The Irish standard., 1888-05-19
CHAPTER XIV.
WHAT TIVE PORTER SAW.

that subtle brain.
CHAPTER XIV.
WHAT THE PORTER SAW.
HT'll ought ,o a. known that sulhln was
goiu' to happen. / had {, Warnln', but was
50 sot up in my own conccit that wouldn't
take it, J. tel you, Mr.. Norris talnt Tor
nothir,' that :, ghost comes back to ha ut the
places what it knew in Life, Especially Il that
place rgarnt likely TO raise comfortable
feelia's and no one can tell he as F.dson
would enjoy these here premises even IN d
spirtooal SENSE"
"Edsollp' Norris looked up quickly from
lis work. 6 What are you talking about.
6ijSshs"
liijsh was The porter of the establishment,
and he was waiting foa' The new clerk to get
through with his business ani go home, as
the others had done {. good hour before.
Biah cast a nervous glance over his
shoulder, and his voice dropped to sone-
thing tpproachin:s Il cadence Of awe as ne
made reply:
"Yo1rn hardly l,'lieve what T tell you, Mr..
Norris, but it,; the iiv;n' truth that [ saw
EdsoA tl,;,t night, il: the old room there to
the right of you, ;ss plal. as see you now.
T. was gon' about, Lockin' up as usual, fhnd
M J. came i'll f1'ou, the countin room the
iioor there stood open, and { saw Edison IN
Ghe loo!<n'- lass over tho tlrcssin' table,
lust as l used to see him, dozens Of times.
rs tweuto % my round. was all struck OF
aheap and stood st;srin' at him and him at
rle for nigh onto II minute. 1t was Edison,
and ii want him. but the difference
vas Just what you'd look fox III a ghost
wasted and vall:r and VOTE, the spookiest
looISn crittcr--:,nd while looked, he Went
put Of the glass, and the ROOM was as empty
MS yon sec ii now. | won't deny there was
n cold creep DOWN my back When went
Into it, expectn' hardly know what. There
was an old coat hangin' on the wall and J.
took it INTO my head to reason out that that
was what I'll seen, and my nlass inin' Ed
sons face 10 She Top Of ii was what they
call IL nopticai delusion. W'nss Luck for poor
Ny. Lyman, though ( reckon he wouldn't
s. took much stock IN my sl,ooll story IL I'd
sold it to hin. That's what gets me. Why
didn't the ghost show itself 70 bin! Some
good might have come OF ii then, if it had
scared him out Of stayin' round O nights,
wlicl, / couldn't see the use Of noWay,'' aud
Eiial. gave his head (: dubious shake.
''it proves TO have been 81 most fortunate
khing, outside Of the result to him, Bijah.
Child@r left every account straight and
:lea". The business has been SO sulplifed
stat, Inexperienced as am. find no diff
Guilty III understanding ii, and there was
even u draft OF what he intended to 10 i'll
regard to all the important IN erest' Of
The bank. Mr.. Everleigh was much moved
by Sc many evidences Of his forethought.''
Inyoluntari]y the sank porter's coun~
tenance brighteued.
'so2 Wei, now, I'm downright glad
tiia1 there wasn't any thing Of the Edison
business afoot. I misdcubted, somehow,
though l. couldn't noway think it Of Mr..
Lyman, neither. don't kcer now if the
ghosts do walk" and Hij1h whistleli cheer
lily as he went about his task Of clearing up.
Norris, having finished his work, passed
into tho rooln which had been occupied by
Edison when he was cashier there. It was
q plain apartment. bare enough now, with
hooks on the wall where tho clerks hung
their outdoor apparel. The old coat to
which Bi]ah referred still hung i'll it's place.
nnd by walking back to the outer room,
Norris Convinced himself that the angle OF
reflection would not show it at the spot
where tne other had stood when he saw his
vision.
Had Edison himself been thcre9 He could
not doubt it: knowing, as the other did not,
that tie dcfauitcr lived; but why should he
tIi1itC IICLC-Hup wal NitH Ills CCIlEdlliC
In CRIME, if Lyman Childer had been that
companion? More aud more had it been
borne in ON Norris that this must be the
explanation Of the case.
You see; there amt place where q cat
could hide said the porter, coming up
while these thoughts were passing through
the young 1naus mind. "That ar detective
talked like the burglar might have hid i'll
side. but it Wa o t in here, I'll be bound"
bat is this?' asked Norris stooping e
over q small door sunk in the w;inscotting.
THAT? That's nothin' but cuhby-hole
under the stairs. Don't think even a ghost
would want to cuddle in there. Bolts
rustea in. I reckon; it hahn i been open for
q year,
The bolts gave readily under Bergulan's
touch, however. and the door swung noise
lessly back a pile of OLD ledgers almost
filed the space inside, and the dust or
them, quarter Of an inch thick, showed nc
trace Of having been recently disturbed.
.You see?" said Bijah "Good Lord!"
It was only the ringing of the telephone
bell which gave him such start. Norris
answered the call, to receive u message
trom Mr.. Everleigh.
:sGla0 you are there yet want you tx
come no to the house at once. Something
to tell you of Importance"
There was an indistinguishable growl al
the last, as if the speaker were in no COCO
hu1llor. and, in truth, the banker seemed
both vexed and troubled when his clerk ap
peared before him.
s.Ingot has resigned he announced ri
expected to extend his leave, at some in
convenience to myself. He is thorough
accountant, and / will find it hard to re
mace him satisfactorily at moments no
tice.''
uThat is not all that is troubling you
!. sira''
N which Lyman put with his into the firm n
ityV q are On our feet now. so tnat it can be
N 3r,,.anaid. but her brother gave me to under
IL stand, even when her marriage was spoke
n 81. that he intended to keep the manage.
& nent sc 1T she beca Of age lngo1
5has me that he intends IS lt