American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-05-14


tleman, a near connection and grea
friend. One evening it happened tina
the family had all gone out to a Christ
mas junketing; and, as was left a
home alone, l at once determined t.
retire to the snug little study "a YER
favorite resort of mine, for it was wei
filed with books. Like most old
fashioned country-houses, the sitting
rooms were all on the ground floor
The study had one window, the sill
of which was about five feet from
gravel walk, which ran all along tina
side of the house, so that any one coull
readily have touched the window il
passing.
Having requested the maid to light tn,
lamp for me, l was lust following he
to the study, when l was somewhat sur
prised by the girl running back into tho
drawing room in state OF great perturb
alton. and declaring that some one hat
knocked sharply four times at the stud,
window; but that, on looking out, she
saw no one right or left on the grave
walk; adding that she was much fright.
ened and quite put out in consequence
mirer, L merely smiled at the girls
study for a comfortable read.
1t was a bright, clear, moonlight
night now; but a heavy fall of snow
during the afternoon had covered every
field, road and path with it's beautiful
mantle of spotless white; and a sharp
breeze was springing up which seemed
likely to increase to a gale. l had
been reading barely half an hour, when
1 was rather surprised to hear four or
five sharp taps at the outside of the
window, such as might have boon given
with the end of a stick. jumping up,
L instantly threw open the window and
looked all around. Nothing was
to be seen but the bright,
frosty moonlight and the clean,
white snow; and what also noticed was
that the snow under and near the win
dow was perfectly smooth, untouched
and untroddcu; clearly Indicating that
neither man nor beast had passed that
spot, or even near it.
1 confess 1 felt completely puzzled;
and not knowing exactly what to think,
1 sat down again to read. had not,
however, got through a score of pages,
when tap, tap, tap again carried me to
satisfactory result-nothing to be seen
nothing to be discovered. These
tappings occurred three different times
in the following hour and a half, and
deiied my utmost endeavors to find out
the cause. 1 examined the window
which was surrounded outside by ivy
and creeping plants-most carefully,
but found nothing. L went outside to
each end of the house, and again OBJ
served that the snow was still untrod-
den and untouched. l confess / was
both surprised. puzzled and ANNOYED.
Heee was an undoubted mystery. a
series of tappincs, the cause Of which
had. after close and careful inyestiga-
ton, totally failed to discover. 1t was
a mystery, certainly, and one which
ought to be explained; but how?
In due time the family returned home;
and after the ladies had retired, 1 took
the doctor into the study and told him
laughed. and wagged his head incredu-
lousy; adding, with merry twinkle of
his keen gray eye, that he hoped, as the
or0o and had eniove6 a comfortable
sIeen in the COW Armchair: mildly suo-
gestinc the possibility of NV dreams
runninp in the direction of supernatural
sights and sounds; politely intimating,
in fact. that had been asIeen and had
dreamed the whole thing! This I at
once refuted by reference to the maid,
who proved a yery willing witness, in
deed. The doctor seemed puzzled,
shifted sharply two or three
times, took an enormous pinch of
snuff, and then stood looking
intently into the fire; when suddenly
tap, tap, tap, tap, loud and sharp at the
caused us both to run forward.
throw it open, and look out; but, need
hardly say. with the usual result. Il
drew the DOCTORS special attention to
the smooth, untrodden snow, and told
him had again and again examined
the window and wall both inside and
put, but without effect.
..WeI, Jack, it is certainly very
odd,'' said the doctor; "but as am
convinced the taps arise from some
PERFECTLY natural cause, I'll stop here tin
find it out, if should stay all n ht."
We discussed the probable causes
,ricks, cats, birds pecking, etc, but
our theories almost as soon
Is started, until our elaboration, were
,ut short by the tapping being again
louder and sharper than ever.
The doctor now nearly lost his temper,
md throwing open both halves of the |
window lit was a French. not a sash |
Window, fetched out ovcrcoats and |
,ats, and proposed to extinguish the |
amp, and to sitdown opposite the open |
and there carefully watch. |
This we accordingly both did, with an |
mount of patience and exemplary per-
severance never, perhaps, before exhib-
ted by the most determined ghost
hunters, until. in spite of the blazing
ire behind us. we were nearly half
rozen by the keen biting air and the
Wind, which had now increased to a