New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-03
That seems very true, said the Squire; it WA,

CRAFTY curosity-cal H. idle or say n sgr!nos from
reverence desire, in fact, only to the tncatrs
| OF these lriOus and unique manifestations"
| Toe squire moved BY these woTl Is and bv tba
benevolonce OF Burgundy, and recognizing tine spirt
! IN which they were uttered. wen % his yaic and
p produced the key adjurng his que t. mt he SINE
zine, should he 90 am thing to leave the room i'm
mediaiey With A cheerful mon George Dalnabov
! proc, ed"1 10 The haunted chamber. Heexpe1ienced
! tn same difficulty in opening he 70 m which had
| been felt by has cousin The key turnel prettv
easily, bat the door stuck. And when he pushed y
| % there was hoard a grating noise winch did NOT
| seem natural TO the nature of door.
| We have seen what manner OF room was tina
haunted chamber But when II wa last yi,ifod Il
wa III th, pale twilight OF JaDuirydly Now AZ
| the end IL April, the sun was shining bu ILL.,
| through the window, AM the room was cheer nj
Certainly not all the sort OF time for a gha,t ~
walk. Spectres shun sunshine, as the cOpv-books
might say. Grorg' Locked about HIN with ,ittedis
appointment lrlOu~ly furnish ii room hat yy,s.I
| lis d5Ippoin meat did not LAST longs creakn1
sound Denim him MADE him turn round. LARGO
| bar was slowly descending across the door I6e
| progress slow. but 70 finished oy dropping INTO
il place: he door Ta' closed. George tried 20 ma
| the bar II was mmOyable
| Good" he SAID This Is how Jack began. Can
il be tat the Ancestor s going 70 take an afternoon
! dander round the rOomf
Apparently he was, because he closing OF the
door wa, followed by ,h" ringing Of bells beating of
drums. signs, "a breath of cod air which had so te1i
| tci his codsin Wmle he was listening and watch
| ing-iu some dsquei ude. 1t must be owned-he fet
something delca;e ana light touching his cheek he
turned quickly. Nothing
| Bells ne said, there certainly are aud dmm..
and there j. a noise winch Tom "a 4 was sobhng I,
| seems q me ke-tlli!op Again tie g.utle to1rb
upon his cheek; TIN. time he put up his hand n. orc
catches ut a troublesome ly, ana cluglt-one @. rne
peacOcks feathers. lie then observed hat several
| o. them were slowly lifting themselves up and
| down
'This' said George Dalmahoy, is more curious
! than the bells
Noun ING on a chair he examined the place wbere
the felther attached TO the wall. To his great
surprise he found that 1t was fitted into a small
bras, tube, aud that the tube Itself WAS moving
| slowly no and down, carrying the feather with H.
VERY Odd,' said George II was not ghoStly
finger at my throat, but feather, and the feather
il not lifted by ghosty HAND bu by brass IuOe.
And what the devil hits the brass tube suppose
| he added utter Il pause. that the same thing Its
| thu brass tube which rings the bells and beats the
drums. IL 1t the ANCESTOR Would he come if |
| called him namcsf It seemed as # the Ancestor
must have heard these lrreverent remarks, because
| at tnat moment the wall at the cad Of the room
seemed suddenly to disappear; the bells ceased,
| and music of some kind vas heard.
All his SAID George, feeling more than little
afraid, Is most wonderful and Just a, Jack Teeled
| 1t all out 70 he sure could not make out how be
| could have invented 1t. What neXtg On, Lord"
| For at that moment the skeletons appeared aud
| began TO dance, The young mans knees shocked
| together for moment and hs cneek turned pale.
| Inen he rallied his courage ana made for the
| skeletons.
