The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-03-24


were to the effect that while Ias
cook was dlshiDg the dinner, stones
/ began 10 fall at Intervals on tn,
stove. on tbs table and in dltferenl
+ parts Of the kitchen, coming dowl
on the outside wooden root of thi
building. which stood alone at som'
fifty yards from the house, with {;
sharp clear ping and falling dowI
into the room without a crack or al
aperture of any kind being visible
On the ceiling to show how they haC
effected an entrances.
Nv sister, who was Of a nervous
temperament. did not ike 1t at all
and shraniS close TO her husband :
side, beggIng.him not 10 leave ner
The two Young men and | rose, raE
across the verandal and the bright
moonlit paved yard into the little
kitchen, where | did not know al
first whether 10 be most alarmed on
seeing the cooks brother, VINO had
rushed in from the nelghboring
''cour at the first noise of the fall
( ing stones, standing Fuetuily rubbing
his head, which was bleeding from
blow he had received, or amused
at seeing halt dozen full-gTown
men eaperiug about like 20 many
children. whIm perlng, their teeth
chatteFing from terror, all talking at
once and each giving different YER
sion OF the story in high-pitched
voices.
/ stood gazing at the ceiling when
a sharp thud above me made me
leap suddenly into the air, and a
stone larger than my fist fell at my
feet.
After quieting his wife's fears g.
INV brother-iu-lawl followed US,
and instead of sympathiziug with
the general terror, sharply told the
servants to stop all this nonsense,
that be would soon find out the
practical Joker, cut him . month :
wages-the usual threat-ani de-
priye him Of his monthly bag Of rice
Then he ordered them 10 proceed at
once serving the rest OF the dinner
The excitement was far too great
TO permit o. my doing anything so
prosaic as return to dinner while
this mystery was unexplained, so
the two youths and | remained ID
the veranda. One fetched MS Gun
and fired into the woods and across a
neighboring raviHe, hoping that il
the aggressor were hidden in It's
wooded recesses the sound Of firing
would cause him to desist
He then climbed a tall tree, from
which. as 1t was i glorious mOonlit
night-and no one who has not seen
the beauty of tropical full moon
can have any idea OF It's soft and yet
clear briliiance-be could see a great
distance, while I fearfully peered
about among the low bushes, keep
ing all the while in the close vicini-
ty of nv six-foot com mpanion, who,
though pooh hooing the whole af-
fair, did not, / could see like 1t st
all. | confess that | surreptitiouslv
picked up the stone / mad found in
the kitchen and smelied it, to see if
| could find any trace OF birthstone.
An hour or two elapsed, and still
the stones fell, doing more or less
damage. Sometimes one or two
would come bang bang after each
other then a quarter Of an hour
would elapse, and We would think
It was all over, when the noise and
battery would recommence.
1t was getting beyond our usual
hour for retiring for the night, but
somehow we forgot to propose
breaking up our little party. 1t
was useless to settle to any occupa-
ton my sister, the two young men
and [ talked with baled breath, and
[ did not at all enjoy the prospect OF
the night before me, az | occupied |
cue of three paviili0ns-smaii wood /
an rooms built outside the large 1
house with a connecting veranda (
and whether the thrower of !
the missiles was or was not a super !
natural parsonage | did not relish /
bis vicinity. About ii o'clock the /
servant came to say that the noise ,
and damage still continued, when F..
g. once more repaired to the kiteh-
sn and announced his intention of
sending for the police to find out
md punish the offender Accord
nEly his cousin went eff in his lit
lie caiecho 10 the EeaTeet police sta
lon, and returned with three men
me Z French creole, one an IRISH
nan, and the third English When I
We explained the circumstances to
hem they smiled in . superior
manner and said You'll never
ind. il out. whatever 1t Is; 1t has
leen practiced IN several parts ofthe
sland before. and quite lately, too
some weeks ago we were sent for to
savaBHe for the same cause. The
left the house and We
tayed there alone on the alert for
hree DAYS, and although We watch
d steadily night and day, the very
lass globes Of the lamps were bro
Ten II the room where we were sit
ing; re saw the stones fall and /
,eard the sound ar they struok the
Iutside roof, but never once saw any
appearance of even crack IN the
eiiing. and left the place without
laving found out anything.
This was not satisfactory, but it
vas q little reassuring, in the long
iours before I fell asleep, to hear
he police pacing up and down the
.eranda, or when their steps ceased,
0 know by the tsll-tale scent of their
Cigarettes through TIE open window,
hat thew were not numbering. |
TAD meant 10 keep the stone | pick {
d up az a memento Of the incident,
nd had put 1t in my room but
caring that such an uncanny object
aighl take 10 capering about my
remises at the witchins hour of {
l opened my window and
eposited it outside.
The police left next morning. as |
hey SAID it was quite useless to re-
lain. G. and his cousins had to
e in Port Louis daily from 10 in the !
1ornipg till ) O'Clock, SO my sister
nd | were left to face the terrors.