Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-08-23

anu Whispering uAll VI = IJOIbs yet sileHCtU
by the stiffness without and within the
housed
Cannot you imagine the Puritan
watchman coming down, past the church,
his bayonet catching the moon beams on
its poiBt? If / should stay here till IL,
| know that he would come-not he but
but his--you know what, Nam one doesn't
like to say it, when the freight is gone"
lyon absurd girls" responded her sister.
"To look at your eyes one would believe
you to be in earnest, and two minutes ago
you we're talking very fippantly about
g"
"Hushm interposed Miss Lillian. 'Iam
| just as much in earnest nov as l wasn't
then, Consistency is the vice of little
minds you know. Ard would they be
more wonderful or mysterious than this
moonlight Isl"
Miss G. Anna smiled in reply and
stepped out into the great hall that ex
! tended the breadth Of the house and be-
gan ascending the wide staircase which
led, with a dignifed, square .cornered turn,
| to tho upper hall. Before she reached
! this her sister came running after her,
an5 together they eutered their rooms.
These opened, the one into the other, on
the the south side Of the hall. First was
Miss Lilian's, and, just outside her door
the continuation of the staircase led to
the large open attic above. At the
southern end Of this was n small room,
supposed to have been once used as a re
treat from the seveces. or by smugglers,
! for their dark pun poses. But as few
deserted ears of seed corn dangling from
a blackened rafter testified it had been
more lately used for purposes domestic.
! Leading down from this small room, and
connected with il by once small uuno-
ticeable door-now prominently hung
with leathern hinges-was the secret
staircase referred TO by Miss Lillian. 1t
was built beside the chimney and had con
neoted with the cellar by means Of trab
door and movable ladder, both long since
vanished There was a theory among the
people of the town that from TIE cellar an
Underground passage had led to the Glen
! field river, little more than a hundred
rods distant
The sisters prepared for the night with
a little conversation. Miss Lillian was
thoughtful; Miss G. Anna sleepy. The
latter made some final observations re
garding the probability OF Maria's hav-
ing forgotten TO put the oatmeal to soak
and no further sound issued from her
room. Equally silent was the snug nest
of Miss Lillian. But she was not sleeping.
The moonlight was SO brilliant that the
very color of each article in the room was
apparent, and the moon seemed to have
brought again to her mind old tales she
had heard of those who after death had
revisited it's glimpses. Even the vigorous
figure of Halleck Dubeaux had given place
to these shadowy ones.
An old New England house that has
stood through Indian warfare, with the
wind shrieking around it, like faint echo
of earlier and tiercer cries, may well cali
forth uncanny thoughts. These with a
company around, and roaring fire, may
give morbid pleasure. But, with silence
around, and no fire, their invOker is apt
TO become their victim. When Miss
Lillian finally fell asleep the clock had
struck -.
Her next memory is of having starte d
up with the instructive feeling that she
must listen for something. PERHAPS the
town clock had awakened her, for, as she
listened with straining ears, the first stroke
of rang out on the tempestuous night
air. IL ceased. But for the wind, all was
still. Miss Lillian remained in the position
/
elbow, With head stretched towards the
door. Every pulse in her body seemed 10
! be pounding about her ears. She won
dered in vague way, If they would not
prevent ner hearing that for which she
was listening. And what was thatS She
did not know. 1t was absurd; she would
speak to her sister and shake off this
nightmare. She knew that she was awake.
But her mouth was dry, even TO speak was
impossible for her. she could only listen.
And listen she did, seemingly frozen into
| this attitude.
! What was thatY II sounded like tho
stealthy shutting of the door down stairs.
! Was it the wind? That does not, habitual-
/ ly, shut doors carefully. Indistinct ideas
of horrible things ran through her con
/ fused mind. But she could not move;
heart and arteries could beat faster, that
was all. Yet in spite of these she heard
something else; metallic juggling came
! from some quarter. But than this there
was also nearer sound-that of a sur
! pressed dumping step on the Stare. 1t
reached the top aud paused.
! How she summoned energy she did not
kAow, but to listen better il seemed to
! her-Miss Lillian at this point had some
| how got from her bed TO the door. She
caught at the handle, and not having been
latchei the door swung open. Clinging
/ to IL she stood with eyes now straining,
as well as ears. The sound was coming
on again. IL seemed to her like someone
| trying to walk silently in noisy shoes
| But she saw nothing in tho long hall,
which was not dark, although the wind
clouds dlmmed the moon from time TO
time The dumping approached, and
suddenly from below, sounding loud above
her bounding hearts din, she heard the
door into the lower hall open and up the
stairs same the jinglng sound.
Before this reached the upper hall the
nearer so.nd was by her very door. az the
foot al tho STAIRS leading TO the attic. She
saw nothing till lowering her glance to
the floor she beheld rushing by uer and
mp the stairs, in frantic haste, pair of
ancient pointed toed shoes, nothing more!
No form, no spectral light, even appeared
above them. But awful in their very
mptyuess--awfUl-- because propelled by