Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-12-24

ahoJner point OF view"
BE there another" he eagerly asked, as
paused to allow him time Tor expression OF
| OPTION.
Yes" said; there is another Before I
believe In your Interpretation, Andrew--Oefore
believe IL possible that spirits can wander
about the world for no other reason than to
brighten people, must test mine"
His eyes. awakened to new interest were
looking at mine very fnQuirngly.
explained at once. What mean is this
suspect trick. Somebody has spite against
the owner OF this house-somebody has an
interest in keeping 1t empty"
Andrew was naturally shrewd AS l spoke
there came into his face new look OF keennes5.
He smiled. There has been queer things
done" he observed, with cautious impair
| tlality.
You have been here some weeks,"I said
| Have you heard anything during that time
| about this house, about the people who own IL?
| am told they lived here once"
| Thus stimulated, Andrew told me that the
| house and grounds had originally belonged 70
| Lork b. father OF the present lord: whose
! park was commanded by our front windows
| on the marriage OF favortte sister with Mr..
| ROupel, man somewhat beneath her in posi-
| ton, he gave her the mouse. Here the MARI ID
| pair lived in much unhappineSS IL was said;
| and here their only child, a daughter was born.
! After running through his wife's money the
! husband died When left alone. the widow.
! and her now grown-up daughter, determined to
! let their house. and live abroad. The rent OF
| the furnished house, with its excellent garden
| would bring them In an income sufficient to
! enable them 10 live quietly In some foreign
| town. But while this project was being dis
| cusSed the widow died suddenly and NJ yste-
riously. An inquest was held over her: for
| strange suspicious were circulated abroad
! The verdict was that she had died OF the fam
| lily complaint heart disease. But there were
those who still spoke myteriousy about the
| circumstances OF The death, and declared that
the poor lady had met with foul play.
Now this Was the germ Of the ghost story:
| FOR 1t was said far and near that Mrs. ROupoi IL
| she had really been mnrdered-and murdered
by her own child. as some dared to whisper
would never rest in her grave. And when
| singular appearances came and went, and
! strange sounds were heard In the house. now
| empty save for an ancient hOuSekeeper, The
| suspicion, scarcely spoken of at first above the
breath, so dark 1t was and mOnStrouS, was by
| and-by openly discussed.
on this part OF the story old Andrew was
very ready 10 date. He warmed to the theme
| indeed, and would willingly have given me, had
| desired it, full and particular account of the
| various people who from time to time had been
| driven from the premises. But l. holding still
| 10 my point. that trick had to do with 1t, re-
| strained his flow or language, and endeavored
| by close questioning to find out what he knew
! about the daughter of Mrs. ROupel, who, If his
| story were true, was the present owner OF the
/ haunted house.
| q elected the following facts. Miss Roupel
| was nineteen years OF age about the period of
| her mothers death. She was then a young
| lady OF high spirit and cheerful temper: she
was accomplished, witty, and unusually at
| frlcttve In appearance. Thus, In spite OF the
. draWb dckS entailed by poverty, and d sad mel
aucholy mother. the young lady was not With
out SuitorS. The suit of one OF these was &C
cording to her mother and her5elf-they re-
| lnemoered their cid antecedents and were
p1oud-ltttle short OF an tlnpertnenCe; for the
man was neither more nor less than Lord
B--'S house steward. The Old hOuSekeeper
to whom. before he bestowed the house upon
his sister, the old lord had appOrtoned two
rooms was Mrs. Weevil. the stewards mother.
Ii was natural that Miss ROupel, niece OF his
form er employer, should reject his suit with
ClSdan. 1t was perhaps no less natural that
sink deeply into the stewards soul. The fact
was that from the day when he was forbidden
the house where his mother lived the young
man changed. People spoke or mis- black
looks, OF his hard ways, OF his crue! cy meal
speeches., and some predicted a bad end for
him.
