Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1882-10-28

not see how any but ghost could get
in, for the house do be looked mp 80
close like. think she was trying to
warm herself, ma'am, and however she
got out, ma'am, cannot tell, only she
was gone in an instant, and not door
opened".
Poor Mrs. Anstruther felt quite dis
turbed at the cooks relation, and told
her husband of it Immediately. OF
course he only laughed at it, said Polly
must have strengthened her tea the night
before. and hadn't her vision quite clear
so early Monday morning, or that she
had not finished her dreams; to which
Mrs. Anstruther answered warmly that
Polly was decent, sober woman, and
wouldn't for the world touch anything
stronger than tea. ''eT
Weeks passed by, and the household
was not troubled by overturned clothes
horses. displaced pans, or mysterious
women, and the story become like q
dream, when one morning early. upon
opening his bedroom door, Mr.. An.
struther found the housemaid lying out
side it in a sort of faintine fit. After
some time, and many restoratives, the
woman was brought back to her senses,
and incoherently told her tale. She had
gone down very late at night to the
laundry to bring up . breakfast cap
which she knew her : mistress would
want the next morning, and heard q
faint rustling, like the moving of clothes.
She thought it was the cat, which might
have got hold Of one Of the tovel& so
she opened the door and went in; there
she saw the shadowy figure Of tall
woman. Q sunbonnet on her head, with
long, thin, ghsstly fingers feeling Of the
clothes. and drearily saying, ''NoF dry
oh, not dfy-they chili--chill- chill ne
so" Then she moved the horse rapidly
and fiercely nearer the fireplace, over
turning it and apparently disappearing
under its folds and clothes.
! Mr. Anstruther went Immediately TO
the laundry. There he found the over.
turned clothes, but not even the ghost
of q woman under them, nor in any cor.
Iner or part of the house. for he searched
it very thoroughly. to qniet the nervous
fears Of his wife and of the maids. Tte
poor frightened housemaid trembled all
day, scarcely able to stand. a 9
Mr. Ahstruther himself had no faith
10 these spectre stories, and women are
always so apt to be nervous and fright.
ened. he said; but that very night, when
he and his wife were standing by the
window, listening to the swash Of the
waves on the beach, and saying how
cool and refreshing the sound was on
that heavy August night, the same cold,
shivering breeze passed over their faces
as on that other night. and husky
voice said slowly, "Oh! am so cold
SO very coldT They grasped one
another convulsively, but said nothing;
nor did they speak to one another Of
those strange shivering words. but
seemed bv mutual assent to avoid the
subject. Perhaps Mr.. Anstruther thought
the remembrance of them might pass
more quickly from his wife's memory
ifnot alluded to. Perhaps she thought so.
The next night he went at midnight
to the kitchen, looked carefully an.
cautiously in, and saw-the ghostly form
Of a woman, almost in the ashes, numer-
ous pans around her, hoarsely mutter-
ing, s.They will never heat; oh, never.
The bad master, he will kill me. No
dinner, no supper, no fire." Mr.. An
etruther rushed suddenly toward the
woman, who. throwing her hands wildly
above her head, m, lied away.
He said nothing of this to any one,
and went again the next night, but saw
nothing down stairs. He went to bed.
Soon af'er midnight-he was awake
the sir of the room became very chilly,
like q graveyard, and he heard from
every corner Of the room a smothered
voice, saying, 81 am so cold-ohi SO
cold. It is so dark under the stairs; so
damp-take me out--the cruel master"
Still, Mr.. Anstruther kept a wise
silence, thinking what was his lest
course TO tske. There were faint
sounds heard at night in the Kitchen
laundry, and through the halls, cold,
ICY whispers from the landing by the
arched window on the stairwag, so that
the servants refused to go to their work
until the morning was well advanced,
and Mr.. and Mrs. Ahstruther never
stopped now on the pleasant stairway
landing to look through the arched
window at the moon or the stars, or to
hear the delicious swash Of the'Bes. She
looked pale and frightened all the time,
and the servants nervous, and scared.
They stayed only for the love Of the
master and mistress. As for Mr.. An.
strnther, he was very uneasy, yet hated
to yield 70 what he considered foolish.
weak. supernatural fears; still he was
exceedingly uncomfortable. -
From this time the ghostIy appeay.
ance became incessant. At last friend
Of Mr.. Anntruther came 10 visit him.