Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-04-22

the slcepers nearest him. or the oc-
casional cracking OF a plank or beam,
caused by the cold. -.
After seemingly interminable period
came the distantstroke Of twelve from the
village clock-faint and floating, sway
cd by the wind, and very suggestive Of
things supernatural. Wilkinson trimm-
cd his lamp, put another shovclful of
coal on tho CRATE, and swallowed glass
of sherry-not because his lamp needed
trimming, his fire replenishing, or his
system stimulant; but because he
wanted TO do something to break the
silence-ten times more intense since
the last sound of the clock died away.
"Pat-pat, pat.pat, pat-pat'-past his
door, up the hall, toward the stairs
naked feet or thin slippers, and light,
feminine step-iust as plain as could be!
No possibility for illusion about that
he could have sworn to the reality of
those footsteps in any court of law!
Very cautiously he opened his door
and looked anxiously up the hall.
Something dark and shadowy showed
against the window above the staircase
for moment, and then disappeared, as
the steps went "pat-pat" downstairs.
Delighted at the mystery and romance
of the situation, yot q little nervous
withal, the young musician followed on
tiptoe. in hisstockings, shading his lamp
with his hand.
The supernatural steps preceded him
few yards, and pausing at the front
parlor. opened the door and entered.
Wilkinson followed hesitatingly, but
stopped when he gained the doorway;
for the ghost was apparently about to
play the piano!
The instrument had been left open,
and upon the stool the apparition had
seated itself, with its back toward him.
1t was evidently woman, and in a
night.dress. Payne was afraid to let
the full light of his lamp fall upon it;
but its dim beams struggling between
his fingers showed him that the phan-
TOMS hair was arraged exactly as Lucy
Freye generally arranged hers. As he
advanced into the room, the ghost held
up one hand and he saw on the little
finger a peculiar seal-ring. with dark
blue stone, that Lucy Freye always
wore.
Quite taken aback at this discovery,
he was about to retreat, when the ghost
murmured something very softly.
"Oh. Pavne!" it said-''dear Payne!
why will you not speak, in words, the
love that makes all your music SO elo-
quentp"
With these words, which set the plan.
lists heart to beating audibly, the ghost
let its head slowly sink down upon its
arms, which rested on the front of the
piano, and its slow, even breath was
exactly like that of slumber.
Wilkinson regained his room as noise-
lessly as he had left it but he found no
repose there. The only explanation he
could think of for this strange scene
was a self-evident one. Lucy Freye
was undoubtedly somnambulist. and
said aloud, in her dreams, the things
she only thought when awake
| The next morning we all inquired
very anxiously whether Wilkinson had
watched and what he had seen. He
blushed like girl, but stoutly declared
he had seen nothing, heard nothing,
and that he had concluded the "foot-
steps" to be imagination alone.
Unfortunately for our opinion of his
veracity, Paul Ryder and Ihad watched
the whole scene from the folding-door:
between the parlors, and the Staple
tons had also witnessed it from theil
chamber door, which opened into the
front parlor AS for Sallie Creamel
and Madge Holton, Sallie had he pee
Madge to dress for the part, braided he
hair like Lucy Freye's, and stole tn,
latter's ring from her toilet-table, aftel
she had gone to sleep, taking care, how
ever, to return it before morning
Therefore, when Wilkinson made thi
extraordinary denial, we all had hart
work to keep from laughing outright
The footsteps that he had heard wer
those of Sallie Creamer herself, and tn
whole story about the ghost was par
of the plot fabricated by John Legion
That afternoon we all managed {,
leave Payne and Lucy together in tn
rear parlor for an hour, and not lon!
afterward it was announced that the
were engaged. To this day Luc
imagines that she was afflicted with
sudden and brief fit of somnambulisn
payne told us all about the ghost a
his wedding party) and she one
naively acknowledged to Madge Holto
that she often dreamed of SAYING yer
similar things to those the phantor
uttered. To which Madge replied:
81 thought so then, my dear."-N
Y. Mercury.