The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-25
NO. II WELHAM SQUARE.
a Strange Experience, Now First Related.
BY JAMES MASSEY.

We were sitting in the drawing room of our
house at Bayswater, one evening after dinner, IN
high good humor. had that day been appointed
to a certain post at the British Museum which
would afford me ample opportunity for the stud
les In which | was most interested, and put me
In possession of what expected to find an ample
competence We had been talking over my
prospects, and the only cloud could discern
upon the horizon was that l should have to be
al my post at an earlier hour in the morning than
was comfortably compatible with the three mile
walk from our house to the Museum.
.'What pity said my youngest sister Patri-
>eia that we don't still live in the dear old house
Tin Welham square! You could have got to the
Museum from there in five minutes"
Twas born after we left Welham square, but
Patricia was six years my senior, and could re-
member her nursery days there.
Not at ALL" said my father, very abruptly;
sths walk will do you all the good in the world '
As the old gentleman had been, to all appear
anees, fast asleep for at. least ten
minutes. I was rather surprised at
the energy with which he spoke. Look
Jog up, saw my mother making anxious signals
10 Patricia, which she followed up by instantly
changing the subject.
A few days afterward, as l descended reluct-
antly into the bowels of the earth at the Edg-
ware Road Metropolitan Station, on the way to
ysy new work for the first time, this episode
REQUIRED to my mind and began to speculate
ukOn what might be the reasons that made the
mention of Welham Square distasteful to my
parents. determined to consult my eldest Sis
ter Ellen on the subject. and from her and some
other sources / gradually accumulated the facts
which Will present here in the form of con-
tSnaeus narrative.
No IL Wetham Square has always been the
freehold property of my family. 1t was built.
together with several adjoining houses, about
the beginning of the eighteenth century, by the
owner of plot of land ON which the houses
stand, retired attorney. who had two nephews.
These were Andrew Massey, my greatgreat
great grandfather, and his cousin, Ronald Mas
soy. Ronald, who was generally thought to be
his uncles favorite and probable heir, was an
exceedingly tall and powerful young man, with
. fos5idding and melancholy expression Of
ccuntenance. AS boy he was singularly back
ward. and his incapacity for mental exertion
sesmed to develope, as he grew up into some
thing not far removed from downright idiocy.
His weakness of mind caused him to be remark
ably subject to the influence of those with whom
no lived, and in particular his cousin Andrew,
my ancestor was supposed to exercise over him
m influence almost amounting to fascination,
and to be able to mold him to all the purposes
Of an exceptionally vigorous will. Shortly after
tho building of the houses in what is now We'll
ham Square, the uncle of these young men died,
and Andrew took possession Of all his property
under the provisions as he asserted, of a will
the existenceof which no one except Ronald had
any interest in disputing, and which no one
cept Andrew, the sole executor and devisee. ever
saw. Shortly before his uncle's death, Ronald
had become engaged to a young lady named
Lettice White. to whom he was pas
sionately attached, and it was gen
orally supposed among the neighbors
that upon bis accession to the avuncular wealth
the marriage would take place. But when
bneely decent In serval had occurred since the
old gentleman's obsequies, the fair Lettice was
led TO the altar, not by the impecunious Ronald,
but by his more fortunate cousin Andrew The
newly married pair took up their residence in
No. IL, and Ronald came to live with them
When it vas represented to Andrew by some of
nus few intimate acquaintance that this ar
thought imp oper, he cnrtiy gave them to un-
derstand that Ronalds mental condition was
moi such as to permit of his only living relation
allowing HIM to live alone and that he was
compelled by the merest considerations of family
affection to take the unfortunate young man
inlo his own household. So the three lived on
- she stately and somewhat gaunt mansion
Andrew collecting his rents with methodical
regularity, and otherwise giving his neighbors
but little concern, As for Ronald, there soon
IN no doIrhf in npaov I'D &c
confirmed imbecility. He appeared seldom, and
when he did was for the most part silent re-
esrding his cousin and former betrothed with an
expression OF the profoundest submission, which
merged into a look of wild and hardly human
apprehension. like a terrified brute BEAST as
u was put by an old lady who was one of the
Few friends occasionally privileged to partake of
the gloomy hospitality of this uncomfortable es
adjustment Nothing more was ever known of
tho condition in which my ancestor. his wife,
and cousin lived, and no one was specially inter
ested when, about six years after the marriage
Ronald, who had not been seen for many
months, died, and was buried in frugal manner.
before he had been dead year, Andrew and
Lsottice suddenly left their house and took I'D
their abode elsewhere, and after while a ten
ant was found for No. IL. Thirty years later,
tho lease of the house having expired. Andrews
soa, who had succeeded to his fathers property,
came to reside there, but not for long. He left
The house suddenly after few years. and q
rsmor went abroad that il was haunted,
probably by the ghost of the unfortunate
Ronald. From this time No. Ii descended from
father to son, the adjoining property being sold
piocemea as the family necessities dictated Oc-
eassionally the successive freehoiders made at
teEopts to live th~re, but they never stayed more
than few mo. s, and on each occasion of their
removal the runors of ghostly possessions were
ramewed These, however. would die away. and
tensnts would after a time be found, who never
suffered from any Inconvenience. The last oc-
c1pation by the owner was that of nay father.
wwHa mo vaH mt thn xx-i,a
Patricia was little girl. After living there
year he left precipitately. but Ellen could give
me- no particulars of his reasons for doing so,
aad knew only that he disliked any reference to
tae house, and never mentioned it himself The
house was now let to stock broker with
family.
H.
1--WE years had elapsed since the conversation