Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1889-02-09
| TALE OF TERROR.
BY JAMES SEYMOUR.

BN JAMES SEX II.
Some years ago (said M friend, real
estate AGENT had an Office on La Sale
whom had known in Boston. She want
ed house. I had one on my list in Hal
sted street. Her family consisted Of her.
self, child between and 7, and ser
want 1 rented the dwelling, but was as
tonishAd in about ten days to find her
back. She stated that a portion of the
premises which she did not require she
had locked. By some supernatural cause
the doors would fly open. She had heard
some rumors in the neighborhood that the
house was haunted, but paid no attention
to such superst tious gossip. Then she
proceeded to tell the following singular
story, which 1 will give in her own words:
"One night as Margaret, the servant, and
I went up stairs I saw the door at the head
stood open. We went into the extension.
All was quiet, the dust lay thick on the
floor and the spiders had spun the webs
across the wall, and one huge mesh work
lay directly across the narrow, crooked
stairs that led downward. I remember
thinking as We descended that it would be
terrible place for anyone to fall. At the
foot was a bit of cracked and broken
tagging, and as looked at it I fancied
involuntarily the dull, sickening thud of a
heavy body thrown from above the stones.
The thought was SO re i that it made me
shudder in spite of myself, but shook it
off as unhealthy and morbid. We secure
ly fastened both doors and l began to hope
that We should be troubled by no more
mysteries.
ION Saturday evening, wishing to finish
piece of work with which was busy, I
sent Margaret to put Alice to bed instead
of going myself as usual. The room III
which was sitting was not directly be-
meath my bedroom, and I did not hear
the girls footsteps when she left the
chamber to come down. I noticed that
she remained away for longer time than
common, but I supposed that the child
had proved wakeful and difficult to get to
sleep, and thought little of her absence.
The sound of heavy fall on the stairs
suddenly startled me. Rushing out saw
the door at their head again wide open, o
blackness so dense that it seemed like a
curtain, pa!pable to the touch, shut off
all that might be beyond, and at the foot
Of the steps lay Margaret in o swoon.
It was the sound of her fall that had
heard. As I approached her found that
her consciousness was beginning to re-
turn, and, at the same instant, my ears
caught faint, soft rustic in the darkness
above, and the door closed with hard
slam that resounded through the house.
My foot was on the lowest step. 1 would
have reopened it in another second, but
Margaret caught my dress.
For the love of God, don't CO. she
whispered; what you'll see there isn't
what He meant should ever be- and she
held me with q force of which would not
have believed her capable in her weak
ness.
Promise me-, promise me- she whis-
pered. And seeing that it was the only
way to calm her, I promised not to at
tempt to enter the extension that night.
Il helped her into her own room, shocked
at the state in which I found one usually
80 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 in her sleep. Once more that night
the door opened and shut with the same
loud noise as before, but otherwise We
were undisturbed. The strangeness of
our situation did not frighten me- I felt
myself mystifed, defiant, enraged by the
events which had taken place since en-
tered the house, and was glad that Mar
garet did not seem inclined to speak or to
tell me of the cause of her downfall. She
did not close her eyes. but lay with her
eyes fixed on the opposite wall. Toward
dawn she suddenly broke the long silence
by saying, musingly:.
we don't know what has been done in
the old time by them that lived here, nor
what their punishment is.
Hush, hushi' answered, unwilling
10 encourage her talking, and to change
The unwholesome current of her thoughts
drew aside the window-curtain. A faint,
pallid light was already tingeing the east,
the token of the coming day. The
night seemed to calm the girls WORKOUT
nerves. She drew q long, weary sigh like
, tired child, and in a few moments
dropped into a deep sleep. When Alice
awoke on Sunday morning she proved SO
teverish that I kept her in bed, and a
question which she asked me in the course
81 the morning frightened me with the
idea that she must be worse than had
thought her.
Mamma, sbs asked, who is the pretty
young lady that stands sometimes in the
door at the head of the stairs, and looks
1t me so with her great dark eyes? kept
thinking of her all the time; she seems SO
sad and sorrowful that can't forget about
her,
Il supposed the child was light headed
from fever, and gave her some trifiing an
swer. About ten o'clock, as was passing
through the upper hall, saw that mys-
FERROUS door swing back upon its hinges
dat against the wall, exposing the pail
like blackness of the evening before.
hid not hesitate. Fortura tely my feet
we're clad in slippers which muffled my
football, and, making as little noise as
possible, I stepped to the landing,
mounted the half dozen stairs ON the
opposite side, and advanced some PAGES
in the darkness along the hallway of the
extension, when could touch with my
hand the casing at the top of the narrow,
rocked stairway I have before mem
toned. paused, and, leaning against
the wall, turned so Is to command view
Of the door which judged must still be
open, since I had not heard it shut.
Strangely enough, I could see nothing in
any direction. I knew that . lamp was
burning dimly in our upper hall, in .
straight line from my standing place,
but not eleam penetrated to me-. The
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