The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-07-06
GHfgg5 AND STORIES.
CURIOUS YARNS ABOUT PHANToMS
AND SLEEP WALKERS.

BrrfN 49,
Two Girls while In the Arms OF Nor
pheus-soodIes' Strange Image.
Ghost parties are much in fashion All
YOU need il n jolly company and smaii
ouantity of alcohol burning on Il saucer III
the darkened room. While the spirits
aare blue and CHASTITY each one of the PEG.
,la nreseut takes his or her turn NJ telllu"
so,ne weird yarn-personal experiences ii'e
nv far the best--ot grizzly phantoms nai
sDool,s almost too horrible to mention. +"
the story telling is good the test 81 i's
quality is established by the thrills t.at
run down the hackbones OF the listeners.
AZ such a PARTY In Washington one night
A young Noodles WIS telling OF ghos0 nc
met with at an old country house where
he had been invited TO stay for a week. On
the evening OF his arrival he was told IN a
ioking way by members OF the family that
the bedroom allotted to him WAS haunted
but he paid no attention to the matter, MS
belief being firm against the existence OF
phenomena supernatural. So when the
time came for his seeking his couch he
went off to sleep without much delay, ana
must have been in the arms OF Morpheus
for more than an hour, according TO his
reckoning, when nc was aroused bya noise
He sat up suddenly in bed and foun him.
self confronted with what he at once rec
ognized as a supernatural apparition.
AwEu.D sPEcTEE;
II stood at the foot OF the couch and
eyed him, with face OF ghastly whiteness
and garments that seemed Of luminous
consistency, swaying to and fro. Some
how it appeared rs II it were the image OF
himself in grave clothes.
Noodles shrunk beneath the quilt and
law there for at least three minutes-it
seemed an hour TO him-befOre he dared
look out again.
"By Jove" he said, "it must have been
only dream"
Then he raised himself once more to
seated posture, and fairly screamed aloud.
when the sepulchral image rose again be
fore his gaze at the foot Of the bed.
With burst Of resolution that after
ward surprised him Noodles jumped out OF
bed and turned up the gaslight close by,
which he had prudently left at bead be
fore retiring Then the grewsOme mystery
was quickly dispelled. Facing the rear end
of the bed, with windows on either side,
was an old fashioned bureau. Through the
windows streamed the moonlight, while
the summer breezes played with the white
muslin curtains. When Noodles sat up in
bed his reflected image naturally appeared
in the looking glass, his torso clad IN a
ninety-nine cent night shirt. The moon
light, shining full upon his own person,
1. IL. %,
bright, while the curtain floating about in
the wind gave the effect of white drapery
such as is suitable to corpses that walk
abroad.
Noodles looked sharply at the faces Of
the family when he came down to break
fast the next morning, but he did not I'M
derstand then, and he has never been sure
since whether or not his experience was
the result of a rather i'll judged practical
joke.
THE sOMNANBULIST' STORY.
The next story teller told Of an expert
ence much more narrowing, though no
ghosts were concerned, which she and her
sister had met with i'm childhood. Both of
them were addicted 60 walking in their
sleep. and it was not unusual for them 70
Join in a sort Of cooperative somnambul-
ism and wander OH at night from their
bedroom together On one occasion their
mother had met them in the hallway under
such conditions and slapped them 50 severe
ly that they did not repeat the oiTense for
duite Il twelyemonth. Bat about year
after the event referred to they got up In
company an made their way down stairs
into the cellar. Probably the chill air
woke them up-at all events they did wake,
and not finding themselves in their snug
beds they were put in fright. Said one
Of the little girls To the other:
Where are WEI"
And the other replied;
ave must be dead and buried"
She had felt the damp, cold wall Of the
cellar trickling with ciammy cXudations.
No wonder that such horrible thought
occurred to her mind. What else imagi
nable could account for situation thus en-
countcred? The little girls felt their way
along the prison that enclosed them. Moth
ing but wall O. moist stone for many feet,
and then Il corner, and again 70 the right
at an acute angle for what might have been
a mile or two, 50 it seemed. Once more a
corner and to right the children CROPPED,
their hearts half dead within them, past
the endless wa7 wet as with the dews OF
death. Wonder il is that they did no, die
Of sheer fright But, as it happened, the
little giIl who told the story, n0w woman
crown, with children of her own, touched
something that was made Of wood and
gave a great cry of JOY. For the wooden
object was a step, and it WAS not four sec
onds later when the two children had run
up the cellar stairs, mounted TO the second
floor and sought consolation in their
mothers arms.
a SUPPOSED BURGLAR.
The next story teller tod about fright
that he had one night while lac WAS engaged
in locking up his house in suburban wash
ington about one year ago lie was going
from the dining room to the culinary quar-
teIs when his attempt to open the kitchen
door was met by an unmiatakablc resist
ance. When he strove % throw wide open
Tie portal it was showed back upon him.
he gave leap across the threshold, and
upon looking behind the door behold man
somewhat taller than himself, with a re
markedly large aquiiine proboscis and long
black whiskers So much Of the intruder
was visible n the gloom, and the master
If the establishment struck at him with all
his might. lie hit something, but with
I drew his knuckles somewhat bruised and
cut. while the Objectionable person with
the Roman nose remained apparently un-
hurt and undisturbed. Again and once
again he struck, and only after the third
blow had been delivered did he discover
that the offender was merely IA twelve
pound turkey that had been hung up be.
hind the kitchen door for the next Sun
days dinner. The breast bone was the
Roman nose and the wings, left on the
bird au nauterel, represented the black
whiskers. Washington Star.
Queer Wager.
Charles Queen, a Norfolk man, bet that
he could let a gallon Of water drop on his
hand from q distance of three feet, drop by
drop. After 500 drops had struck him he
yelled "i1uoughl' and paid the bet Of go.
lie said that each one fell like the blow OF