The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-12-11

of being weak; but l set about the per-
formance of my household duties, which
occupied me fully until the return of An
drew
took him, as also the Joiner and black
smith, into the parIor, and told them my
experiences of the previous evening. An
drew exhibited symptoms of alarm; but I
found the joiner a sensible man, and in-
clined, after what I told him, to take az
similar view with myself of the subjects of
some diabolical trickery, in order to drive
us out of the house. He asked about Mrs.
Weevil, and if had ever been in her rooms.
1 said I had not. He proposed at once to
visit them. The door of her apartments
was as usual, locked; but the blacksmith
had little difficulty in successfully picking
the lock, and effecting an entrance for us
Andrew being meanwhile sent to keep
lookout in the garden, that no one ap-
preached the house unawares.
There was nothing to attract attention in
Mrs Weevil's apartments. The Joiner
carefully examined them, but no means of
egress from either of the rooms could be
discovered, save the door by which we had
entered, the window having iron grating
outside We took the utmost care that
nothing was disarranged; and any piece of
furniture or apparel which we had occasion
to disturb was replaced exactly as found.
Previous to this, l should have mentioned
both the joiner and blacksmith had made
particular examination Of the bow-window
of my bedroom, but had failed to find
anything to awaken suspicion in the slight
est. Our search had so far been entirely
fruitless; and was beginning to feel more
perplexed than ever, as, after what Andrew
had told me of Mrs Weevil, and of her
sons former relations to the owner of the
house, l had somehow begun to connect
her in my mind with the mysterious ap-
pearance which had given it such bad
fame.
We were in the act of quitting the house
keepers sitting-room, afraid that she
might return before we had time to refasten
the door, when l noticed the blacksmith
kneel down on the floor of the inner apart
ment, and examine the foot of one of the
bed-posts. 1t was an ancient Elizabethian,
with heavy faded hangings, and stood on
floor covered with a carpet, out of which
long use had extracted almost all traces of
its original patterns At signal, the join
er stopped down beside him; and 1 then
observed that the castor at the foot of the
bedpost was glistening with oil, as if it had
but recently been fabricated; and we all
three then noticed that there was distinct
oily streak along the carpet, as if the bed
had been moved forward obliquely for few
feet from where it stood, and then been
moved back again. The Joiner at once
the the do did king hold of the bed, he found
924 tre6 took a Sfd,Jprward easily and
Epse Canada. but was pursEuaae "a .rg1.still it
was about a foot from the wall agains
which - stood At this point, we noticed
that the bed seemed to dip slightly to one
side, as if something we're yielding to its
weight; and at the same moment we OBJ
served paneling silently open in that part
of the wall which had formerly been hid
behind the hanging.
1 was in high state of excitement, and
with difficulty could sRppresa my feelings
but stood silent as the two men went round
and looked into the opening thus discover
ed. They asked for candle, which |
presently brought them; when we found
that the recess was small place, about five
feet high and two feet deep, and that ii
was formed of solid mason-work on all
sides but the front. A box large enough
to fill the whole space of the bottom, was
attached to the wall by strong iron staples
as if to prevent its removal; but curiously
enough, the box itself was not locked,
though supplied with hasp and paddock
The lid was at once lifted; when we saw
stuffed into 1t, as if hurriedly, a mass Of
white garment, which we found to be an
old chasuble or surplice, that must have
formed at one time part of the ceremonial
robes of priest. We brought it forth to
the light, and examined it; and there, in
the skirt of the garment, we found that a
piece had been torn out, which was exactly
fitted by the bit of white embroidered cloth
which had picked up in my bedroom on
the previous evening. This was evidence
indisputable that whoever or whatever my
ghostlY visitor was, here at least was the
garment that had been used on that occa-
sion; the more so, that attached to the up
per part of the garment was kind of hood
which, when drawn over the head and face
would give In dim and uncertain light
the grim aspect that l had seen on the
previous evening. felt within me burn
ing indignation that for years the peace
and happiness of successive families in the
house should have been destroyed by the
wretched trickery Of this depraved ole
woman, in her malicious desire to injure
the young lady who owned the house, by
depriving her of her income that would
otherwise have been derived from it.
My first impulse was to leave things a;
they were in the apartment till the arrival
of the old hag, and confront her at once
with the evidences we had discovered Of
her malevolent practices; but on second
examination of the box, it was found thai
it contained false bottom, easily removed
I 4. e l.. L.