Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-15

place" and the teeth, chartered audiDiy.
Look here. Timpkins, you'd better
not bo such fool "a this. Why, man,
/ shant slay you for it,"
"You, sir {" in an undoubted accent
Of astouishment, "its not you that I'm
afraid Of Oh, sir here the teeth
chartered again" can't you manage
them better than this2"
"Pd better begin by managing you.
I answered angrily; but he did not
seem TO hear mo.
"Not servant will stay with you II
Won let it happen again They all left
before. every one of them, and they'll do
it again. only stopped because your
uncle swore to me that 1t should occur
no more, and il didn't. What he did to
them and where he put them l can't say.
But he managed them somehow. There's
noise beginning. Oh, SIR, do you
think they are coming again
"What are you talking about, fellow
the servants 2"
1.-The servants? Goodness gracious,
no. sir Do you think I'd let them
carry on like that It's not the least use,
sir. rafting at that door, for | will not
open it, not if | leave before breakfast
tomorrow This is not my business,
sir, it's yours; YOU know that well
enough, and / really think you might
manage il little better. Here be
shuddered till the bed shook under him.
9TH break the door in, Timpkins, If
you don't tell me what Won mean. The
servants must have been making that
awful row, and you know it. q"
"Not the servants, sir, he answered
in quavering voice; sit was the
/ ghosts
The ghosts the man was mad or
/ drunk. At that instant somebody GER
tainly laughed n little hooking laugh IN
/ my ear. and did not wait to argue the
case any further. | bOlted back to my
room along the drauShty passage, shut
/ the door, and locked it. At least there
WAS no more noise that night. | did not
sleep, but a peaceful silence prevailed
through which the clock licked with I'M
diminished cheerfulness.
The following morning Timpkins
waited upon me at breakfast with ire
proachable demeanor When the meal
was cleared away he respectfully request
I ed permission to speak Of the incidents
4 of the night The other servants had,
I he said, asked him, as the most expo
rienced OF them all in the ways of the
+ house, 10 lay their grievances before me.
I had not quite decided with what front
/ il was best 30 face the awkward subject of
/ the mysterious disturbance, so just told
1 him to 90 forward with what be had TO
say.
every one Of them has something to
complain Of, " he began. "There's the
under-housemaid declares as young
man came and hanged himself in her
room o most unpleasant thing to hap
pen to any respectable person, and, as
/ the girl herself says, gentlemen should
/ keep to their own rooms and ladies to
theirs, even if they do happen to he
ghosts There'snot oneof them that did
not see something Inst night. | did my
self, but Ia rather notspeak Of it. When
/ ] hear thing in confidence, even from
a ghost, I prefer to keep it to myself.
"Do so, by all means | am not going
| TO believe those ridiculous stories. |
heard plenty Of noise, but l saw no
thing"
- fancy, sir" he said Significantly,
"that would be because the ghosts don't
properly know that your uncle's gone, so
they dare not venture into his room.
He had great control over them. ! bOpe
you'll manage to get some in time, or
you'll have your house empty"
81 don't believe in the ghosts" [
answered. with moro irritation than
truth.
"Well, sir, we all know, though it is
not commonly spoken Of, that your uncle
was-ahem a ghost collector. He went
to places. and lie brought 'em away with
him. but what he did with EN-; and
where he put 'em, nobody knew. Once
or twice they broke out, and there was
an awful row, hut that hasn't happened
for wears. Last night, when the noise
began. I said at once, they've broken
loose again. I do hope, sir, for your
own sake, that you'll somehow manage to
get the upper hand of them. Your
uncle never gave you, L suppose, Sir, a
hint how to do it?"
"Never a word
"That's bad, but it'll happen come
to you. I've spoken to the servants.
They all wanted to leave this very day,
bat I've said to thom THE new mas
ter's young and not experienced III the
management OF ghosts. Give him fair
trial, and he'll perhaps get them under,
as the old master did They've agreed
to stop for a week, and see how things
go on. And [ am sure, sir, you've got
the good wishes of us all that you may
get well through with it soOn." Then the
respectable Timpkins departed, leaving
me as much amazed and subdued in
spirit as he desired the ghosts TO become
under nv treatment. My treatment, in
deed felt no ability left within me to
cope with the rebsllious phantoms who
had broken loose.
Timpkins was right in his surmse, for
the next night the ghosts invaded my
bedroom. i awoke to find them in full
possession. They seemed to be enjoying
themselves amazingly IN their own &C.
centric manner. There was regular
crowd OF them. A lady in patches and
high heels was dancing minuet on the
hearth-rug. A wicked looking man with
a gray beard was depositing
skull and few other relics of
crime in q corner Of the room.
His manner was really amusingly
secretive when you came to consider the
crowded state Of the apartment, but it
did not amuse me at the time. A young
man in cavalier dress was proposing in
the shelter of the window-curtain to q
young lady in Puritan garb. A mad
violinlst was practicing scales at the foot
of the bed A small boy who produced
the effect of having been deserted on the
top of mountain by wicked uncle
q don't know how he did it in
the circumstance, but ghosts have a
peculiar talent for the histrionic art, and
appear TO be quite independent OF scenic
accessories) was screaming for assistance
at the top OF his voice. A philosopher
was taking notes in my easy chair. Last,
but not least, highwa7man was ex-
planning the details of his execution to
me at one side of the bed, while a gen. !
tlemsn in powdered wig and holding a
snuff-bo related 10 me old but not
venerable court anecdotes on the other
side.