The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-08-30

the job had better be done when I was
out of the way, on account of the dust
and other disturbances IL would make
/ see her reasons now-the old hypo-
crite |"
You need not send for the carpenter:
"a sliding door, like the one her master
had ordered to be fastened up, that is
what she said, and though she was
much confused, and at times quite inco-
herent, repeating these words frequent
ly without any obvious sense, / believe
/ now understand what she meant
Those pegs, you see, are placed above
the panel, and are immovable, but the
panel itself, which in fact forms the par
tition between the two rooms, have no
doubt 1t is the one she attempted to de-
scrlbed.''
II was probably great many years
since the door had been moved, so that
it did not give way Immediately when
we endeavored to push it aside. How
after some little impatience, and good
deal of humoring we at length got it
to slide in the groove which had been
made for 1t.
If there were any doubt remaining in
our minds as to the nature of the appa-
ritions which had caused so much dis
may In the family in goneby times,
what we now beheld would have dissi-
pated 1t, for on the back of the panel
which opened into the thaunted room,"
hung two pasteboard masks, made to
closely represent two deaths heads, and
on the floor lay heap of dusty, yellow
looking linen, which had once been
white. On removing these ghostly ha-
biliments, we found two skeleton hands,
or limitations of them, cannot say that
l examined them sufficiently to know
what materials they were made Of
Such were the abominable disguises that
had been used by the butler and the
housekeeper his wife
There now remained only to remove
the partition between the closet and the
haunted room" This was done with
out any difficulty, after small iron
hook, or catch, had been raised. The
passage between the two rooms was thus
easily made, yet quite imperceptible
when it was closed.
Some of the company present pro-
posed that masks and other trumpery
should be shown in the village, but the
old clergyman suggested that it would
be far better they should be burnt, and
as the Squire was of the same opinion,
we Immediately made an auto du .fe of
all the rubbish
"There is one thing 1 don't quite un-
derstand," said the squire, speaking, to
Mr.. Bradley; how was it that you
never till now told me of the rascally
trick that had been played by Lofty
and his wife 2"
C You reccollect that left Sandiland
just at the time of the old woman's
death. If had remained here, most
likely the subject would have been men
toned, and the discovery which we have
just now made would have been made
sixteen years ago. But the fact is, 1 had
not any notion that the audacious plan
of using frightful disguises had ever
been carried into execution, or, that
your father himself had ever been so in
suited by his servants. What was meant
by the sliding door never suspected till
last night, when you told us of the se-
cret closet that had formerly been used
for plate. think, sir, that the ghost is
now forever laid, and that this room
may safely be used in the future; per-
haps it would be the best way of silenc-
ing foolish tongues if it were slept in
occasionally. Some of these young
men"
Four or five candidates offered them
selves Immediately.
Before the party at Sandiland broke
up, was obliged to return to my stud
les. Many years have rolled on since
the happy days, bringing their stores of
good and of evil, bringing new friends
and dearer relations, sweeping away old
friends, none more dear to me than my
kind-hearted old friend the Squire
The major, too, is gone, and the fine old
house where we met has passed into
very different hands, and no longer has
1.-THE Mysterious Room"
Cniders 40 TeIauranh Clhsfrucfore