Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-12-09
AFRAID OF THE DARK,


twe1ty-aight ysarS oid, am unmarried, en-
joy the best Of health and spirits, hold 6
Government inspec!orship with a good
larry, en!siling plenty OF travelling, ard
have only one care in tie world am
afraid Of the dark. Indeed, it is some
thing mo:e than fe.r-;t is a terror which
has hauGted me- from my childhood to the
present day.
Only three people in the world besides
myself have my secret; my mother, SiI
George Gjllinghsm of GllGngham Towers,
with whom lived FIR five years as private
tutor to his sons, snd who got me my ap-
pointment, and Mr.. Pallatti.
Whan left the Towers a twelvemonth
ago my nervous dread of the nights ]
should have to pass in strange bedrooms OF
strange inns, when travelling on inspection
duty. became so acute and overwhelming
that I determined to consult a leading
physician about myself.
Sir Alfred Smith listened to my story
attertively, asked rne q multitude Of ques-
tons about my hsalth a1d habits, aad es-
pecislIy whether anything EVER occurred
in very eaely childhood to give Ell ok,
although l might have been too yonng at
the time to renb 81 It now. My catechism
over, he sad:
"Mr. Hough'oa, I must tell you frank
" that can do nothing for you. The
symrtOms you have described are distress
ing, bat cannot !ell yol as physician
no v they originate, or suggest any way OF
slleviati1g them. / have a friend, how
over, who is profound believer in animal
ms On stism, and although am very skep-
teal sbout many of his theories, he is one
OF the c!everest and most agreeable men l
know. 1t can do no harm for you to see
him, and l an quite certain he
will perfectly sympath "a with you,
if ne can do nothing else. His
rame is P@llstti, and l have writ
ten down his address for you. Call upon
hiu at th7fe O'C,OcS to morrow, and will
write to toll him hat he may expect you"
fouad Mr.. Pallstti the next afternoon
lou~g irg ever bopk in large, luxurious
ly-furnlahed room crowded with pictures,
cqro2s, aud "Qretty things"-a handsome
Youpg ge ltIemau, perfectly dressed, with a
pair OF eyes wh;c1, if they could not gee
through milestone, looked as if they
could p'e:ce a huuan being through and
through.
After a little Indifferent conversation l
began to tell him my tale, but / was 81
nervous that burg'ed woetully and in
terspersed, my narrative with ldiotic gig
glss.
"Wait bit, Mr.. HoughtoD, there's no
hurry said Mr. Pallatti, bringing me a
glass Of wine from side table, 'yCu are
nv patient, you know. and must drink
this before beginning long story"
Iexpact be must have put something
into my draugh:, for in few minutes
found myself talking as calmly and I'M
pagsively rs if l weIe speaking OF some
other person.
told him how, if left my bed in the
dark and took two steps away from it, l
was utterly lot; how my outstretched
hands would touch window where l ex
pscted TO frd d door, AID all the furniture
scanned t. play pass in the corI er ne l
novel about, until at last I woald sirk
on the ground utterly unnerv5d and trem-
bling to wait throagh long tOa:s for day
light
I told him lard as I went on Mr.. Pal
lstti's face grew eagerly attentive) how,
when I was q by of sixteen, my mother
had described 70 me the circumstance ofmy
eldest brothers. death by drowning when
| ives IA infant; how the ssme night my
light went out and sew through lumin-
Gus h9zs q room With led eS and gentle
man IN it. q servant Comlngat in the door,
followed by boatmsn carrying boy in
ais arms With dead face and water drip
ping frOm his ,olg nail; how, when l told
my irotter what la ! seen, she said that
had descIihed to the mlnutest detail
tie pattern of the wall pGpar, the flowers
on the chimney p'eCs-tne identical scene
az il occarred on that terrible morning At
Brighton.
Apy other experience like tbat?" asked
Mr.. Pallatli. ~ can't tell you how deep.
ly you have interested me, Mr. Hough'
tom
"Only ore other" I replied, land that
occurred at Gil}iDgham Towers, where
lived for five years as p:iva.e tutor to Sil
George Glllinghsm's tons. he had been
I
tragedy shat occurred in his family more
than century ago, and had pointed ou'
to ne the portraits hanging in tie g:ea'
drawing room of tie three pIiocipsl actors,
Some papers of the utmost Importance
were distracted in the copfasioa at the
/ tine. and Sir George said that his ina5il
( ity 10 produce them, if sver called upon r
40 an roiuht ha mast disastTcuE The
danger, of course, decreased as the years
rolled by, but the sword still hung oVe1
the house of Gillinghsm, though the hsi
By which it was originally suspendeC
might have thickened to cord.
That night a great storm OF wind anC
rain broke over the Towers, my window
was barst opsn, my light ex:ipguished
and the matches 1 always kept Il
my hard were wet and useless. Fo
the second time in my life tn
luminous hazs rolled cut befort
ma, and through it there appeared yer!
small room with ous narrow window, III
lower sash of whieh was thrown up;
lumber room apparently, with one bar
table in the centre, a few broken chair
piled mp in the corners, some dirty-l0oEini
prints in black frames On TIE walls, and
great glass case full Of stuffed BIRDS, com
tumbliug and soma tumb!e3 from thei
psrches, and al in the last stsgs OF dilapi
dation snd decay. When. all this wa
clearly developed the shadoWy forms Q
a man and q woman appeared dimIy
and could see that their outlines sgree