The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-25

y
light. When had done So and got into bed, l
rather disposed to be ashamed of myself,
and thought would put it out; but partly no
doubt from Discrimination to get out OF bed. de-
termined that in any case it would do no harm,
that would have it as it was 1t occurred to
me what an odd thing it is that one feels safer
in bed than anywhere else, whereas in fact one
is never in more defenceless situation. Then
went to sleep.
do not know what time woke. It seemed
to me that the air was blowing in upon my chest
where the bedclothes should have covered me
up. And-yes, certainly there was an odd de-
preston in my pillow, close in front of my race
as if some heavy weight were pressing it down.
l put up my hand to investigate. touched
something on the pillow. | caught hold OF II,
and turned cold with terror. For held tightly
in my hand another hand, neither cold nor warm
but large and solid. My light was still burning
and there was no one to be seen. The hand was
suddenly jerked away from me. sprang out OF
bed and rushed to the fire place, with a despair
ing feeling that some one followed close behind
me. seized the poker turned round. and struck
wildly at the air. Whether hit anything or not
do not know remember only thatas / wasre-
covering myself from frantic lunge at nothing,
| received a sharp and stunning blow on the
back of my head. When ] came to myself it was
6 in the morning. and was lying on the floor
where had fallen. The night~light was out
and the morning sunlight was streaming in at
my window. There was a very large and pain
full bruise where had been struck.
III.
felt that this was getting beyond joke. 1t
was all very we'll TO brighten me, but when my
ghostly enemy took to knocking me down like
nnepin, was not going to keep it to myself
any longer. had no intention of surrenderlng,
for the blood of the Masseys was UP, and the fact
that each of my ancestors since the house was
built had sooner or later evacuated the premises
made me all the more determined not to be
driven away without making some further re-
sistance. So / unbosomed to my sister Ellen
the whole of my experience in the mater. She
was decidedly skeptical about the ghost, it ghost
it could be called, and suggested that was not
well. vowed that was as well as any man
with great hole in the back of his head could
be, and she consented to the arrangement that
proposed-that she should set up for night or
two In the drawing room while was In my
study, with the door open between us, and that IL
any remarkable incident occurred, | should call
her in. In order not to be wholly without male
assistance in case should be attacked, invited
a college friend of mine named Prescott, a strong
sensible and energetic young doctor, who lived
near us, to keep my sister company in the draw
ing-room- He, when he heard my story, was, as
befitted a scientific young professional man, ex-
ceedingly facetious at my expense, but he will
ingly consented to share our watch, and to sleep
in the house. That evening sat up as usual IN
my study, while Prescott and Ellen beguiled the
hours in the drawing room with light literature
until about 2:30 o'clock, when, nothing having
occurred, we settled to go to bed, and separated;
temporary triumph of incredulity, and tinge
of disappointment at the nonoccurrence of any
thing in the shape of row, and Ellen rather
indignant with me for having kept her up SO long
to no purpose. After the stormy experiences of
the two preceding nights / thoroughly enjoyed
an unbroken sleep.
prevailed upon my sister and my friend to
give the ghost one more chance, and the next
evening saw US again comfortably established in
the two rooms separated only by the curtain
w hy1pO no nj
1t may have been IL o'clock when heard
board creak just behind my chair Uttering a
shout, l sprang up and dashed at the spot from
which the noise had come. l came into heavy
contact with what felt like gigantic human fig
ure Prescott and Ellen hurried into the room
and behed me wildly graphing, apparently with
nothing at all. 'By Jove" said Prescott she
has got them" Them" believe meant some
kind of Authorizations upon which Prescott pro-
fessed to be authority, but l was struggling
furiously with my unseen antagonist and had
no breath for explanations.
''Seize him, seize him." / cried.
At that moment my prey burst from me- hurl-
ing me with prodigious violence across the room.
PRESCOTT rushed forward, and as he did SO was
tripped up by what he afterwards described as a
heavy kick from an unseen foot, and sent sprawl
ing on the floor. Fortunately Twas PROSTATE at
the other end of the room, and could not be sus-
pected OF having hand, or a foot, in this out
rage.
AS we struggled to our feet, while Ellen stared
wildly about, we all heard two or three steps as
of man running; there a tremendous
crash and all was still. But the curtains had
swung violently back into the window and
the window itself, p.ateglass, frame and all, was
burst clean away outwards
Prescott was white as sheet, and the sens-
BILE and strong minded Ellen was actually crying
which impressed me more than any thing else in
the scene.
"Let us leave this horrible house, she said;
something worse will happen if we stay"
But was filled with an unreasonable kind of
courage at having as it seemed, put our inexpl-
cable visitor to fight and was, besides, con-
scious of certain degree of pride in the assur
ance that Prescott had been converted, and
would hardly talk again about my having ''got
them"
1--WE can't 90 to-niohtnT said "and &c orr
gentleman seems to have taken himself off for
the present, we had better consider what's to be
done next / am sure Prescott wants to stay
and investigate the phenomenon"
We shut the shutters over the wreck of the
window, and sat talking over the event until late
at night By degrees tried to infuse into my
companions Some Of my courageous spirit, and
at last, no further disturbance having taken
place, we all went to bed in pretty good spirits.
/ placed a loaded double barrelled pistol on the
table by my bedside, thinking that if ghost
could be struggled with, he ought to be able to
be shot. and Prescott placed within reach alarge
bowie-knife which he had brought back from
America, and had long been wishing for an OPP
pOrtunlty to make serious use Of
When | awoke / thought my last hour had
come. My throat was tightly grasped by two
extremely strong hands. A crushing weight
was on my chest | tried to shout, but could
not. l was rapidly being strangled. And as /
lay writing, my eyes, forced half out of their
sockets, glared through the light of the night
light at the opposite wall, winch looked precisely
as usual, except that, as the squeezing of my
throat grew more and more intolerable, my view
of the room slowly darkened. But of the horri
ole and only too palpable form that was killing
me could see trace. In unavailing despair
/ clutched at the iron wrists that held me down.
In another moment believe | should have be-
come unconscious. Then, last CLEAN of hope,
the thought of my pistol flashed through my
mind. l stretched out my hand, and as | lay
could just reach the end of the barrel. / drew
it towards me; and with an expiring effort
pushed the muzzle of it close against what
took to be the invisible body of my tormentor,