The Sunday herald., 1886-08-15

| we snail crowd MN out.
~ bet you new hat you don't stop there
q week." said he.
"Done with you," said promptly. "As
often as you like. Any ons else want 10
bet I"
No one volunteered, and the subject drop.
ped. But | was extremely uncomfortable.
In the course OF the afternoon | took my
brother aside and told him
"Phew |" said he. "That explains the
low rent. But it's rather serious. The
governor can't stand anything of the sort.
YOu know how nervous he is."
eyes, KNOW said. "And II strikes
methat the best thing we can do Is to move
into the house ourselves, so that we can tell
him the story is myth, II any one let's 1t ont
to him. Just y0u aud l."
Fright" said he. ave have taken the
house and we can't afford to lose the money.
Besides, it's such capital place."
The whole family were to move in about
three weeks time. We had no difficulty In
finding a pretext for preceding them, and II
was arranged that some Of the bedroom fur
niturs should be Immediately sent In to our
new domicile. We were going TO sell most
Of our furniture In our West End house, aud
the new furniture could be bought immedi-
ately, and placed In Number 45. SO at about
10 o'clock one evening, after a substantial
dinner In town, we let ourselves In 10 our
new abode by means Of the key, and took
possession. A bright are, III by our land
LADY, was blazing In ths kitchen. We had
q plentiful supply OF whiskey and tobacco,
and We made ourselves comfortable with our
slippers and lounging coats, and prepared
for night Of II.
"Uncommonly comfortable" said my
brother approvingly. "Gad, the old lady
knows how TO make 6rel''
"And what a CRATE And chimney as
big as a blast furnace. There Ia nothing
like one Of these old.fashioned kitchens for
comfort" Ensconced In our chimney cor
ners, we passed the time luxurlously enough.
We had made up our minds to sit up all
night and show the ghost what manner Of
men he had to deal with.
even take the ghost by the horns, "
said my brother. 81 only hope we shan't
have to take the devil by his" was moi
quite so complacent for I inherited some.
thing of my fathers nervous temperament.
However, had company, and there was
Dutch courage In the whisky bottle, 40
kept mp stout heart. We were very cheer
fui and light hearted at first. We talked
over boyish sscapades; we criticised the
characters Of our various relations; we goi
the adgets; Wa found Wa could not smoke
forever without burning our mouths. Finally
the fumes Of whisky aud the heat Of the fire
had their inevitable effect and We began Il
doze.
do not know how long had besn asleep
but suddenly awoke with violent start
A cold shuddsr ran through me from head Il
foot. l had an indefnabls sensation o.
something strange aud terrible. l rose and
stretched myself aud tried TO feel at ease
But could not. l touched my brother aud
he awoks.
"Halloi" he said. "what's the matter
Why, I've teen aslsrp! What's the time p
1.-TWO O'clock" said I.
"Just the time for ghost" said he will
unseemly levity. "DO yon know, Will.
don't think he'll come here. Ghosts ar,
uncomfortable things and don't like goo,
ires. Get too much of them where they are
suppose. Let's 60 aud look for him.
Anything for change" said I, although
the thonght Of perambulating that gr-a
lonely mansion in the dead of night wa
anything but agre, able. IL am wild
awake"
$50 am l." said he; and taking up tn,
. brass candlestick, he wsnt.toward the door
I followed him-close. We passed alon,
} the passage, onr stsaltliy FOOTBALLS making
: faint sound on the unexpected floor. w,
, examined the rooms on the gronni floor
; We heard and saw nothing. We ascendst
tls stairs. Every individual stair creaked
, horribly, but that was all. No ghost.
My brother suddenly opened the door of
bedroom on the first floor. Instantly gus
of air blew the candle out. And as we stoot
, there in the icy cold We distinctly heard
groan. II was no fancy. II was a long
drawn, wailing moan of indispensable hor
IOr and pathos. 1t iied away IN despair
ing cadence. It seemed like the sorrow fu
lament Of a soul in torment. As We stood
there grasping each others hands, with onl
hearts thrObbing In great pulsa,ious. it cam.
again. Oh, the horror OF it It seemed I,
, be in the room and close 10 us. The cold
was d-athly, the silencs broken only by
, that weird and awful moan. Oncs more
rose aud fell-and somehow or other tn,
. next moment We found ourselves in thu
kitchen, with shaking limbs and ashsi
faces, relighiing Onr extinsush.d candle
Then We looked at each other.
! "That was no fancy, Will," said my
brother.
Fahcy-no," l replied, my teeth oh at
, tering In my head. "What are you goinl
to do 2''
For my brother had rslit the candle and
was moving away.
''I'm gong to have another Look" Ii,
said.
But psrhaps,'' sugssstrd, "the-th,
ghost extinguishes the light"
"ill give him another chance" said m,
brother coolly. "Come along you chatter
, ing idiot" was to shattered to resent thi
ubtlatteIing description, and with quak
ing heart followed his foolhardy footsteps
This time he opened the door more eau
tiously and We entered with every nerv
strung to Its utmost tension. Holding th,
! candle on high, We looked around. Pur,
, vacuiiy. Aud the sound came not again.
"Poor old chap" said my brother. "H
can't stand the light. Shall blow 1t ou
againf'
"If you do said /. "But, jokinI
0 apart, who Is going to sleep in this room
: Pm not, for one. Aud this would naturall!
be the governors rooIn.''
r Ny brother was struck.
4 "You'rs right" ho said; 1--WE must get Il
the bottom Of this. Well lind it out some
!. how. And now think We may go to bed
IN Just look round"
/. He examined the room carefully but ther
:, was nothing to bs seen, neither was thsr
, anything to be- heard. So We gave up tn
thing for that night aud went to bed.
could not sleep wink. My nerves wsr'
Q completely unstrung. After night of toss
= ing AMI fever, ! awOke unrefreshed, ant
j. nightly pleased to find myself In broa
i daylight.
, At noon that day I had to run the gauntle
OF my friends. And, ! am bound to say,
u lied like Ansniss. As the day drew on,
i grew more and more uncomfortable, aud
fairly dreaded the ordeal of the snsuin
n night. As before, We dined in town.
was Ane night, aud We took walk aroun
70 the square before turning in. The honss
|. all looked chosrfnl with their bright lights
Ours alone was black aud gloomy. W
!, agreed that ut 2 o'clock precisely We woul
again visit the haunted room. There wa
% no danger OF our going to sleep to nigh
. We were painfully wide awake. All sor,
y of wild conjsctures crossed my mind as W
!, sat by the kitchen fire, waiting for the al
J, pointed hour. Perhaps some maniac ha
\. taken up his abode in the house, aud rove
" about at night nttering that awful nois,
Is Or perhaps some willy person had fancy :
y live rent free and had adopted this mstho
I, of Tightening tenants away. In any cas-
y the effect was sufficiently horrible. I'll
Of shock TO ones nervous system was the sam
TO whatever the cause.
y The whisky sbbed fast. but not 30 fast a
l AZ L..