The Red Cloud chief., 1880-01-29

49,
or an umbrella" =
Every body wa amused; and pree
entity the whole COMPANY had dispersed
Soon after midnight the house wa
pushed. and even the dragoon, who
ought to have been keeping watch for
the ghost, slumbered In peace the sleer
OF the just. Throughout the night moi
a sound was heard, and the pair Of ter.
riers who had been left free 10 rambIe
about the house As sentinels, curled
themselves mp In the passage near Mis-.
MacWinkle's door, and were never
heard TO bark or growl once.
Breakfast used To be served nj 9 80 in
Capt. Jafle's house. and all the guests
staying under his roof generally came
TO it. Miss MacWinkIe had said over
night that she would do 50; 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 towards the
door, expecting to see the heroine walk
in. But Miss MacWinklc was late. AZ
ter a quarter Of an hours delay, Capt.
Jaffle said 10 the butler: Has Miss
cWinkle's maid told her that break
fast is ready?"
"IW go and ask, sir" answered the
servant, and he went out. Five minutes
afterward he returned, looking rather
Hurried, and said, "Tbe maid has
knocked several times at Miss MacWin-
kle's door, and there Is no answer"
when did she first knockP" asked
Capt. Jafle.
'.An hour ago, sir; then she came
back, half an hour later, thinking her
mistress vas asleep. She got no answer
then, and now she's knocking again,
and she's beginning to get alarmed"
Every body else became alarmed allof
a sudden. A general adjournment was
made to the passage, and Miss Mac Win
kle'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
she has tainted from fright" re-
marked m of the young ladies Of Is.
"A ~fainting fit does mol last an hour;
we had better have the door forced
said Mrs. Jaffle, anxiousIy.
eff w send 10 the village the lock-
smith won't be here for an hour" OBJ
served the Captain. al had better 90
and get my tools and do the business
myself"
The Captain hurried off, and while he
was gone his guests, who were now Sc
frightened, INDUCED 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 il was,
some of them remarked that people
not TO keep ghosts on their prem
ses, and that haunted rooms were only
good To hear of in novels.
Meanwhile Capt. Jaffle returned, and
some trouble forced the door open.
Mrs. Jaille and some ladies streamed in
instantly uttered cries of distress,
which brought the men into the room.
The place was empty and the window
'tood wide open, thus telling a tale of
'ome fearful drama which must have
enacted in the night. 1t was evil
lent that poor Miss MacWinkle must
ave received some horrible scare and |
AVE leaped clean through the case
nent. Luckily, the window was on the
floor, SO that she could not have
,een much hurt by her fall; but where
vas she?
The ladies looked out, half expecting
o see an inanimate form in a bed-gown
ying across a fiower-bed. Mrs. Jaffle
iad been prompt to remark that Miss
dacWinkle must have addressed and
into bed, for the bed was in disor-
and the poor lady's clothes were
brown over some chairs. But, indeed, |
Hiss MacWinkle's maid was able to cor
oborate the fact that her mistress had
,one TO bed, and an inspection of boxes
nd wardrobe enabled her TO say that,
wherever Miss MacWinkle might be,
Ter attire must be of the scantiest, rom
only of a night-drcSs and frilled
ap. "Send off the grooms at once in
very direction. Perhaps the poor
hing has become mad from fright. Oh,
ear! What shall we do?" calculated
lrS. Jaffle.
"I'm very sorry l asked her to sleep
stammered Captain Jafle, apollo
to his guests, "but l had no
lea that she was timid."
"Who wouldn't be timid against a
exclaimed one of the ladies,
toward the door with a shudder,
$ if she feared to see the sprite who
ad frightened Miss MacWinkle start
p suddenly again. The other ladies
oncurred, and, after another quarter
f an hour had been expended in con-
.sctures, the party filed back toward the
reakfast room. Appetites had not
cen destroyed, though they were part
: blunted by what had happened, and
apt. Jaffie requested his wife to stay
nd do the honors of the house.
He himself went to help his grooms
after Miss MacWinkle. They hunt
d high, low, far, and near; they sum-
loned the police to assist them; they
It the telegraph wires to work; but all
no purpose. Then a river which I
owed near the house was dragged;
this, again, served nothing. 1t be-
anne too obvious that poor Miss Mac
must have met with a bad end.
Before two days had elapsed the
hole country was made acquainted
18th the sinister affair, and one more
as added 10 the list of mysterious I,
There were some
ivolous wags who did not scruple to
lggeSt that Miss cWinkle had clipped !
it'll some adventurous swain who had ,
ingre>s to her chamber by I,
leans of a r~Ope-ladder; but this ungen- /,
'ous rumor found small credence. The !
lost common opinion was that Miss !
-acWinkle had jumped out of her win I,
Nv in a fright, run to the river, and !
,t drowned. ,
One popularity, however, str.ck the {
,lice who were investigating the case :
viz, this: That, if the unfortunate ;
dy had jumped out of the window, she :
ust have fallen upon a freshly turned I;
,wer bed, and have left marks on the :
old. Now, there were no marks; and =
lis puzzled the detectives not 81 little. :
A certain member of the police force, /
Timsot, had been specially in S
listed with the conduct Of the Mac, =
'inkle case, and when all his researches 4
I'd proved Intellectually begged that he O
light come and spend a few DAYS in
apt. Jafie's house and sleep in the q
'artment which Miss MacWinkle had 4