Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-10-22

disgusted and turned my back npon her.
Presently looked out of the tail of my eye
to see what she was doing, but she'd cut"
"You don't know who il wasp
mo. She looked like one OF the char
women-Boots's mother / dare say. These
people are cool enough for anything"
My wife called to Saltwater 10 ask if Mrs.
Brown or Mrs. Jones hsd been in that even
ing. She was answered that no one had been.
Then you must have been half asleep,
although you did not know II, and have
dreamed
"Yes, L suppose so. But it seemed very
real. At any rate, Pm half asleep now"
murmured Primus.
Night after night We were reused by the
voice of this or that child. Their mother
always went to them, aud always found
them sleeping peacefully, though = minute
before there had been sobbing and moaning.
1t was bitterly cold and persuaded her not
to 60 at the first call. Then there was whim-
pering on the stairs.
One night we had both been laying awake
for some tIme listening to what seemed like
cautious steps, first ON the landing and then
in our room itself. We had tried to per-
suade ourselves tbs il might be mice But
no; there were distiact steps as of a person
| walking. Yes, though we followed the sound
| with our eyes we saw nothing. Suddenly
| there was a howl of anguish, like the cry of
| large animal in pain. 1t thrilled US with
horror, for it came from our daughters
| room, though 1t was not possible for il to be
Lhsir voices. When we reached their bed
| side, they were calmly sleeping and were not
| even reused by our entrance with the light.
| 1 made quiet observations next day, both in
side and outside of the house.
"n you please, ms'sm, may have my sis
ter TO sleep with nie?n said Saltwater to her
| mistress.
"Are you afraid to sleep alone?"
"No, I'm not sfraid."
"Then why do you wish it?"
No answer; only very earnest look.
| "Wby StillwelI, you look as il you had
| seen ghost" said her mistress, laughingly.
Yes, ma'am, have" she replied very
| quietly.
"And what did it look like?"
Like Mrs. x, just as she was of after
moons"
Come, comet she ought to have been all
in white, you know"
"No. she was not in white. She had on
| the same sort OF cap she always wore, and
the same dress and white apron"
II hope you asked her what she wanted"
"No, ma'am; lay still and looked al her;
and then sat up and looked at her hard;
and presently l could not see her."
sit was no doubt dream, and you will
| probably never have such another"
"No, am cure il was not a dream. Be
sides, have seen her twice before, when
was walking about"
"Out of doort?'
| "No, ma'am; in the house. One afternoon,
| toward dusk, che came and looked at me
| through the window. / wondered how she
could be there, and 1 looked at her for a
/ good little time"
"Aud thenP
"And then she was not there And went
to the window and looked out, but she was
gone"
"What was the use of going to the win
| dow, when you knew she was dead?'
81 don't know. She locke Just as if she
was alive. The other Time / WAS kneeling
down on the rug making your fire burn up.
| She passed straight before me-"
"Oh! nonsense. She would have set fire
| to her Clothes"
Still looked injured; but quietly persisted:
"She did, ma'am. She passed straight be-
tween me and the fire."
"How could she do that? Really, Still,
for sensible young woman, you are very
full of fancies."
ut was not fancy, either of the timer,
ma'am. did see her, did indeed.
hope you will believe me"
ayes; / quite believe that you think you
saw Mrs. x. Yos may have your sister
| to sleep with you"
| Now, is it not a pleasant thing for any
man, still less Tor one of my profession, to
| confess that he has felt "creepy" on account
of certain ineInlicable sounds But as this
ia perfectly true account / am compelled
to acknowledge that it happened to me
again and again during the time of my
dwelling in the Old Lodge And also de-
clare that my wife and l were perfectly we'll
in health, and that we bad never before
been the victims of similar terrors. Further
more, though we spoke of the noises, we ut
first abstxiued from mentioning our sensa-
tiens to each other.
After an hours sleepI would be aroused, |
. he "a
seen indeed, but certainly 10 the room. Then |
small something, say marble, would he |
gently dropped, more than once on the car |
pet, close at my bedside; sometimes the |
| foor-clolh, just outside the open door. Then |
he marble would be gently rolled on the |
boards OF the room and up against the |
skirting board.
1t was an immense relief when, one night, |
we encountered each others eyes as we lay |
listening, and both made clean breasts Of |
our terrors. Yes, nothing short OF that |
word will do. We agreed that the first SUI |
ferer should awake the other. But my wife |
found it not always possible To carry out |
this determination "Wnat did you hear?"
asked her.
"The chest of drawers dragged over |
the floor" she replied. 81 am thanl full you |
spoke TO me, for l have for some time been |
trying to wake you, but was not allowed. In |
fact, have been kept perfectly motionless."
udu nccIu PIcCi-CiJ Tue bdtuC hOuuO1 tCA |
the drawers did not appear 10 have been |
actually moved. The sounds were so dis |
tinct that we always connected them with |
some special article. Now it was he loud |
snapping OF thick stick 10 the hail. Now |
it was a violent blow on he hall table, struck |
az il with my own walking stick, which l |
remem bered to have left there, and which / |
found there in the morning. Once the hesv-
iest book on my writing table appeared TO be |
dropped, as if from The hight of man, on !
the hoor-cloih in the hall. Then smaller |
one. / always myself shut the doors of the |
rooms leading in.o the hall.
OF course / tried in every way TO account |
for the mystery; but, after time, L could |
only resign myself TO lie awake and wonder. |
The nights we're bitterly cold. On one occa-
sion, when there had been persistent drop
ping OF nuts in corner OF the room, / |
Jumped up in desperation and held the light |
close 10 the spot 10 a second the sound wss /
behind me. / rhisked round, but-tapping
10 right OF me, tapping TO left Of me, tapping |
in every direction, without a seconds inter-
mission. No sooner did 1 look toward one
spot than the dropping of nuts was nj the
oihsr end Of the room. 1t was as ii some
mischievous elf were enjoying himself al
my expense.
Our boys had gone to spend day or two
with some friends; and their mother, not |
liking the look of The empty ROOM bad
closed the door 10 passing, giving II push
to make sure thzt=a=#as- fast bat night
we heard the door shut with I Tremendous
bang. Even had it been left open, there was
no wind TO move it.
Another night, when We had been awoke
In the usual way, there was an agreeable va
risty in the enter ainment.= delicate, flute
like sound proceeded from the closed dining
room Again and again distinct and long
sustained nusicalBets ss-of s5Hs-saasll
pipe. Then the fifth Of that note, then the
octave, repeated many times; then the sew
euth and octave, over and over again. We
were greatly puzzled. The piano was not in
that room. And the sound certainly sag
gested wind instrument OF sweet tone.
I went down early next morning, and found
to my surprise a coucerlina lying on table
1 lifted the handle and there came forth
Iong-draHn note, the very note l had heard
in ibe night. NJ wife called out TO me from
up st2irs, "Thzfs il that's i'll WHAT is ilf"
Without attempting TO dissnlangle her
spsecb, held up The concertina.
"Oh! that is Phil's. He must have left it |
behind Blu. it was the very note; there is no
doubt of it"
We locked the thing up in its box, and
put it inside a hookcass, aud next night We
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