They were capering with the most grotesque aud
extraordinary agility, legs and arms moving all at
once, skulls shaking and noduing; even the back
bone twisting, at least enlng 10 twist. George
| presently seized one of the arms.
ftls
| jOmts-real riD.-and here he laughed aloud
they are all three hanging by strings lie con-
templated 'hls phenomenon WIN curiosity, put no
terror. Then the lower panels OF the wall beside
INN opened, and there came out the figure OF
man
'Ahar said George here is the Ancestorl How
are you. old boy " The figure dressed III
tong dressing gown, and had on 81 j stockings and
old-fashIOned knee-breechei The knees Were bent
and the figure STOPPING, aud rs II moved SLOWLY and
by jerks, il seemed TO be Oh the point of falling to
pieces. George stopped in front OF II and began
calmly to feel aud punch It..
uOusly, and you are dropping to pits, and the
moths have got into your poor old s,eeYe and the
white wool is falling on your poor Old pate.
and your mask Is hanging by thread. 1Ou an
Ancestor You ridiculous OLD MUG?
The miserable ghost made no reply but continued
IT'S journey across the ROOM When lie reached the
opposite wall the panels opened 10 admit hun, and
This is the Ancestorp said George, in great en-
poor r. Old skeleions NoJoIy cares about You.
his the benevolent Ancestor! lhis Is hls Bene.
dlctionl This is his sweet and winning smile! ho!
40 hop
Just then the music ceased, the skeletons disap-
peared-thaI Is to say, they flew up INTO the cell:
ing. lhele wa, Sign as If somebody was TIED aud
gIad that the joO was over: u orge observed that
what he had taken for disappearance OF part OF
the wall was really only the folding back OF the
middle of wooden partition wall Gu tlng on one
end of the room. lie also observed that the bar Of
the door was lifting slowly a. II had fallen. All
was ove therefore. He had seen the family ghost.
Ii n big dol, dropping slowly TO pieces with
age, damp and the ravages of moths lie ia seen
The fearful procession or dance OF death, tine g0-
berIng skeletons succeeding one another III swift
succession, each playing It's antics as II pa sea- ana
reckoning 70 us with lean and bony fingers lex
tract from tdc Narfatlye.9
Wei, there were three musty skeletons let down
from q trap in the ceng by strings or wires, the
lifting and dropping OF which produced thelr con,
tOrtlons and ddnclngs. lie mad heard tue celestial
orchestra faint, though complete IN all ITS parts,
PLAYING music not to be described, yet ever to be
remembered, accompanied by a choir OF faint,
sweet voices singing what seemed hymn or praise
Extract from 'Narrative'l Yes. he had heard II.
BY Cad, Inc said. II was a musIcal-box, aud IL
played an old-fashioned slow trOis-emps! As for
choir and heavenly voiccs-fudgeP lie nad heard
the bells and the drums. Yes; there were bells and
drums; who could bavo rung he bells ana beaten
the drums The bar was up he could go: The
show was over. Yet, what ana 10 neanf George
went TO one OF the windows and looked ont. thluk'
ing. Beside him stood table OF when we know.
He took up two of the things: they We're IN
struments used III making aud mendlng Watcn.
The table was an old, rough black bench, which,
IN fact mad been the Old mans bench curing al, tue
years of his working life remember SAID George,
one of them made ms money III trade; he was
n matchmaker Then be saw before inc
next window lathe with all the appliances, and
carpenters bench ntted up with tools. Ha1-maue
things rounded blocks. pullcys, small light chains,
lay about the bench. 'Oid man WAS . carpenter
ana turner too, suppose sald GtOfge. lIeh ue
went to the next table Ihls was covered WIN
BOOKS and papers. Old man read mechanics, sald
Grorge. lie took mp one OF the sheets covered WIN
drawings. Then he TOOK up another. men no
looked around him ana nodded. Then he laugnru.
/ hen lie looked at ms watch Inen lie We0i 10 INC
carpenters ueuch took ont some tools and pro-
ccrueI to work IL was quarter of an hour before
he finished and already past O'Clock. lie ruDDeu
his hands with the greatest satisfaction. ms ug
said Is the best days WORK | have ever dOne'
Then ne opened the door and epp d out.
Hoy Noses = he CRED, surprised into an oxcia-
nation which cannot be Justified, and yet mus pe
considered pardOnab.e one has to tell wbathe
saw.
Now il came to pass that, just as the bells began
4 II, ham t.sn4 l..IIf
companled by one OF the bridesmaids, passed Dy
the door hat was her terror and aStoniShment TO
hear the dread sound, only heard by herself, begn
aoaiut He calls me " snc cried, graspIng her
TREND by the arm lie calls me l must 90!