The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-12-11

MI DuIIonco, OOOiupahiCu W oh0 Jo>ASA3
proceeded to the house of the steward. |
need not burden the reader with details;
but may mention that in answer 10
quiet tap at the window the door of the
house was Immediately opened, and old
Mrs. Weevil was at once insthe grip of an
officer. She was absolutely thunderstruck,
and quite lost her presence of mind.
Without telling her anything of what had
happened, Mr.. Burrowes asked for her son,
the steward. At first she hesitated, then
said he was i'll in bed.
s.No," said Mr.. Burrows; che is not in
bed, but he is safe enough by this time in
the police Office; so you had better tell us
all about it.
At this Mrs. Weevil entirely broke
down, and confessed all. tits unnecessary
to repeat at length what the reader can
guess in great measure for himself; but the
sum of her story was this: The mother,
equally with her son, hated Miss Roupel
for despising his addresses, and took the
means we had seen in order to drive each
successive tenant out of our house. She
also admitted that after the sudden death
of Mrs. Roupel it was they who had spread
the stories charging foul play against the
daughter. In answer to a question from
Mr.. Burrowes, she confessed that it was
she who had played the ghost on the pre-
vious evening; but she had never before
shown herself to any one who did not at
once flee and quit the house. My attempts
to get hold of her, therefore, had so alarm
ed her that she had great difficulty in es-
Gaping; and next morning had gone to her
son, and told him she burst not play the
part of ghost any longer, as the present
tenant was likely to stand her ground, and
they would in that way be found out.
They were both enraged at thus being at
last baffled in their long-cherished course
of malicious practices against Miss Roupel;
and her son determined to take out his re-
venge upon me that night by first fright
ening me and then robbing the house, after
which they were resolved to take the first
opportunity of quitting that part of the
country. Their cupidity had been aroused
by the sight of some trinkets in Indian
jewelry which l possessed; hence the de-
sign to rob me. In order to cover their
purpose, the old bag was sent to me with
the story of her son being i'll, and as he had
a secret means of access to the house, he
readily effected an entrance after he sup
posed the family asleep. 1t was her son
who had first put her up to these evil prac-
tices-had brought the old surplice from
Lord BIS house, in which either of
them, as occasion offered, was in the habit
of terrifying the inmates, and thus depriv-
ing the innocent object of their hatred of
her chief means of livelihood.
Mr.. Burrowes did not trouble to appre-
bend the old woman at that time; but he
took care that she should not leave the
country till after the trial of her son for
HOUSEKEEPING and felony, when she had
to appear against him as witness. He
was found guilty and sent to penal settle
ment. Mrs. Weevil, ashamed to show her
face in the neighborhood, departed, no one
knew whittier.
As for the ghost story, as soon as its
salient points were known in the neighbor-
hood, the house not only lost its bad char
ter, but became for the time quite kind \
of heroine, everybody praising my courage
and ragaeity: ] had the pleasure. some
weeks later, of entertaining in the house
Mrs, Richard Egerton, the former Miss
Roupel, whom the neighborhood, conscious
of unjust condemnation, received with open
arms. After the term of my tenantcy ex
PRED the charming house let for more suit
able rent, and ever since, believe, it has
formed an adequate source of income to its
worthy owners.