The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-09-02
NOT 4 GHOST

ble-dOwn Bonaventure station the mgr
was very late, the weather wet and windy
the streets, a long series OF little puddlea
Pickering under the gas. Hurrying along
up about the curb-stones heavy masses Q
new-fallen leaves.
At the street door l tOo Tor q few mo
ments, fumbling with my latch-key. Were
unreasonable / might have thought, s.
strangely did the wind act, that unsee1
fingers clutched my garments, and tina
forms scarcely palpable ~interposed betwee
me and the dark hall within!
With some aid ron a match l felt m.
way up two pairs of stairs and stoo'
within my Lighting the gas l looke'
around. Though nothing was unfamilia
or changed a singular air Of desertion pei
vaded the place. / shivered slightly, bein
strangely chilled. and Tors moment though
of abandoning the intention to take q bat
before bed. But to turn in with that grim,
feeling which comes from a long rallwa,
journey was out OF the question. Nor wa
l sleepy. On the contrary, my senses scenes
p~reternaturally accute and my head delight
fully clear and capable. 90 to bed! No
There was some intricate calculations O
strains required next day, and to which
determined to devote myself alter bathing
1t was not that l did not wish to go to bed
but that l knew l could not sleep, and thai
l dreaded the horrors OF iron
which l had once suffered.
Down to the bathroom / e I'd, turn
! ing on the water, regained my room. Ger
| talnly there was not the least unusua
! sound either in descending or ascending thu
stairs. Is it possible to believe that my
nervous condition can have changed greatly!
changed without cause, during the short
time after going back to my o while ]
was undressing?
AS all in the house had long been in
bed there was no danger Of meeting any One
on the stairs in my semi-nude condition, SO
I threw of my coat, waistcoat and white
shirt, put off my boots and thrust my feet
into slippers. Then l wound my watch,
laid it under my pillow, brushed my teeth,
and read Il page or two OF Lord Ralelgh's
address before the British association.
These particulars are mentioned that all
may understand how perfectly l remember
every occurrence or a night on which l was
entirely calm and observant.
With towels, matches, flesh-brush and
sponge on arm or in hand | attempted to
open my door. For a moment it refused to
open, being held in some unexpected FASH
ion; then it came to my hand with a rush.
The gaslight violently bent and swayed
with a quick draft OF air through the open
windows, Yet some force acting in a con-
trary direction sharply closed the door be-
hind me.
Cropping to the head OF the stairway, I
paused in the absolute darkness. From
the water falling in the bathroom there
was a faint, monotonOus roar. Suddenly
a child's voice broke in On the gloom in a
wild, but not loud, tone of appeal: 'You
won't be dead or go away, mother?1
The voice l knew well; it was that OF my
landlady's second daughter, a little girl OF
6 or Z, who slept OF my fiat. So clear a
treble, breaking so suddenly with an ex-
clamation SO quaint On the deep stiffness OF
the night was weird and startling. What
had disturbed the child's sleep? What had
mysteriously touched her?
As yet no definable thing seeming to indi-
cate supernatural presence had occurred.
But now, having taken three steps down
ward, l stopped-my blood running heavily
and cold, a tremor and thrill OF skin over
my whole body. What seemed a footstep
had fallen behind me! An unusual foot
fall! Not the least shutting sound, not
a creak of leather, not an impact as a thing
having weight, no suggestion OF a human
sound! 1t dropped lightly and stopped.
With intensely strained hearing l listened
for some further indication OF movement.
Nothing' Save for the pour and gurgle
and roll of water into the bath the stiffness
was intense!
l reasoned that the sound had been a
delusion. The stair-stretches had given
with my weight! Butt dared not turn my
head. There was that sensation Of mortal
cold behind the ears.
Hastily l took two more steps, and now
stood clutching the railing in extreme ter
ror, shaking and trembling with the in
c~reasing mystery. Distinctly had the thing
fallen lightly behind me again-so
close! 1t was as though some very light
person, some almost imponderable body,
had jumped after me with one foot a little
in advance of the other. In this presumed
action there was a suggestion OF thickness
such as often goes with malignity.
Now again began the conflict OF reason
against the horror hat beset me-to ac-
count for the sound was impossible except
on the assumption OF a spiritual presence;
to persuade myself that the sound was 10
sound but a mere imagining bred of dark
ness l could not. Then back? For what?
1t would be no less with me! And should l
yield to thought l might be unable to avoid
the fear.
Again l went dOwn-One-twO-three-
four-it had followed. Stepping gently in
time with me, stopping as | stopped, rest
ing always on the step l had left! Mortal
nerves were not made to endure a thing so
strange. Was that a breath on my cheek?
With the tension my power OF sight
seemed to increase and pierce the darkness.
Family outlined were the doors of the flat
l approached. The dim light through the
curtained light OF the front door let me see
down the well-hole the forms OF furniture
commonplace. All gave me assurance of
reality in my experience; that the sound
behind me was a real sound, and, by INFER
ence, that an invisible, impalpable and SEN
tient existence WAS haunting my footsteps
But was it impalpable? l could at least
ascertain that. N~ervously, %shrinkingly,
fearing l know not what strange contact,
l thrust nv hand into the dark behind.
Nothing there but the void air. In desper-
alton l turned to face the thing, to look
nothing there but the %blaokness OF dark
ness. With outstretched arms l felt space
from balusters to wall. Nothing! 1nerved
myself to take a step forward. Still moth
ing! The mysterious feet did not retreat
before me.
Once more I turned down stairs. Again!
Keeping exact time, pausing as l paused,
it foil owed till, overcome with terrier. |
leaned q~uailing against the wall, standing
on the lowest step but one.
Lighting a match, l looked fearfully
around. There were the walls, familiar
with a pattern l had seen a thousand times
before, but never till then IN detail. In
that brief freight were visible the keys of
the doors, the pannels, the brush-streaks
OF their paint, a spider-web in the ceiling
corner, minutest parts of old-fashioned cor
nice and ce~nter-piece, the very threads of
the worn carpets, some half-burned matches
dropped by dodgers, a geranium plant just
outside the door OF the pretty girl! could
make a long catalogue OF %triies, OF marks
always in that hall but never seen by me
till that short period of strainining vision
to perceive some hint or outline OF the i'm
palpable and invisible haunter.
The match fickered, it's fame died. I
held the glowing, friendly ember aloft till it
expired, and again l was alone with the
dreadful dark, and the thing which followed
once more.
To the bath room 1 turned; it was still
close behind me. But no longer a football
now a sound as if a light thing. In
stead there was a faint, low sound as OF a
light weight being dragged. Instantly the
truth flashed on my mind, and reaching
backward l clutched the lengthy suspenders
which. dragging and falling from step to
step. had excited sensations that the most
experienced ghost might nave been proud
of producing.
Decrease iu Exports and Imports.
WASHINGTON, August 20. The chief of