The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-04-21


'casioaal cracking Of = plank or beam,
caused by the cold.
After seemingly interminsble period
came the distantstroke of twelve from the
village clock-faint and floating, sway-
ed by the wind, and very suggestive of
things supernatural. Wilkinson trimm-
ed his lamp, put another shovelful of
coal on TIE CRATE, and swalloweda glass
of sherry-not because his lamp needed
trimming, his fire replenishing, or his
system q 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 q light,
feminine stcp-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 a moment, and then disappeared, as
the steps went "pat-pat'' down stairs.
Delighted at the mystery and romance
OF the situation, vet little nervous
withal, the young musician followed on
tiptoe. in his stockings, shading his lamp
with his hand.
The supernatural steps preceded him
a few yards, and paus:ng 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.
It was evidently q 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 ne
advanced into the room, the ghost held
up one hand; and he saw ON the little
finger 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. Pavnc"' it said-s'dear Payne!
why will you not speak, in words, the
love that makes all your music SO elo-
quent?'' e2-
With these words, which set the pian-
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 a 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 a 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 doors
between the parlors, and the Staple
tons had also witnessed it from their
chamber door, which opened into the
front parlor. As for Sallie Creamer
and Madge Holton, Sallie had he ped
Madge to dress for the part, braided her
hair like Lucy Freye's, aud stole the
latter's ring from her toilet table, after
she had gone to sleep, taking care, how
ever, to return it before morning.
Therefore, when Wilkinson made this
extraordinary denial, we ali had hard
work to keep from laughing outright.
The footsteps that he had heard were
those of Sallie Dreamer herself, and the
whole story about the ghost was part
of the plot fabricated by John Legion.
That afternoon we all managed TO
leave Payne and Lucy together in the
rear parlor for an hour, and not long
afterward it was announced that they
were engaged. To this day Lucy
imagines that she was afflicted with a
sudden and brief fit of somnambulism
payne told us all about the ghost at
his wedding party; and she once
naively acknowledged to Madge Holton
that she often dreamed of saying very
similar things to those the phantom
uttered. To which Madge replied:
'sA-thought so then, my dear" IN
2. Mercury.