some chairs. But, indeed,
Miss MacWinkle's maid was able TO
corroborate the fact that her mistress
had gone to bed, and an inspection of
boxes and wardrobe enabled her to say
that, wherever Miss Mac Wrinkle might
be, her attire must be of the scantiest,
consisting only of a night-dress and
friiled cap. "Send off the grooms at
once in every direction. Perhaps the2oor
thing has become mad from fright. Oh,
dear! What shall we do?' calculated
Mrs. Jaffie.
"I'm very sorry l asked her to sleep
here" ssammered captain Jaffle apollo
getically to his guest, "but [ had no
idea she was timid."
"Who wouldn't be timid against a
ghost" exclaimed one of the ladies
moving toward the door with shudder,
as if she feared to see the sprite who
had frightened Miss MacWinkle start
up suddenly again. The other ladies
cOncurred, and, after another quarter
of an hour had been expended in con
lectures, the party filed back toward
the breakfast room. Appetites had not
been destroyed, though were partly
blunted by what had happened and
Capt. Jaffie requested his wife to stay
and do the honors of the board.
He himself went to help his grooms
look after Miss MacWinkle. They
hunted high, low, far, and near; they
summoned the police to assist them;
they set the telegraph wires to work;
but all to no purpose. Then river
which flowed near the house was
dragged; but this, again, served nothing.
1t became too obvious that poor Miss
MacWinkle must have met with bad
end.
Before two days had elapsed the
whole country was made acquainted
with the sinister affair, and one more
was added to the list of mysterious dis
appearances" There were some frivol-
Gus wags who did not scruple to suggest
that Miss MacWink1e had eloped with
some adventurous swain who had OBJ
tanned lngress to her chamber by means
of q rope ladder; but this ungenerous
rumor found small credence. The
most common opinion was that Miss
MacWinkle had jumped out other win
dow with fright, ran to the river, and
got drowned.
One popularity, however struck the
police who were investigating the case
viz, this: That, if the unfortunate
lady had jumped out of the window,
she must have fallen upon a freshly
turned fower-bed, and have left marks