Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-02-15
"a TALE OF TERROR.
by JAMES SEYMOUR.

ed house. had one on my list in Hal
isted street. Her family consisted of hor-
self, child between 6 and Z, and SCR
iyant. rented the dwelling, but was as
ltonished in about ten days to find her
back. Sho stated that n portion of tho
promises which she did not require shd
had locked. BY some supernatural cause
the doors would fly open. Sho had heard
some rumors i'll the neighborhood that tho
house was haunted, but paid no attention
TO such suporstitious gossip. Then sho
proceeded to tell the following singular
story, which l will give in her own words:
One night rs Margaret, tho servant, and
went up stairs l saw the door Mt tho head
stood open. We went into tho extension.
All wns quiet, tho dust lay thick on tho
floor and tho spiders had spun their webs
across the wall, and ono huge mesh work
lay directly across the narrow, crooked
stairs that led downward. l remember
thinking MS VIC descended that it would DO
a terrible place for anyone to fall. At tho
foot was bit of cracked and broken
tagging and as looked Mt it l fanciedl
involuntarily the dull, siclioning thud of d
heavy body thrown from above tho stones.
Tho thought was so roll that it made me
shudder ill spite Of myself but I shook it
off MS unhealthy and morbid. We secure
ly fastened both doors and l began to hopo
ahat we should DO troubled by no moro
mysteries.
"On Saturday evening, wishing 10 finish
a pioco of work with which was busy, 1
sent Margaret to put Alice to bed instoad
OF going myself rs usual. The room in
which was sitting was not directly DO
meath my bedroom, and 1 did not hoar
the girls footsteps when she left the
chamber to como down. 1 noticed that
Hho remained away for longer time than
common, but l supposed that tho child
had proved wakeful and difficult to get to
sleep, and L thought little of her absence.
Tho sound of heavy fall ON the stairs
suddenly startled me. Rushing out saw
the door ut their head again wide open.
blackness SO dense that it seomod like
curtain, palpablc to the touch, shut off
all that might be beyond and ut the foot
OF tho steps lay Margaret i'll swoon.
Ut was the sound of hor full that had
heard. As approached her l found that.
her consciousness was beginning to re-
turn, aud, Mt the same instant, my oars
caught faint, soft rustic in the darkness
Abovc, and the door closed with hard
slam that resounded through tho house.
ply foot was on the lowest step. l would
hnve rcopened il i'll another second, but
Margaret caught my dress.
:. For the love of God, don't Co. she
twhisperod; what you'll see there isn't
what He meant should ever bo.' and sho
held me with force of which would not
have believed her capable in her weak
mess.
Promise me, promise mo, she whis-
pered And seeing that ii was the only
why to calm her, promised not to at
tempt to enter the extension that night.
helped her into hor own room, shocked
at the state in which l found one usually
so calm and self-controlled, and passed
the hours till daylight in watching alter,
nately with her and with Alice, who was
restless and feverish and muttered to her-
self i'll her sleep. Once more that night
the door opened and shut with tho sans
SSsNd noise as before, but otherwise we
,undisturbed. The strangeness of
49, ;tSstion did not frighten mo- felt
s W.. .Altied, defiant enraged by the
eyonts wh;ch -? taken place since en-
tornd iho hous .e"" ~; was glad that Mar
soroi did NOT so,n MY cSSSod to speak or 10
fell me of the cause of he,dd downfall. She
did not close her eyes, butlaay WITH VIII her
eyes fixed on tho opposite walE>~lGnwSnru
dawn she suddenly broke the long St'ehco
by saying, musingly: -.
we don't know what has been donoh
ahe old time by them that lived here, nos
what their punishment is
Hush, hushl' ] answered, unwilling
TO encourage her talking, and to change
the unwholesome current of her thoughts
j drew aside the window curtain. a faint,
Pallid ligb. was already tingcing the east
fhe TOXIN of the coming day. Tho
lnightseemed 10 calm the girls worn-out
nerves. She drew long, weary sigh like
tired child, and in a few moments
dropped into n deep sleep. When Alice
awoke on Sunday morning she proved so
feverish that l kept her in bed, and n
question which she asked me in the course
of the morning frightened me with the
ndea that she must be worse than had
Thought her.
Mamma, she asked, who is the pretty
young lady that stands sometimes in tho
door at the head of the stairs, and looks
at mo so with her great dark eyes? kept
thinking of hor all the time; she seems so
sad and sorrowful that can't forget about
her
supposed the child was light headed
Z IRON fever, and gave her some trifling an
a swer. About ten o'clock, rs / was passing
Through the upper hall, 1 saw that mys-
- FERROUS door swing back upon its hinges
~ mat against the wall, exposing the pail
5fses IKE blackness of the evening before. 1
Dot hesitate. Fortunately my feet
s3fRere clad in slippers which mufiled my
Footiall, and, making as little noise Oh
possible, l stepped to tho landing,
mounted the half dozen stairs on the
Spposlto side, and advanced some PAGES
the darkness along tho hallway of the
tension, when could touch with my
Ind the casing Mt the top of the narrow;,
oked stairway have before men es.
( ned: i paused, and, leaning agaiiss
wall, turned SO MS to comIn.raa All :, ,i1Ml
he door which judged 9 my - S'i a,. DC
since / had not h saa not ~ smut Az
slirection o I 'faes mat a lamp was
y psng dimly AZ sp NV upper iinma; hall in q
i lnesan5 penetrated to me. Tho
s a4bsupg Upon me like corporal
z sdSi gasped for breath with a
z 'sjSs sun 70 in its density.
& 500 thus for some moments.
had brought light. The beating
+ rt seemed like companion in
] de, and remember layine nv
! n " to fee it's pulsations. Then
WY, out of the thick air, there
me q horror, nm unspeall-
consciousness OF tho prosen
BILE which froze nv blood
Z life at itg core. My body
4 8 - s 70 stone. All its activity
a. nd had sought TO turn
~ my muscles would have
81 ~ k5>,;oh idlug and my fsat lova