Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-31


NO. lie must have been seized almost
directly ne got out. because it so hap
pened that about five minutes before he
began to scream fancied heard the door
open, and looked up to see II any one was
coming in, and no one was there, but l
happened 10 see the parrot, and he was in
MS cage just as usual"
"Well,' | said, II suppose he's dead,
and there's an end of it; but lb is a very
singular catastrophe. l hope Marion won't
be incensolable."
During the rest of dinner / was con-
scious of being rather poor company.
Following close upon the mysterious oc-
currences | have described, Skies I'M
happy fate troubled me MY suspicious
were, however, 80 underlined, and seemed
even to me, when | tried to contemplate
them from an impartial point of view, so
ridiculous, that | could not bring myself
to communicate them to Ellen, and incur
the contempt which would be the deserved
portion Of a grOwn-up man who con-
tesSeG to being seriously disturbed by
an odd sound in an empty house and
by commonplace nightmare. l have
no hesitation in revealing these senti-
ments now that subsequent events have
justified them. But that evening | again
determined to walt. l did not have to wait
long.
1t was a cold evening, and, after bidding
goodnight to my sister, | lighted fire in
my study and sat down to enjoy a new
novel | had long been wishing to read. |
was about half way through my volume
when | suddenly felt sensation of cold.
looked up. The fire was burning brightly,
but l did not feel Its warmth. 1t was as
though some Opaque body, or large glass
screen, had been interpOsed between me
and 1t. A moment atterward | felt the
heat fall on my face again. Had heard
the muiiied sound of fOOtstep on the
hearth rug close TO me? ] put out my
hand and felt nothing but the warmth of
the fire. AS | gazed about the room in
surprise my eye fell on an armchair stand
ing ON the other side of the fire. 1t was
nearly new chair, which ! had bought
shortly after coming to Welham square.
1t had leather seat, smooth and uuwOrn.
with particularly good and Welding
springs. Hung upon its back was an an
tlmacassar, worked esthetically in crew
els. AS l looked at this chair it struck
me that the seat was considerably de-
pressed, as though some one had recently
sat down upon 1t and the seat had failed
to resume it's ordinary level. This sur
prsed me, for | had sat in the chair that
morning and felt sure the springs bad
then been in good order. 1 looked at the
antimacassar. Toward the top it was
pushed up in wrinkles. As looked it &C.
CURED TO me that it was impossible for 1t
to hang in such manner by itself. 1t
looked for all the world as If an invisible
but substantial human frame was then
actually sitting IN the chair. When this
notion occurred to me | sat dazed with an
lndescrlbaOle horror, staring stupidity at
the chair, which did not move. Imam excess
OF tTenzied terror, hurled the book was
reading at the chair. Did it strike the
seat, or did it glance away few inches
from the edge and fall on the hearth rug?
The next instant the seat OF the chair rose
up audibly to its normal level. and the
antimacassar fell out into its usual folds,
still preserving, however, the traces of its
previous wrinkles. l started up, and,
rushing to the chair, began to prod it. 1
could discover nothing unusual in its con-
ditiOn. AS was doing 50 | felt hand, be-
yond all doubt, laid steadily on my shout
der. l faced round and saw nothing.
''WhO are yOu"' | shouted. "What do
you WantW But no answer came. l was
alone.
l sat cogitating till l o'clock, and then
went TO bed. Just as | was getting into
bed it occurred to me that perhaps might
be annoyed in the dark, and though | had
not yet seen anything, the prospect seemed
rather awful, and with a slightly trem-
bling hand l lighted night light. When
had done so, and got into bed, L was rather
disposed to be ashamed Of myself, and
thought 1 would put it out, but, partly, no
doubt, from disinclination to get out of
bed, determined that In any case it would
do no harm, and that l would leave il as It
was. ItOccurred TO me what an odd thing
it is that one feels safer in bed than any
where else, whereas, in fact, one is never
in more defenseless situation. Then |
went to sleep.
1 do not know what time | woke. 1t
seemed to NE that the air was blowing In
upon my chest where the bedclothes
should have covered me up. And-yes,
certainly there was an odd depression in
my pillow, close in front of my face, as if
some heavy weight were pressing it down.
L put up my hand to investigate. !
touched something on The pillow. l caught
hold OF 1t, and turned cold with terror
For l 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.
1 sprang out Of bed ana rushed to the fire.
place with despairing feeling that some
one followed close behind me-. / seized
the poker, turned round, and struck wild
~ at the air. Whether hit anything or
not do not know. | remember only that
as | was recovering myself from frantic
lunge at nothing | received sharp and
stunning blow ON the back Of my mead
When | came To myself IL was six in the
morning, and | was lying on the floor
where / had fallen. The night light was
out, and the morning sunlight was stream
ing IN at my window. There was very
large and painful bruise where / had been
struck.