The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1891-01-10
The Mysterious Bell.

1t was among the hills back OF the
craggy coast of Maine that Mrs. Onder-
lonk, her daughter. Mollie, and their
ever-faithful follower, Bidcy Mcyldder,
located themselves, that pleasant Sep
tember. But 1t was necessity, not pleas
ure that caused their change Of rest
dence.
Faith, and the great iron hook that's
in the walnut beam by the fireplace wig
gled at me when l was laying the fire.
80 it did" complained Biddy, as she
glanced reproachfully at her young mis-
tress, who at that moment was at war
with giant spider in the old-fashioned
silver teapot.
"Well, returned Mollie, defantly,
I'd rather facea ghost any day than
demand for rent when my pocket-book
is empty.
" But it is in the night that yen have
t. face them. and It's yer mother that'n
die If she sees wrath staring her In the
fuoe."
" But Biddy there's no wraith-notb-
ing but bell in the cellar-and mother
has deci led to attempt to live here in
any case.
But no human craythuris there that
could be hired to live in the house for
the last twinty fve years.
'All the better for us, Biddy the fur
niture, find, has scarcely been worn at
all. Lovely it is. too. and Just old fash
loned enough to be nice and romantic
Rheumatic. is it2 That's what was
thinking of myself, Miss Molle," grum-
bled Biddy.
But the ladies' remnined at the grand
old stone maL sion that had been de-
serted twenty five years before on the
plea Of ghosts, and an elegant residence
| they found IL when once cleaned and
settled. always excepting that bell
Regularly ev ry morning and evening
-as surely as Sunday came-the ringing
Of bell had sounded out clear and
strong from the ro ky cellar beneath
the mansion, precisely as If summoning
the people to religious services. Occas-
| sionally, too, ON week days, everyone In
the old house was startled by tie sad
tolling Of the deep toned, resonant bell,
and while Biddy fell on her knees and
counted her bsads, Mrs. Onderdonk
| bowed her head VI on the Bible and
nrayed, Mollie.with wide eyes aud com
pressed lips nrowled about the house
and even descended into the col
lar on one cccasion, only to discover
nothing save the sound was much
stronger there thaa In other narts Of
the house.
Clearly the place Is haunted Mrs.
Onderdonk decided, but as the sounds
only trouble us by daylight or in the
early evening, we will try to put up with
them l have heard, my dear, that your
| great gran dfataer was a ve.y irreverept
man. 1t may be that these soun were
sent here to remind him OF his cuty to
the church which he SO perfectly neg
lected.
Biddy was completely den oralized, and
imagined that the hooks In the kitchen
wiggled at her as II inviting her to be-
come ippaled thereon; and she covered
her face with her apron whenever she was
obliged to pass through the hail, for fear
that the dead and gone Onderdonks
would bow to her from out the Old-fash-
oned frames In which their pictured
faces were imprisoned.
Rut one day she c' me rushing out on
! the piazza where Mpllie and her mother
sat, with her transparent countenanco
arly beaming with Joy.
Z" Faix, and I. S find, it is. that's sit
ting out on the back stoop entlrelyl'
Moihe ran through the hall. softly
opened the bs X door and peered out.
The nezt instant there was an embrace
end glad cry.
Paul, PAUL. What Brought you here2
The snipe shooting alone. Miss
Mollie darling, Of course. Tried &c
catch black bass this afternoon. but
they bit so hard that was afraid they
would jump out of the water and bite
nc. Then ! was hungry, and I knew
that Bi idy. at least, was of a liberia
turn OF mind, Rnd-oh, by the way, Moi
lie. low's the ghost2"
This speech was not even as smooth
and connected as 1t appears upon paper
but was punctuated by sounds which
would seem TO show that the young
people had met before.
Oh, Paul, there's no ghost, but there
is certainly something here tnat q
beyond my comprehension" returned
Motlei gidNely.
Mrs Onderdonk welcomed her pros
pectiye son-in-law very graciously, ant
as the next day was Sunday. promised
him that he should soon hear the causl
Of all their alarm.
Precisely at half-past ten the mex
morning the first solemn tone was heard
AID with Mrs. Onderdonk cling ny Z
his arm Paul Marble followed Molll
into the cellar. The soun Is were fu'
and clear, and after they had cease,
Mrs Onderdonk. who was nearly faint
ing, whispered
WAS ever anything more strange snl
supernaturali"
"stransei yes, suBsr AaturAi' L.