The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-06-02

| ed, there is somebody In the room. Ana
l, too, at that instant felt the presence OF
some creature besides ourselves and the
] children. The candle lighted, we again
Notwithstanding to be seen in
/ dressing room, bedroom or the drawing
room beyond, the door Of which was
shut, But the curious sense of q pres
ence near us-stronger than any feeling
| of the kind had ever previously expe.
rienced-was gone. You have all felt
the presence of another person unseen.
You may be writing-you have NOT
heard the door open, but though vour
back is toward the visitor, you know
somehow that he has entered
"Quite true, Mr.. Henniker--but tbara
Is nothing unnatural or unpleasant in
that sensation"
Nothlng, OF course; merely instance
1t to give you some idea of what we felt
on that occasion. We were astonished
10 md the sitting room untenanted
Meanwhile poor Hal, Jack and Lucy
shrieked in chorus, oh, the old woman
In the black bennett Oh, take her away
poor Angela, trembling, hung over
the cribs trying to soothe the children
1t was good while before they could
tell what had happened. She came
again. said Hal, and she came close,
close to me, and she put her cold face
down near my cheek till she touched
me, and don't like her-oh, / don't like
| her, motherr
"'Did she go to Jack and Lucy toop
"'Yes, yes; and she made them cry as
WELL
"'Why do you not like her? Is it the
black bonnet? You dreamed of black
bonnet last night, you know said 1, half
puzzled, half provoked.
She's SO frightful, cried Hal.
How could You see her? There was
no candle.
"This question perplexed the little
boys. They persisted that she had a
light about her somewhere. need hard
ly say that there was no comfort for US
the rest of the night If any one is try
ing to brighten US out of the place I'll be
even with him yet said l. My wife be-
lieved that trick had been played upon
the children, and she was most indig-
nant.
"Next day the cribs were removed to
the upper story, and Charlotte and Jo-
anna, our daughters of twelve and four
teen, were put to sleep in the dressing
room. We predicted an end to the an
noyance we had been suffering. The
nurse was q quick tempered woman,
who would not stand any nonsense, and
Halls bad dreams would be sternly driven
away. We settled ourselves to our COM
Portable light reading by the drawing
room fire. Suddenly there was COM
motion overhead; an outcry-surprised
more than terrified it sounded to us.
Angela laid her book down quickly and
listened with all her ears. Fast flying
footsteps were heard above; the clapping
of door; then-scurry, scurry-the pat
ter of bare feet down the staircase. We
hurried across the hall, and saw Char
lotte in her nightgown returning slowly
up the kitchen stairs with puzzled ex-
preston on her honest face.
"'What on earth are you doing, childY
cried Angela.
Il was giving chase to hideous old
woman in black bonnet, who chose to
intrude upon u.s. painted Charlotte. 4
saw her in our room; jumped out Of
bed and pursued her through your room
and the sitting room. Then saw her
before me going downstairs, and ran
after her, but the door at the foot of the
kitchen staircase was shut. She GER
tainly could not have had time to open
it, and l don't know where she can have
gone to-
"This was Charlotte's explanation Of
her mad scurry downstairs. Her down.
right sensible face was puzzled and an
cry.
been tormented by that old wretch, who
ever she is They didn't dream it, father,
as you thought. Wouldn't like to pun
ish herr"
"What brave girlr' cried Mrs. March
mont.
"Brave? Oh, Charlotte's as bold as
honl She went back to bed; and when
we followed her, in couple of hours,
she was sleeping soundly. But can't
say either of us slept SO well. If trick
was being played upon us it was carried
out in SO clever a manner as to battle me
completely. need not say that made
careful search of every Granny about the
handsome house and offices; and if there
was a secret passage or door in the wall
anywhere it escaped me. We had peace
for fortnight, and then the annoyance
recommended.
"Angela's nerve was shaken at last,
and she began to whisper, There are
more things in heaven and earth, Ho-
ratio'"-
"John, you are making story" in
terrupted Mrs. Henniker
sit is overy word true. am coming
to an end. Angela, in spite of her dis
claimer, did believe in ghost in a black
bonnet. Charlotte believed in her, but
did not care about her ghostship. The
nurse and cook and housemaid declared
they were meeting the horrible appear
ance constantly, and they were all three
in mortal funk. AS to the children,
they would not leave off clinging to
their mother, and fretting and tremb-
ling when evening came. The milkman,
the baker and the butcher all told the
servants that we would not be long at
the hall, for nobody ever remained more
than month or two. This was cheer
full and encouraging for me-"
"But you had never seen the charming
old woman all this timer"
''No; but saw her in the broad day
light. l had agood long look at her, and
a more diabolical face never saw-no,
not even in the dock. was writing let
tiers in the study about 10 o'clock one
morning, when | suddenly looked up, to
see the appearance that had excited such
turmoil in my family standing near the
table. A frightful face-a short set wo-
man dressed in black-gown, shawl, bon
net-this was the impression received.
But she looked quite human-quite ey-
eryday-there was nothing ghostly in her
air-only the evil face curdled ones blood.
l stared at her, and then I took up fold
ed newspaper and threw it at her. My
motive in SO doing was to brighten her
who had frightened my wife so much.
Courtesy such creature need not expect
from me, being, as her villainous counte-
nance proved, one of the criminal class.
The newspaper fell upon the floor. after
apparently going through the figure, and
there was vacuum where it had been.
l was not much shaken, however, al
though my theory of human trick
ster dressed like woman seemed over
turned"
"Did you tell Mrs. Henniker what you