Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-09-21

Tune the door should slowly aud sol
EMMY open wide, As doors sometime,
viii, spontaneous, we look ul
with quickening pulse, half expect
ing 10 see some ghsstly spectral shape
glide in, admitted bT invisible hands
should sickness be in the house, and
the angel of death-who knowss-be
oroodIng with dark wing over our
dwelling. the nerves, strained by anx
Iety, are more than usually suscepti
Ole OF impressions. was gathering
my papers together and preparing To
10 steal up stairs past the sick room,
glad to escape from the prevailing
chllllness and gloom, when the door
opened. Not this time of itself fol
there-the picture of asject horror
stood Carroll. the footman. He was
as pale as ashes, shaking all over, his
hair dishevelled and clothes apparent
ly thrown on in haste. To nav
alarmed exclamation, What is the
matter he was unable, for a minute.
10 make any reply, so violently his
lips were trembling. parched with
fear. At last made out, among half
articulated SQUADS. the words, "G host
| groans."
"Ob, | said. what nonsense,
1ou have been having q bad dream.
1ou onght to know better, you
who"
My homily was cut short by a
groan so fearful. SO unlike anything
had ever heard or imagined, that
was dumb with horror.
"Ah-h-hl there it is again." whis-
pered Carroll, dropping on his knees
and crossing himself; while vehe-
mently humping his breast, he, as a
good Catnoulic, began to humble
with white lips the prayers for the
dead. Up the stairs through the open
door the sounds had come; aud after
few minutes they were pepeated,
this time more family than before.
Let US go down and try to lind
out what it is" said at last. And in
spite of poor Carroll's misery and en-
treaties, making strong effort, took
the lamp from his trembling hands
and began to descend the wide stair
case. Nothing was stirring In the
great dining-room, where | went in,
while the unhappy footmsn kept
safely at the door, casting frightened
glances at the portraits on the walls,
all was as usual. AS we went lower
down the groans grew louder and
and more appalling. Hoarse. unnat-
ural, long g-drawn-such as could not
be imagined to proceed from human
throat. they seemed to issue from the
bowels of the earth, and to be re-
echoed by the walls of the great dark,
lofty kitchens Beyond the kitchens
were long stone passages leading to
cellars and pantrys and servants,
halls, all unused and shut up since
the mansions palmy days; and into
these we penetrated, led by fearful the
sounds.
All here was dust and desolation
The smell of age and mould was
everywhere; the air was chill, and
the rusty hinges of the doors shrieked
as they were pushed open, soaring
away spiders, whose webs hung in
festoons across the passages, and
brushed against our faces as we went
along. Doubtless for years no foot
had invaded this dark and dreary
region, given over to mildew and de. |
cay; or disturbed the rats, which ran |
scampering off at our approach The
groans seemed very near us new,
and came more frequently. 1t was
terrible, in that gruesome place, to |
hearken TO the unearthly sounds. |
could hear my agonized companion |
calling upon every saint in the calen- |
dar to take pity upon the soul in |
pain. At length there came groan |
more fearful than any had been be |
fore. 1t rooted US to the spot. And |
then was utter silence
After a long. breathless pause,
broken only by the gasps of poor
Carroll in his paroxysn Of fear, we |
turned and retraced our steps toward |
the kitchens. The grosns had ceased |
altogether.
1t is over now, whatever it was"
| said "All is quiet; you had better
90 to bed.
He staggered off to his room, while,
chilled To the marrow, | crept up.
stairs, not little shaken, | must con- |
fess, by the nights doings.
Next day was bright and fine. NV |
bedroom looked to the street, and |
soon after rising | threw open my |
window to admit the fresh. morning |
al. There was but little stir outside. |
The porte cochere gates wide open,
and large cart was drawn up before |
item. Men with ropes in their hands |
were bustling about, talking and ges-
ticulating; passers-by stopped to look,
and boys were peering down the |
archway at something going on |
within. Soon the object of their |
curiosity was brought to light. A |
dead horse was dragged up the pas
sage. and, after much Juggling and
pulling was hauled up on the cart
and driven away.
II appeared that at nightfall of the |
previous day the wretched animal |
was being driven TO the knacker's
and, straying down into our archway |
while the man who had him in charge |
was talking to friend, he fell over |
some machinery that stood Inside,
breaking limb and otherwise ipjur-
ing himself. Instead of putting the
poor animal out of pain at once, his |
inhuman owner LETT him to die lin |
geriug death in agonies; and his mis- |
cradle groans, magnified by the re
verberation of the hollow archway
and echoing kitchens had been the
cause of our nocturnal alarm.
Carroll shook his head and looked
incredulous at this solution of the
mystery, refusing, with the love of
the supernatural. to accept it.
Though years have since passed
over his head, tinging his locks |
with gray, and developing the brisk, |
agile footmsn into the portly, white |
checkered, po-pous butler, he will
still cleave to his first belief, and
stoutly affirm that flesh and blood
had naught to do with the disturb
ance that night IN the haunted house
Chambers Journal.
INCREASED Prices Foz LASD.-Durinp
the fiscal year ending June 20, 1854. the
Northern Pacific Land Department sold