The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-10-08

the Footsteps nc uau PAONio,
again sounded upon his ears-the same
firm and measured tread-and soon his
former visitor repeated his mysterious
intrusion.
This time the gaunt figure looked agl-
tated and angry, and to our traveller
amazement and fear, carried in his right
hand large, long and cleaning knife.
Pointing his hand in a similar direction
as before, he shook his grizzly head and
violently winked his eye and stamped
his foot, vet never uttered word, but
kept perfectly silent; and concluded his
wild actions by drawing, not his finger,
but the huge knife determinately and
slowly across his exposed throat. After
this CHASTITY pantomime. second time
he took his leave, proceeding along the
narrow, foored passage and down the
step-ladder to the inn-yard.
The man before whom this awful
dumb.show had been performed
crouched and trembled in his bed. He
had often heard of spectral and super
natural appearances, and had affected
to laugh at those who declared they be-
lieved in them. But was not this, after
all, and unearthly visitationp 1t looked
extremely like it. He would not, how
ever, fully conclude that he had really
seen an apparition; yet he would guard
against third invasion of this uncaany
guest. He would do what he now re-
membered he had unfortunately hither-
to neglected-he would fasten the door
of his room and thus put stop to any
further ingress.
TO his disappointment, however,
when he came to secure his room door,
he found that it was destitute of all
fastenings. Feeling with his fingers in
the dim twilight, no lock nor bolt nor
bar could he discover. Here was a
desperate fix; and what plan for his
safety could he now resort toP Think
ing rapidly over the matter, nothing
be done than to roll his bedstead head
foremost against the door, and thus eff
fectually block up all means of entrance.
Luckily, the bedstead was upon casters:
it was therefore easily moved, so that
our friend had no difficulty in carrying
out his scheme, and returned once more
to bed somewhat more certain of immu-
nifty from intrusion. He could not,
however, settle himself for further
sleep; he had been too much disturbed
and unnerved for additional repose, SO
he resolved to lie awake in his bed until
broad daylight.
A quarter of an hour had but barely
passed when our traveller for the third
time heard the same footsteps approach
ing his bedroom. He felt somewhat
calm and Indifferent, however; for had
he not rendered his apartment con-
pletely impregnable? But short-lived
was this feeling of confidence, for in
few minutes the steps had reached his
door and he heard hands moving over
and pressing hard against it. Then
violent push was made, and after that
another and another, till the bedstead,
on its facile casters, was driven back
into the middle of the floor. Again his
dread visitor approached him, and with
tenfold added horrors; for his face and
hands were smeared with blood, as was
also the knife which, on his second
coming. he had carried. Holding it as
before in his right hand, he drew the
crimson-stained weapon for the second
time across his throat, repeating his &C
ton once, twice and thrice, and; then
again shook ominously his disheveled
locks, and turning upon his heel, with
a look of angry portent, left the apart
ment.
Our traveller was almost sick with
terror; he shook in every limb, while
the cold perspiration oozed from every
pore of his body. He was an unbeliev-
er in apparitions no longer. He could
not stand out against positive proof,
and here he had the clear and certain
and repeated demonstration of his bod
lily senses. When he judged the spec.
ter quite gone and the coast clear he
rose and hastily dressed himself, rush
ing down the step-ladder and into the
inn, where he reused the whole inmates
of the house with. his cries
that some dreadful tragedy
had been committed on the
premises, and that every effort should
be made to discover and arrest the muir
derer. ..,4
So much for the ghost, and now for
the laying of it. 1t turned out, upon
inquiry, that the gaunt and grotesque
figure which had haunted our traveller
was only poor dumb lad, who was
accustomed to help the hostler to kill
pigs. On this morning three of these
animals had to meet the common doom
OF their kind. The first visit of the lad
to our traveller sroom was to inform his
comrade-who, he knew usually slept
there-that the hour was come for their
deadly work, intimating the manner of
it by thethree passes of his finger across
his throat. Upon leaving the room and
finding. after due interval, that the
hostler-as he took our traveller to be
had not arisen for his task, he returned
the second time, angry that his call
had not been obeyed, and took the
Strengthening knife with him, rs q token
and sign of what the lazy hostler had
to get up and do. BY the time of his
third visit to the room, he had himself
done the work of death without the aid
OF his fellow, and he brought the blood
stained knife to signify as much, and
also in dumb-show to say: " You NAV
now lie in your bed there for another
hour or two, if you like; but it has beer
too bad of you to leave all this trouble
some piece of butchers work to me. .
We are sorry we cannot add that tn,
traveller was quite pleased either witt
himself or with the explanation of hi.
fright; for he felt that he had cut rather