, 1891-05-20

described, when a loud cry startled us
Mother, mother, motherr
The little boys were in bed in the
dressing room. Angela dropped her tea.
cup and dashed out Of the room, forget
ting that there was no light in the rooms
above US.
Il caught up a candle and followed her
quickly. We found the children sobbiug
wildly. Jacks arms were almost strang.
ling his mother, while he cried in great
excitement, oh. the old woman in the
black bonnet! The old woman in the
black bonnet! Oh-oh-ohg
81 thought a little fatherly correction
would be beneficial, but Angela would
not suffer me to interfere. She tried to
soothe the little beggars, and in a few
minutes they were coherent enough in
their story. A frighttul old woman,
wearing a black bonnet, had been in the
room. She came close to them and bent
over their cribs, with her dreadful face
neal TO theirs.
How did you see herr we asked.
There was no candle here.
"She had light about her, they said;
at any rate, they saw her quite well. An
exhaustive search was made. No trace
of a human being was to be found. | re-
Trained from speaking to the other chill
dren, who slept in an upper story, though
l softly entered their rooms and exam
n presses INT wardrobes and peeped
behind dark corners, laughing in nv
sleeve all the while. OF course we both
believed that Hal had been frightened
by a dream, and that his little brother
had roared from sympathy. Don't
breathe a word of this to the servants
whispered Mrs. Henniker.
I'm not such a fool, my dear | re-
piled. But pray search the lower re-
gions, and see If Jane and Nancy have
any visitor in the Kitchen she continued.
She came through your door, mother,
from the sitting room, sobbed Hal. with
eyes starting u Of his head.
Who, loveY asked his mother.
The old woman in the black bonnet
Oh, don't go away, mother.
s Angela had to spend the remainder
of the evening between the children's
cribs.
What can we do tomorrow even
ingT asked she. 4 nave It'll Lucy shall
be put to bed beside Jack Lucy was
our youngest, aged two.
IAN went well next night. There
was no alarm to summon us from our
papers and novels, and we went to bed
at IL, Angela remarking that the three
cherubs were sleeping beautifully, and
that it had been a good move to let
Lucy bear b other two |
was reused out Of a sound sleep by wild
shrieks from the three children.
WHAT More bad dreams2 This sort
OF thing must be put a stop to- | said,
and l confess / was very angry with the
young r~ascals. My wife was fumbline
for the matchbox. 'HushF she whisper
ed, there is somebody in the ROOM And
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 a 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 your
back is toward the visitor, you know
somehow that he has entered.
Quite true, Mr.. Henuker-but there
is nothing unnatural or unpleasant in
that sensation"
Nothing, of course; | merely instance
1t to give you some idea of what we felt
on that occasion. We were astonished
to find the sitting room untenanted.
Meanwhile poor Hal, Jack and Lucy
shrieked in chorus, oh, the old woman
in the black bonnetl Oh, take her awayr
Poor Angela, trembling, hung over
the cribs trying to soothe the children.
1t was a 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 l don't like her-oh, 1 don't like
her, motherr
Ibid she go to Jack and Lucy toop
Yes. yes; and she made them cry as
we'll
why do you not like herr Is it the
black bonnet? You dreamed of a black
bonnie last night, you know said |, half
puzzled, half provoked.
"'She's so frightful, cried Hal.
How could you see herr 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 a 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 10
anna, our daughters of twelve and four
teen, were put to sleep in the dressing
room. We predicted an end 10 the an
noyance we had been suffering. The
nurse was a 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 a 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 flyinR
footsteps were heard above; the clapping
OF a door; rhen-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 a puzzled ex-
preston on her honest face.
What on earth are you doing, childT
cried Angela
"'l was giving chase 10 a hideous old
woman in a black bonnet, who chose to
intrude upon us painted Charlotte. Il
saw her in our room; | jumped out of