The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1886-10-01


"UncommOnly comfortable" said
my brother, approvinely. "Gad,
the old lady knows how to make Il
fire y
"And what a CRATE! Aid a
chimney as big as blast furnace.
There is nothing like these oid-fash-
iOned kitchens for comfort. En-
scopsed in our chimney corners we
passed the time luxuriously enough.
We had made up our minds to sit
mp all night and show the ghost
what manner OF men he had to deal
with.
"We'll take the ghost by the
horns," SAID my brother. IL only
hope we shan't have the devil by
his.' / was not quite SO compla-
cent, for | Inherited something of
my fathers nervous temperament.
However, | had company and there
was Dutch courage in the whiskey
bottle, so | kept up a Stout heart.
We talked over various bOyiSh
escapades; we criticised the char
acters of our friends and relatives;
we got the fidgets; we found that
we could not smoke forever without
burning Onr mouths. Finally the
tunes OF whiskey and the heat of
the fire had their inevitable effect
and we began to doze.
| do not know how long | had
been asleep, but | awoke with a
violent start. A cold shudder ran
through me from head to foot. |
had an indefinable sensation Of
something strange and terrible. /
rose and stretched myself and tried
to feel at ease. But | could not. |
touched my brother and he awoke,
"Hellow be said. "What's the
matterg Why I've been asleep!
What's the time 2"
"TWO O'clock said |.
"Just the time for ghost,' said
be with unseeming letity. "Do
you know, viii, | don't think he'll
come here. Ghosts are uncomtOrt
able things and don't like gooG fires,
Get too much of them where they
are, suppose. Let's go aud look
for him."
"Any thing for a change said |,
although the thought of perambu-
latiug that great lonely manslOn in
the dead of night WAS anything but
agreeable. 81 am wide awake
$50 am IT, aud taking mp the
brass candleStIck he went towardS
the door. | followed him-close
We passed along tue passage, our
stealthy footballs making Il faint
sound on the nncarpeted floor We
heard aud saw nothing. We as.
cended the stairs. Every individ.
ual stair creaked horribly, but that
was all. No ghost.
My brother suddenly opened the
door of bedroom on the first
floor. Instantly gust of air blew
the candle our. And as we stood
there ia the cold we distinctly
heard--a groan. 1t was no fancy.
1t was a long drawn, wailing moan
OF inexpressible horror and pathos.
1t died away in deSpaiung ca
dences. 1t seemed like the sorrow
lul lament Of soul in torment. As
we stOOd there graSping each 9th
el's hands, With our hearts thrOb.
bing in great pulsations, it came
again. o, the horror of it 1t
seemed to be in ;he room and close
to us. The cold was deathly, the
silence broken only by that weird
and awful moan. Once more it rose
aud fell-aud somehow or other the
next moment we found ourselves in
the kitchen, with shaking limbs aud
ashen faces, relightiug our extin.
guished candles. Then we looked
at each other.
"That was no fancy, WILL" said
my brother.
"Fancy-uo," replied, my teeth
chatteriug in my head. "Wbat are
you going to do ~
For my brother had relit the can
die aud was moving away.
"rm gong to have another look" T"
be said.
"But, perhaps | suggested, "the
TIE ghost extlngulshes the light"
"Ill give him another chauce,"
said my brother, coolly. "Come
along, you chattering IDIOT i
was too shattered to resent this un.
flattering description, aud with a
ouaking heart l followed his fool.
hardy footsteps. This time he
opened the door more cautiously,
and we entered With every nerve
strung to its utmost tension. Held
ing tue candle on high, We looked
around. Pure yacuity. And the
sound came not again.
"PooF old chap" said my brother.
ssHe can't stand the light. Shall |
blow 1t out again r
"If YOU do" said /. "But,
Joking, apart, who is going to sleep
in this roomi I'm not, for one.
And this would naturally be the
governors room y
NV brother was struck.
"You're right be said; "we
must get TO the bottom of this.
Well fiud it out somehow. And
nov l think we may 90 to bed. IN
Just look around"
He examined the room carefully,
but there was nothing to be seen,
neither was there anything to be
heard. So we gave up the thing
for that night and went TO bed.
could not sleep a wink. Ny nerves
were completely unstrung. After