The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-09-19

house, and we can't afford to lose the |
Besides, it's such a 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 it was arranged that some OF tie bed
room furniture should be immediately sent
in to our new domicils We were going
10 sell most of our furniture in our Wesss
End house, and the new furniture could
be bought Immediately and placed in No.
45. So at about 10 o'clock one evening.
after substantial dinner in town, we let
ourselves into our new abode by means of
the key, and took possession. A bright
fire, lit by our landlady. was blazing in
the kitchen. We had a plentiful supply
of stimulants and tobacco, aud we made
ourselves comfortable with our slippers
and Longing coats, and prepared for a
night of it.
''Uncommonly comfortable" said my
brother, approyingly. "Gad, the old lady
knows how to make firer'
''And what gratel And chimney as
big as blast furnace. There is nothing
like one of these old-faslioned kitchens
for comfort"
EnfconEed in our chimney corners, we
passed the time luxuriously 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
4 <.Well take the ghost by the horns"
said my brother Il Only hope we sha'n't
have to take the devil by his"
was not quite so complacent, for l in
herited something of my fathers elvous
temperament. However, had company,
so kept up a stout heart. We were very
cheerful and light-hearted at first. We
talked over various boyish escapades; we
criticised the characters of our friends
and relations; we rot the fidgets; we
found we could not smoke forever with
out burning our mouths Finally the heat
of tie fire had its inevitable effect, and we
began 10 doze
/ do not know how long l had been
asleep, but l suddenly awoke with vio-
lent start A cold shudder ran through
me from head to foot. | had an indefina-
Bile sensation OF something strange and
terrible. arose and stretched myself, and
tried 70 feel at my ease. But could not.
/ touched my brother and he awoke.
"Hello41h he said. whats the matter?
Why, I've been asleepl What'sthe timer"
1.-TWO o'clock, said.
Just the time for ghost. said he,
with unseemly levity. Do you know,
Will, / don't think he'll come here.
Ghosts are uncomfortable things, and
don't like good fires. Get too much of
them where they are, / suppose. Let's go
and look for him."
Anything for change" said l, al
though the thought of pers mbu!ating that
great lonely mansion in the dead of night
was ANYTHING but agreeable. Il am wide
awake"
$50 am ], +" said he; and taking up the
brass candlestick, he went toward the
door. followed him-close. We passed
along the passage, our stealthy footballs
making faint sound on the uncarpeted
floor. We examined the rooms on the
ground floor. We heard and saw nothing.
We assembled the stairs. Every individual
stair creaked horribly; but that was ALL |
No ghost.
My brother suddenly opened the door
of o bedroom on the first floor. Instantly |
o gust of air blew the candle out. And as |
we stood there in the icy cold we dis |
Mnctly heard-a groan. 1t was no fancy. |
Ii was loDg-drawn, wailing moan of |
horror and pathos. 1t died |
aWay.in despairing cadence. It seemed |
like the s0rrowful lament of a soul In tor |
ment. As we stood there, grasping each |
others hands, with our hearts throbbing |
in great pulsations, 1t cane again. Oh,
the horror of It'll 1t seemed to pe IN the
room and close to us. The cola we
deathly, the silence broken only by that |
weird and awful moan. Once more it rose |
and fell and somehow or other the next |
moment we found ourselves in the kitchen,
with shaking limbs and ashen faces, re-
lighting our extingufshed candle. Then |
we looked at each other.
"That was no fancy, Will" said my
brother.
"Fancy--no,D replied, my teeth chat
tering in my head. what are you going |
to do?"
For my brother had relit the candle and |
was moving away.
I'm going to have another look, he
said.
'sBut perhaps, suggested, 'the-the |
ghost extinguishes the light.
"I'll give him another chance" said my
brother, coolly. Come along, you chat
tering IDIOT"
! was too shattered to resent this unfiat
tering description, and with quaking
heart | followed his foolhardy footsteps
This time he opened the door more eau
tiously, and we entered with every nerve
strung 10 its utmost tension. Holding the
candle on high. we looked around. Pure
yacuity. And the sound came not again.
Poor old chapp said my brother. He
can't stand fight. Shall I blow it out
again?''
IF you do" said l.. "But, joking
apart, who is going to sleep in this room?
I'm not, for one. And this would natu-
rally be the governors ROOM"
NV brother was struck
You're right" he said; 1--WE must get
to the bottom of this, Well find it out
somehow. And now think we may 20
to bed. I'll 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 wink. My