The Dawson journal., 1883-11-29
A LITTLE SKELETON
An English Ghost Story as Told
by a Philadelphia
Paper.
Philadelphia Call.

Nf~@&OfCo III SuOSGs
perhaps. At any rate I believe
in my father and he believed the
story | am about to relate. Nv
father was a Briton. He lived in
England years ago. He resides at
Ipswich, and once had occasion to
go to London on business. It was
during period OF great commo-
ton, and the city being very full
he had some trouble in finding q
lodging. The master of the house
observed that it was good, large
room for he could get but one. J
and very comfortable, if he did
not mind-but there he stopped.
for his wife gave him a nudge
That made my father suspect that
something was not quite right.
1T isn't over a slaughter-house,
or battle-ground, or dissecting-
room, is it?" says he.
ooh dear, no." says the land
lord; "but some say the next house
IS haunted; and that anybody who
sleeps in this room can see a lady
IN white, crying, at that window
that you can see there"
ooh! is that alp" says my fa-
ther, perhaps there is some poor
maniac confined there. Whether
or no, however, that's no obiec-
ton, for I don't care rush for
all the ghosts that ever were in
vented"
Well, he took possession of the
room, and before night closed in
he had an opportunity Of taking
an accurate survey of the neigh
boring premises. A lead roof,
apparently over a workshop, lay
between his window and that is
where the ghost was said to ap-
pear; only there was this differ
ence, that he could not step out of
his upon the leads, whereas, the
neighbor's was 9 or 10 feet higher.
My father always vowed that he
was perfectly sober when he went
to bed. He could not tell how
long he had been asleep when he
was suddenly awakened by loud
screams, and he opened his eyes
he saw that the opposite house
was on fire. He was ont on the
leads in a moment. The haunted
room was filled with bright flames
and at the window stood a lovely
young woman, clasping baby in
her arms and screaming for help.
ooh! save my child! save my
child!'' she kept on crying in tones
OF such an anguish that they went
to my fathers very heart.
Give it to me-" he said, "and
then jump out into my arms. The
distance is nothing g-you cannot
be hurt. Take courage. Now
give me the baby"
She leaned forward and drop
ped the baby, wrapped up in a
shawl, into my fathers arms. Just
as he got it safe, it seemed to him
that the roof fell in. There was a
crashing noise, but not very loud;
the flames disappeared, and so did
the young lady. In at his window
he rushed again, and through the
house shouting "fire!" ''fre!p with
all his might, and with the baby
still in his arms.
Out rushed the landloard, as
pale as ghost, and his wife after
him, in such a monument of a
nightcap that it quite overawed
my father even in the midst of his
agitation. The maid was shrek
ing murder down in the kitchen,
and the apprintices had tumbled
out from under the counter in the
shop, and We're poling their noses
out and kindly inquirlng who was
killing her, and on every landing
up the stairs the dodgers were cal
ling out to know what was the
matter. There was altogether a
terrific row in the place.
"The next house is on frer
said my father.
''It's only the old old story"
said the landlord. "Run up stairs,
my dear, and tell them it's false
alarm"
"But it is not a false alarm"
says my father, "for l saw the
flames and | saw the roof fall in,
and b fear that lady is buri-
ed under the ruins. Why don't
you come and help her? She had
just dropped her child into my
arms when the roof fell"
The landlady then first set eyes
on the bundle, for her husband at
that momentlighted candle from
the rush light, which had very i'm
perfectly Illuminated the scene be-
fore.
"a baby~ says she.
yes" says my father, "and l
think I'd better leave it with you,
madam, while | go and endeavor
to ruscue the mother"
The woman did not speak nor
utter a sound, but she just lifted
up the shawl from the child's face
and dropped down like lump of
lead upon the floor. Instead of
attending to her, both my father
and the landlord looked into the
shawl. 1t contained the skeleton
of an infant, wrapped up in the
rags OF what had once been very
costly garments. Nv father fell