Meanwhile Miss Roupel, now left alone by her
mothers death, married Mr.. Egerton, man,
rom monetary point OF view, scarcely more
eligible imam the steward. He was lieutenant
in the navy; but as he had nothing In the world
but his pay, they carried out MIS-. Roupers plan
or letting their house furnished, believing It
would bring them 10 sufficient income to en-
able the young wife TO live in comfort while her
husband was away from her. But, as Andrew
remarked II this was her BELIEF. she must nave
Deen ''OTten sore pinched,' for the house could
have brought In very little.
thanked him for his story. Now said,
you must do something more for me. Go to
the village at once. Find the carpenter and
portant business There must be no delay.
Will pay them well for their work. Do you un-
derStand?' For the Old man was staring at me
as II he thought ! had taken leave OF my
senses
II understan'," he answered slowly. But
what Will you be wanting with them ma'am?r
~ gu Will know all In good time. They must
orlng thelr tools. Now go AndreW-go quickly.
And mind, Andrew added ''say nothing to
any one OF your errand; and bring the Joiner
ana blacksmith in by the back entrance for
by every body
Notwithstanding these bold words [ must
CONFESS that when Andrew started On his mes
sage and | was left alone-for the ayah had
| gone down to the village-I felt a little uneasy
| | did not believe In spiritual presences. but |
| old peileVe In wfckedness driven to desperation
1 was Dlddlng defiance to a foe OF whose re-
| sources l was utterly ignorant What IL nv
! defiance should be taken up? Mentally, fe
strong enough; physically, was conscious OF
I my household duties. which occupied me fnlly
! I'LL the return OF Andrew
took him, as also the joiner and blacksmith.
into lne parlor and told them my experiences OF
| the previous evening. Andrew exhibited symp.
TOMS OF alarm; but found the Joiner sensible
! mar, ana inclined, after what | told him. 10
TAKE tthe similar view with myself of the stua-
| uon namely, that we were being made the suh.
! Jects OF some diabolical trickery. in order TO
| drive us out OF the house. He asked about Mrs.
WeeVil, nd II l had ever been In her rooms |
Sald mad not. He proposed at once to visit
| Them. The door of her apartments was as
| usual, locked; bu- the blacksmith had little dir
Ilculty In successfully picking the lock, and
I
meanwhile sent TO keep lookout in the garden
that no one approached the house unawares.
! There was nothing to attract attention In
| MIS-. WeeV1PS apartments The Joiner care
| 1ully examined them; but no means OF egreSS
| from either or the rooms could be discovered
| save the door by which we had entered the
| WINDOWS having iron gratings outside We
| LOOK the utmost care that nothing was dis.
| arranged; and any piece OF furniture or apparel
| which we had occasion TO disturb was replaced
| exactly as found. Previous TO this | should
| have mentioned, both the joiner and the black
| smith mad made particular examination OF the
| DoW-w1ndoW OF my bedroom; but had failed TO
| ma anyth1nS 10 awaken suspicion in the
| SngnteSt. our search had so tar been entirely
| frultleSS; and was beginning to feel more per-
] picked than ever as, after what Andrew mad
| I0ld me OF Mrs. Weeyil, and of her sons former
| relations TO the owner OF the house, had some
| now begun to connect her In my mind with the
| mysterious appearances which had given it
/ such bad fame.
| We were In the act OF quitting the house
| keepers sitting ROOM afraid that ste might
| return before We had had time to refaSten The
| door, when noticed the blacksmith kneel down
| onthe floor OF the inner apartment and exam
! Inc the foot OF one OF the bedpOStS. 1t was an
| ancient EliZabethan, with heavy faded hang
| lngS, and stood on floor covered with d1Gpet
| out OF which long Use had extracted almost all
traces OF It's original pattern. At signal, the
| Ioner stopped down beside him; and | then
observed that the caster at the foot of the bed
| post was glistening with oil, as ii It had out
| recently been lubricate !. and we all three then
| noticed that there was distinct dark otJy