Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-08-08

have any reference to myself The next
turn brought me in some inexplicable fash
ion to the head of the great staircase, from
which spot it was an easy matter for me 10
find nv way to my bedroom.
| closed the outer door opening upon the
lonely stair that gave access to my apart
ment and looked around me. / was IN the
delightful little sitting room beyond when
the bedroom was dimly visible through an
open door. A fire had been lighted in both
rooms, but in neither case was it now burn
inc. The black ashes contrasted dreamy
with the sumptuous furnishing OF the TWO
apartments did not linger in the outer
room. crossed the threshold OF the
haunted chamber, and closing the door, be-
gan at once to prepare for bed.
And now. in the very dead of the night,
and cut off by long galleries and lonely
staircaseS from any other human being,
with nerveS.Shaken, too, by all the eXclt-
ing incidents of the day. first realized the
fact that to sleep in this room with all It's
memories and traditions was by no means
so pleasant an adventure as it seemed few
hours earlier. What was the ghost when
was said to haunt the place? sat down
and tried to recall the legend as l haG
heard it after dinner. A woman false ana
cruel, who had once been mistress OF the
hall, kept the young heir captive IN TINS
very room for many years in order that sre
might substitute her own child Tor hlih'
In this lonely chamber--SO the story ran
the captive hoy had only one visitor; 1t was
his half brother, the child for whose sake
his own life was doomed to misery. Ana
the two had learned to love each other so
that day by day the young flvOritc would
creep up the dark staircase and hnd al
mission TO the chamber where the true heir
was imprisoned. One day the younger
child was playing as usual in the room
when something attracted him to the win
dow, 1t was open, for it was summer time.
He peeped out and saw his mother stand
ing below him. Witha cry oijOy he leaned
out of the window Clapping his hands, ana
in a moment he had Overbalanced himself
and fallen crushed and llicleSS mass III
the feet of the cruel woman who bad Sinned
for him in vain. 4 few hours later, when
the particulars which the shock of so terri
bile a tragedy had produce had passed
away. the lady climbed the dusty OakCn
staircase and entered the room where the
heir Law, overwhelmed with grief and hor-
ror at the fate of his little playmate Dark
vengeance waS'On her face the NcnSC o.
\ woman who had lost all that made life
worth living and who burns with desire
to make every other woman chlldlcSS.
There was sudden glitter OF knlVc,
sharp cry of terror from the captive ana
then silence. In the morning the little
prisoner was found dead, stabbed to the
heart, while beside him crOuched his step
mother, Il gibbcring maniac.
This was the tragedy Of my room. 1t
was the ghost ofthe lady that was said to
haunt it, though there were legends which
told how the cry of a child, a long, low
wall of misery, had been heard i'll the silent
night echoing through the corridors in the
deserted wing in which the chamber stood.
| glanced round upon the rich hangLngS OIL
the wall Had they seen that awful TRACE
DIV enacted? | remembered that for scores
Of years, perchanCo 4 century, no ore had
slept in this room before Tonight. 1t
needed all my skepticiSm in regard to SUI
pernatural appearances tOncrve me to that
outward show of Indifference which man
even when no one is near, regards as essen
tial to the prcScrvtiOn of his Scli-rcSpcct.
Before cXtinguShcd the lights | drew
aside the curtain of the window, the out
line of which was made visible against the
background of sky Then hastily sought
my bed and tried to compel myself TO
sleep.
Far sooner than | had expected sleep
came. 1t seemed, indeed that | hardly
laid my head upon the great square French
pillow when | was wandering away III
dreamland. There was nothing bright or
pleasant about my dream, however. | was
in bed. it seemed to me, in the haunted
room: but was lying wide awake, and all
my senses were so acutcly alive that | was
able to hear the faint ticking of the clock
in the great entrance hall, far, far away
from this remote wing; and while conscious
that the darkness Of the night brCOdcd all
around me, found that everywhere |
could see rs plainly as daylight. Nay, more
plainly far; for now doors and walls, and
heavy hangings Of tapestry and leather no
longer ObStructcd my vision. My eye
pierced through all these things and reveal
ed to me everything which lay beyond.
What was ii that-in that strange phan-
taSmagOria of slccp-tirst attracted my at
tentiOn? Far away in some distant part
of the great mansion | heard, with that
preternaturally acute sense of hearing with
which now seemed to he endowed door
Stealthily opened. Some one pccpcd out
in the darkness of the corridor. 1t was
FlintGr-or rather Flintcr'S tace-that |
saw, through all tho intervening doors and
walls and passages, rs | lay there on my
bed In the haunted room. but 1t was
Flinter'S tacc-crucl, brutal, viciOuS-upOn
the body of woman; and | knew that !
was looking upon the lady who had once
done murder here where lay bound in the
hideOuS spell of this nightmare vision.
Slowly the figure advanced. lIc-shc
it knew not what to call il, so fright
fully compounded was it ofthc real Flintcr
and the legendary wOman-camc slowly
down the corridor, something bright and
sharp glittering in its hony hand. Though
no lamp was lighted anywhere 1t advanced
with untaltcring certainty Of step, turning
round many a corner, now opening door
and passing ghOStly chamber into the
gallery beyond now climbing a stair ana
now pausing for moment tn feel the keen
cage Oh ll,ll llVNulllH bl'!'tt' anu W llNllSt
in a chuCkle of deviliSh malice. | knew
that some mysterious agency had lifted me
from my bed, had carried me down all these
intricate stairs and corridors, and had
placed me by the side of the apparition.
was following it unseen and silently: con-
Scious, too, that had been endowed sud
denly with the power of flying, and that at
any moment could soar in the air above
me.
Suddenly found that the figure had
reached a door which ! recognized ~
the outer door of my own apartments. We
seemed to pass through the stout oaken
barrier, and cross the little sitting room.
and then in an instant we had entered the
sleeping chamber, and stood by the side OF
the bed. Some one was quietly sleeping.
with his head half buried in a great square
pillow of down. | looked to see who the
sleeper was, and with thrill of horror
saw it was myself who was lying there.
Myself! No, was brOOding, unseen by
the fearful thing that had been following.
above the bed, lowering in mid-air, while
my body lay below me, motionleSS as I'M
der the spell of some mysterious trance.
The horrid thing with the knife looked