Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-04-04

VeHs you 49, W W. nsss -.
Desdlsigh lie some distance from %
railway
| "But folks a. would take 'Th
Yews would keep . carriage; 90 ina
don't count"
"Then il ID far from London"
| mot so far a. Wsstmoreland o
Cornwall, and houses let there"
"There is no shooting"
Every one don't shoot. l dom
shoot"
"Thsn,u began the lawyer, and hest
tssed, and added tsmsly, "there may b.
other things"
what other things?"
| ooh, nothing, nothing" said thu
| solicitor, looking uncomfortable.
"I'll tell you what" said Mr.. Cor
| der, not observing his unessiness
"Thst house is full OF odds and ends
and traps and dust. Ill begin with 0
pretty clean sweep"
The lawyer looked fartively ct him,
his mouth twitchsd, and he said, hall
seriously, half jestingly, "You must
first get rid Of the ugly, dirty one."
II don't take you" said Mr.. Corder,
opening bis eyes wide. 81 intend" be
added, "to have . good, substantial
sweep"
sin the place Of an unsubstsntial
sweep" observed the solicitor in q low
tone.
Nothing imperfect, unsubstantial
with me-" Mr.. Corder went on. 81
intend to repaper, recurtain, and alto.
gether refurnish the mansion after l
have had that sweep out I spoke Of"
Tho first thing is to have thatsweep
out"
Exactly. / said So"
"But can you do it? The house
would have let readily before, only the
late proprietor could not do it."
"Not have the sweep out?"
mo"
/" Fiddle stick ends. BrOoms,
brushes, pals Of water"
"No good, none at ALL"
"Wkat do you mean?"
~ mean that if the house had not
been haunted the house would have
let"
Haunted? What has that to do
with my sweep out?"
at is haunted by . sweep"
A pause. Mr.. Corder sat and stared.
The agent looked down, half-ashamed,
half-amused.
81 was not told word about this, -
said the ex.mother- of-pearl.button man.
ufacturer.
q" We were not bound to inform you
Of such . matter" said the solicitor.
II don't believe in ghosts" ex-
claimed Mr.. Corder, contemptuously.
"Rats or bad drains are the cause Of oil
ghost stories. Rats make noise and
drains exhale poisonous vapors which
affect the brain. Are the drains
wrong?"
1.-The drains are right-it is the
chimney which is wrong. The sweep
infests the chimney"
"What chimney"
"The stack belonging to the state
rooms. You may have observed gilly-
flowers grow out of it,"
81 don't believe q word OF it," said
Mr.. Corder impatiently. 81 don't and
won't believe in ghosts-no educated
people do give credence to these foolish
superstitions."
Exactly" said the lawyer. 81
also do not believe q word about the
sweep, but unquestionably our domes-
tic servants are not so highly educated
as to be superior to vulgar terrors, and
it has been found impossible for any
one to retain their servants who has
tried to live at The Yews.'"
"But who is this sweep? What is
he? When did he live: Or, rather
when did be die?"
"The story is not romantic, and the
incident is not very remote. Some five
and twenty years ago, in the late pro-
prietor's lifetime, an unfortunate sweep
engaged in cleaning the chimneys Of the
state apartments fell in the chimney.
lie had been to the top and looked out.
In descending a brick gave way, it is
supposed, under his foot, ard he fell
the whole depth of the fue and broke his
neck or bsck-or both--and died
an hour after. l remember the
circumstance. After that popular
superstition would have it that
the sweep haunts the central stack Of
chimneys, and at night is to be heard
creeping up one fue and down another,
and sometimes as falling. He is said
to have been seen at the top Of the
chimney, looking out and waving his
brush; also, on moonlight nights, to
have been observed in some Of the
state rooms seated on the stone fender
in a pensive attitude, with his head in
his hand"
"And pray" said Mr.. Corder, with
decision in his tone, "is he surrounded
by phosphorescent light, and does he
exhale the odor Of brimstone?"
"Oh, dear, no." answered the So
licitor. "He is very black and smells
strongly Of soot."
"if the ghost had been figure in
chain-mail, or woman in white, there
would have been some satisfaction in
having ones house haunted /; it would
give it responsibility" unused Mr.. Cor
der. "But--s chimney-sweep-anda
chimnsy-sweep who only died t'other
day! IT'S yexiDg.
"Come along, Charles" he said,
after . pause, to his son, and rose from
his chair. "We must be off and to
The Yews.' How about these other
parties, sir ?"-this to the agent.
"You mean Mrs. White and her
daughter, }" answered the lawyer. "Of
course they leave. You have only to
give them notice that their services will
not be required, and they must depart.
an sorry for them. Mrs. White is
an excellent lady, highly regarded
throughout the neighborhood, much re-
spected by the county people. II, sir,
you could possibly retain her in any
capacity in the house, l believe 1t would
give general satisfaction, be . kindness
to her, and that you would not regret
it yourself; more Trustworthy, honor
able, lady-like person ! do not know.
If you had desired housekesper---"
~ do not want one, said Mr.. Corder