The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-04-24

who repent some great wrong they did
in this life and haunt the place where
they used to reside Then he sug-
gcSted that the soInd might have come
from the room at the other side of the
wall, and when ne nad carried his wife
up stairs we went there and listened.
Bat there could be no mistake about it.
Tic unearthly noise was still to be
heard, and it was in the wall. 1t was
heard on and of-sometimes gently
and sometimes louder-until the clock
struck one and then itstOpped. didn't
go to bed again that night, but Ham
shire did, but next morning he came
down and told me he was very sorry,
but his wife was that nervous on ac-
count of her aunt's spirit haunting the
house that he was afraid they would
before of his having a hand in causing
the noises-which candidly con e>s l
had net-this was enough to disarm
them; and l begged him not to leave
the house, or, at ali events, to wait a
little and see if the strange sounds
were repeated. They were repeated
that night and the next in exactly the
same way and at exactly the same
time; and what with worrying and hav-
lug my nerves unstrung by the want of
rest, the matter began TO tell on me. |
consulted with Hamshire as to having
q clergyman in to see what it meant.
But he said if did so the whole neigh
borhood would soon know all about it,
and the business would fall OF, and the
lease of the premises be rendered worth
next to nothing. Besides said he, in
an of-hand sort of way, it's no use
talking to a man like me, who never
went to church in his life, about clergy
men. I'd Just as soon, if not sooner,
apply to old Plancha d Blanchard,
whatever his name is, the Wizard. He
got quite repu alton for squaring
matters with unquiet spirits, I'm told
But when | asked who told him, he
replied: Hanged if L know. Surely
you don't believe in such humbugY
Neither could he tell me where the
Wizard lived, nearer than that he had
heard it was somewhere in the neigh
borhoOd of Walworth common. But
you take my advice. says he, and keep
the matter to yourself. You saw the
''coachman" three times, remember,
and you've heard the noises three times,
and now, perhaps, you won't hear 'em
any more. My WIFE he says. SIS going
away this evening to stay with cousin
for week, so You won't have her to
worry you, and | shall sleep at home as
usual Well, his vile went away. She
babe me good bye before she went.
There were no noises in the wal, that
night, nor for two nights after. But
the night after that | had a twiSter! l
had yentured to 90 back to my bed
again, but didn't lock the door, in
ca e anything might happen and l
wanted TO run upstairs in a hurry, and
tell Hamshire. l burned light "a
small Notwithstanding on the hob
in the fire place. | don't know how
long had been asleep, but a strange
sound woke me, and there was the
ghost of old Mrs. Ingledew standing in
the doorway, with the door wide open.
l was wide awake and sitting upin bed,
and there could be no mistake abOutit.
There she was, as though she had just
got out of the coffin | had seen her
living in, with one hand screening her
eyes, as though to see me better in the
half dark, and vengefuliy shaking her
other fist at me. Then the door closed,
and she vanished.
81 won't deny, gentlemen, that was
in mortal fright, if ever man was,
though my conscience was enough. If
| had ever wronged the old lady, or
done anything to induce her to leave
me her property and dlsinherit her
niece, it might have accounted for her
appearance. But Ihad done
of the kind. l jumped out of
bed, and at first thought | would go up
and tell HamShire; but on second
thought l resolved that 1 would not.
He was such a 'disbeliever, as he had
made out to me, that he was almost
so more now that his wife was away. |
turned tower in my mind and 4 pretty
sort of distracted mind it was, rs you
maT guess-and | came to what cor
tainly was a most foolish conclusion
namely, to 90 and find out the wizard
HalnShirc had mentioned Is being
near Waiworth common,
and take his advice on the subject. |
said nothing about the ghost, but, next
making pretence that I
wanted to go to Thames Street to see
about some butter and bacon, | asked
Ham shire to mind the shop for an hour
or two, and he consented, and off |
went You must understand that |
wasn't so much off my head that Invent
to believe anything the fellow
might tell me. If he really was a wiz
ard, of course he would know more
than an ordinary man possibly could,
and going along | laid my plans for
testing him. l found where he lived
without much trouble, and without
giving my name obtained an interview
with him. He took me all aback by his
reply to my first few questions. Did
he undertake. asked, to hold COM
with spirits of the other
world?' To which he answered coolly
hat he undertook to try; but when, as
n my case, the spirit was that of an
aged person, and a female, it was some
lines difficult. Our friend here re-
marked the simple old fellow, breaking
DIFF in his narrative and directing my at
,ention to my companion, who was
cooking much amused, "can hardly
keep from laughing; but he should bear
n mind that at the time | had not the
east reason to suspect that there was
between the three, aud that,
when the wizard made men
ion of an aged person and female,
md further when, by way of going
straight to busine IS, as he said. he of
ered to write the name in full of the
deceased if | would set down the first
etter, and he did so, right off say it
wasn't very surprising if 1 began to
hink that he was what he pre-
ended to be. Iltold him about the