The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-12-11
40, Lula! Come down stairsg The


out its midnight strokes. Teddy was
ghastly pale, and / felt myself shivering
with dread of some underlined fear.
AS the last stroke died away / recog-
| nized the unearthly moan, described by
Rosaleen as SO entirely different from
mundane noises. Every muscle in my
body was quivering with intense excite
ment, and cold perspiration broke
out upon my forehead.
The mysterious noises seemed to pro-
ceed from the picture of Lieutenant
Harry De Wire, which hung quite low
on the wall suspended by long cord.
Rosaleen directed the hanging, as I
strongly suspected for certain osculatory
| performances not unknown to girls in
love. AS I drew near the portrait a
hollow voice, with melancholy cadence,
walled out;
..De Wirer'
i sank to the floor in dead faint, and
when opened my eyes found myself in
my room upstairs, surrounded by anx-
ious faces. Teddy had summoned
mother and Rosaleen by his cries, and
they bore me swiftly from the haunted
room.
| ''Tell me, DEAR gasped Rosaleen,
her face pallid and pinched with fear
'Did his picture speak to you?n
] gave an account of my fright, and
Rosaleen told us what she had been
ashamed to confess before, that she
heard the voice when she went to press
a goodnight kiss upon the portrait.
1twas certainly terrible occurrence,
and the fact that it was associated with
Lieutenant eWire's picture filled all of
us, and more especially Rosaleen' S mind,
with the most dismal forebodings. What
could it meanP Was it indeed an echo
from the spirit land, the warning OF
some impending calamityp
To add to our terror, Rosaleen did
not receive the accustomed letter from
her betrothed, due Monday morning:
and when Tuesday night came and still
no news, she felt convinced her lover
had come to his death. Ifought against
the feeling, and endeayored to fortify
| nv mind by reason and argument.
had no faith in s'signs and tokens and
abhorred the whole gang of long-haired
spiritualists and strong minded me-
diIlms. ] despised myself for allowing
even the suggestion of a supernatural
cause to enter my mind, but it was use.
! less. This idea was constantly ringing
: in my ears: s'You have so bitterly de.
nounced the existence of spirits, and are
now brought face to face with terror
, which win satisfy you that it is not al
l hurabug."
Without saying word to any one,
+ resolved to solve the mystery at al
- r LII Aas, Il
: night few minutes before twelve, anC
stationed myself before the picture, de
ternined not to yield to any fears. Be
fore going down / drank glass o
4 wine and, bracing myself. I awaited
l developments. had not long to wait
/ once more felt my nerves drawn t.
: their highest tension by the sepulchra
a groans, followed by the clanking of ton
/ of iron chains dragged over hollow
) vault pressed my lips together ant
i my nails into the flesh of my palms; ice
cold chills, followed by the feeling of ;
: red-hot iron, ran up my spine. Whel
j / heard the words, ssWe haze got a let
E to begin a0itb,'' seeming to come from
: grave thousand feet deep, coult
r stand it no longer. I dragged myself up
: stairs, but could sleep no more tina
e night.
E | feared to tell Rosaleen. At moor
= the next day the postman brought
r letter from Lieutenant De Wire. Wher
she read out a passage saying he hae
4 fallen and severely sprained if not bro
E ken his ankle, / suppose my face tolC
them that this accident was in some
9 way connected with the ghost, for Rosa
t leen began to question me, nor woule
) she accept any explanation other thar
the true one. I knew from her faet
: that she was satisfied that the acciden
would result in amputation, if no
| death. In fact, was so distraugh
that firmly believed that it would enc
! SO myself.
After dinner Rosaleen went into The
| sitting-room, took down the picture
{ carried it upstairs, and hid it away il
/ her trunk. That night / could not re
> sist the force that impelled me one.
, more to go down stairs at midnight.
| was by this time so nerveless and ment
ally unstrung that it seemed there wa
) not sufficient power in my muscles Il
become tense. With one hand agains
t the wall, heard the usual preliminar,
} sounds with q feeling almost of apathy
| heard, and heard distinctly, the words
''It's taken away!'' Then, like on,
who has received a message from tn
| grave, l staggered back to my room.
"It's taken away was certainly
reference to the removed picture, as tn
sentence 1--WE have got leg to begin
) WITH had been direct allusion t,
{ Lieutenant De Wires accident / wa
certain the name ssDe Wire' had beel
uttered and no other. and Rosaleen, th,
words Poison them
We were unable to go on with prep
arations for the wedding; we were a
: our wits end to know what to do
Should we apply to q D. d. to exoreis
the ghostly voice, an NJ. ID. to prescrib
or D. P. to philosophize? Teddy sug
gested an NJ. P. (member of police)
while poor, dear mother wavered be
tween the claims of a medium and al
astrologer. Fortunately for US, we heart
no demonstrations through the day no
: in the earlier portion of the evening
: The fact that the manifestations oe
Cured only at midnight was additiona
proof of their sniritual source Their