The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-03-23

for the histrionie art, ana appear to be
quite independent OF scenic accessories),
was screaming for assistance at the top
OF his voice. a philosopher was talSing
notes IN my easy chair. Last, but not
least. highwayman was explaining tho
details Of his execution TO mo ct one side
Of the bed, while a gentleman in pow
dered wig, and holding q snuffhox, re-
lated to me old but not venerable court
anecdotes on the other side.
The rest of that night decline to de-
scribe reasoned with those ghosts; /
stormed at them, / threatened them.
Then / began to throw the furniture at
them, but they did not even dodge; the
1aissives went clean through them with
out damaging them in the least; l broke
the looking glass and tho water bottle,
that was all. Most of the ghosts took no
notice whatever Of my proceedings, bat
remained absorbed, like lunatics, in their
own One or two paused for q moment to
smile at my helpless rage, and the young
lady on the hearth rug actually giggled
with amusement Clearly these ghosts
were too many for mel
The next morning ut breakfast in
formed Timpkins that my portmanteau
must be packed at once. I was going
away for some time. He smiled smile
Of satisfaction. Very right, indeed, sir.
and hope that you'll be successful and
bring none Of them back when you
comet
Evidently be thought that was taking
the ghosts away, whereas / was only
flying from them; but / kept my own
counsel, and departed by the midday
train. A weeks absence from homo, in
cheerful society and with cheerful SUR
roundings, revived my spirits somewhat.
] began to hope that the ghosts would
have tired themselves ont and gone
they could not always be working so
hasrd. / would, at any rate, run down
home and see what was happening there.
The place looked SO beautiful as / ap-
proachcd it--for my uncle had spared no
expense In making it all that a gentle
mans residence should be-that ! felt
quite ashamed of having been driven
away from it by set of paltry ghosts, a
nero phantom collection gathered to-
gether by my own uncle, principally
for lis profit but PARTLY also for his
amusement, and out Of sort of vir-
tuoso curiosity. s'The finest collection Of
specters In the world, y so he had been
proud to consider them; and was !, the
owner OF the museum, to be afraid Of my
own specimens? The idea was absurd.
was received by Timpkins, whose air was
preternaturally solemn.
.fI'm afraid, sir, that you did not pack
them as well as you thought be re-
marked gravcly. Some of them must
have got loose somehow, for they were at
it as bad as ever the night after you left. .
Were they indeedY' answered grimly.
And for several nights after that, he
went on. THE servants have all left.
They staid that week and then they went.
And rs it happened the ghosts have been
quiet ever since.
ssExactly so, = answered irritably. II
always said the servants were at the bot
tom of It.
He looked at me with surprise. 'You
don't think so, I'm sure, sir It's just
what they call co-hincidencefn
Coincidence or not. the ghosts let me
alone that night, but got up the nextmorn-
ing in very bad temper, notwithstand
ing My uncle's servants had been
admirably chosen and knew their work
thoroughly. 1t was tiresome to lose them
all ut one fell swoop of fate ] should have
been absolutely alone in the house but for
the faithful Tilnpkins, who still evidently
hoped that l should manage them. He
had got the gardeners wife to come and
cook for me in our temporary difficulty,
and ought to have been more grateful to
him than | was. / am afraid that /
! wanted an excuse for being savage.
found one in the clock, which had run
down in my absence and had not been Of
tended to. / had not noticed this the
night before.
II declare, Timpkins,n 1 remarked to
that i'll used individual 81 think that my
own room might at least be taken care OF;
/ can understand that the rest of the
house must be at skies and seyens, but
the place ] sleep in ought to be in order.p
Timpkins, in whose experienced eye l
saw COMPASSION for my pitiable situation,
expressed regret that anything had been
neglected. He had not been aware of it.
tits the clock, l answered angrily;
sit had not been wound up, thing that
can be done in three minutes!'
.'Oh, the clockl'' responded Timpkins,
his countenance clearing. 81 beg pardon,
sir, but the old master never allowed any
one TO touch it. Tho last housekeeper "a
very valuable person, sir was sent away
because she tried to make it 60 If you
want that clock wound up, sir, I'll take it
as Il particular favor if you'll do it your
selfl''
I felt inclined to quarrel with him on
the spot, but on the whole decided that l
wouldn't; so 1 wound up the clock my
self That night, Us the intelligent reader
viii be already aware, the ghosts came
again. The intelligent reader has lad the
advantage Of what | may call selected
circumstances from which to draw his
deductions. / was struggling with null
Hilarious circumstances altogether unse-
lected, which | have not put before him.
Selected circumstances is what reveals to
rs the end of novels while the actors in
them are struggling in a hopeless fog; this
1t is which makes us so much wiser than
philosophers, and so much sharper than
the detectives in the books we read. We
are not really SO clever as we think on
most occasions.
Well, the ghosts came again, and I think
that on the whole they behaved rather
WORSE than before. They talked, screamed,
groaued and proposed at the very top Of
their voices and without any regard to the
proprieties. They quite disturbed the
philosopher a. his notes, and he looked ut
me in a remonstrant way, as who shonld
say: ''I really do think, you know, that
you let them go too far. ="
But what was to do2 AT first / could
only add my grcans to theirs. After q
time the sound C the clock ticking joy
ousiy on through all the noise struck me