Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-21

~
=zE. people might have en-
~%S sdured such annoyance
~ we suffered with
mor patience. but we
found il altogether too trying on our nerves
We took the house Immediately upon our ar
rival in Washington last December. Nothing
said TO about anything disagreeable
connected with it and so no preliminary appre-
tensions on our part prepared our minds for
what subsequently occurred Therefore there
Was given no suggestion in advance of the sort
that affords enco uragement to Authorizations.
Besides. the happenings were witnessed not
merely by one or two persons. but BY the entire
household. including nv father. myself. my
mother. my brother. and even the servants.
1T must have been about one week after we
moved in that We first took notice of anything
unusual and then it did not occur TO us az
having any significance out Of the ordinary. /
was going up stairs after dinner to dress for the
theater when stumbled over something about
midway on the first flight and fell upon one
knee. hurting myself that / cried out. At
the same moment / heard faint 'miauOw and
perceived that must have stepped upon a cat.
Now. that was especially aggrayating. because
all Of US. with the exception of my mother
have a perfect horror of cats. NJ father has
always entertained for the animal an instinc-
tive antipathy so strong that. according to his
strict orders, no cat is ever admitted to the
house
IT WAS TIE CAT.
II was so famed by the accident that gave
mp going to the play. Inquiries we're made as
to how the cat got in. but the servants de-
clared that they had seen no cat enter the house
or go out OF IT. 1t seemed queer. but within
day or two the occurrence forgotten and
nothing more was thought of it for the time
being About a fortnight had elapsed when il
was suddenly recalled to mind.
MY father was coming down stairs from his
study at 1880 in the evening for the purpose
of locking up the house before going to bed
when. few steps below the first landing he
heard close behind him distinct whisper Not
only did the whisper appear Enthusiastically a
whisper. but as the whisper of a man in anger.
He turned. startled. and in doing So put his
foot upon something soft and Yielding The
something. which he did not have time to see
uttered a 'miauow. while he tripped up BY
II so as to barely escape a serious fall by grasp
ing the stair rail.
Il don't think ever papa unite so angry
as he was on that occasion. He swOre dread
fully, demanding to know how it was that cat
had for the second time been allowed to get
into his house. against his explicit orders Also.
he was convinced that he had heard mans
whisper on the stairs and that there was some
one In the house SO every one was summoned
to take part in a search. which extended from
attic 10 cellar. Ibis proving fruitless. nv
father came TO the conclusion that the whisper
had been an Illusion. and accordingly turned
ms attention TO berating the domestics on the
score of the cat. He declared that they should
both be at once discharged if the beast OBJ
tanned admittance again.
That excitement had had time to subside
% that the recollection of the mysterious pussy
only fingered in our minds as an occasional
subject for Joke. when one dav the upstairs
girl-an excellent servant whom We had
brought with us to WashingtOn-came to nv
mother almost in Mysteries. with a dust pan in
one hand and a broom in the other and de-
GlarG1 that an mn ~ civ =,
azmuch as II was impossible for her to remain in
a hoes' that was bewitched. Mamma did what
she could to soothe her. and at length sue
ceeded in obtaining from her a somewhat mar
ticulate and disjOinted story. The points of it.
however. were clearly enough stated.
THE House WAS BEwrrcHED
1T seems. according to the young woman's
account. that she was sweeping down the
stairs-it was about 10 o'clock in the morning
and there was plenty of daylight-when some
thing she did not see got in the way of her
broom She looked to find out what it was
and. perceiving nothing. gave another and a
stronger sweep To her astonishm.nt her
broom was again impeded. though the viewless
obstacle appeared TO remove itself at once with
spit and -miauow very audible. IL was the
cat again and vet no cat at all
The girl. upon being further questioned
stuck to this story in its every detail and in
truth we all were much amazed when we heard
1t. owing 10 its remarkable correspondence to
ulc experiences OF my latner anu myself. As
to the honesty and sincerity Of her narrative
We were perfectly convinced though il occurred
to US that her fancy might have been stimu-
lated by her knowledge OF the previous hap
penings in which a cat that heard and felt
but not seen had apparently been concerned
Probably we should have made mp our minds
that the whole affair the result of imagina-
tIUI. mistakenly exercised-mv own Illusion
suggesting papa's and both stories influencing
the mind of the maid servant had il not been
that thirty-six hours later something happened
which brought the whole matter suddenly to
crisis.
Il think may say that in our family we are
very far from being superstitious people. None
OF US have ever INDUCED any belief in spooks or
spiritual phenomena Of any sort. IL il had
been otherwise should doubtless have got
onrselves pretty thoroughly frightened over
the small events ( have described. As il WAS
We were disposed to refer them 10 natural
causes, concerning which We amused ourselves
q good deal with specializing. The upstairs
girls adventure occurred on the morning of
Wednesday before last On the evening of
Thursday we were all in the front drawing
room down stairs. nv mother engaged with her
knitting. while nv father, nv brother and I
read IL was rather later than we were accus-
TONED TO at up. II being about ll:I5 as hap
pen to know. because had looked at the clock
and had made up my mind that 1 would be able
To finish my chapter by half after the hour |
was on the point of breaking the silence of the
room by addressing a remark 20 that sffec. to
my father. when. upon looking up saw him
place finger on his lips and assume the stti-
tade Of one listening.
SOUND OF WHISPERING.
'WhereupOu, listened also and presently
distinguished what he heard-a faint sound of
whispering: which seemed to come from the
hallway or the stairs. Then NV mother
dropped her knitting. and. looking rather sur
Prised, turned TO papa with an exclamation on
the point OF utterance. NV brother Tom
erected his ears also. but ali refrained from
speaking. in obedience to my fathers gesture
As We listened all OF US together the
Whispering continued. row louder a.d again
not 80 distinct There no doubt that il
came from The entry Papa rose quietly from
hls chair. laying aside the Century Magazine
which he had been reading and motioning to
~ not TO move. tiptoed without noise to the
door OF the roOm- He stood on the threshold
Tor minnie, and then stepped softly outside
until he reached the foot OF the stairs where
he remained for a brief space in view from
where we SAT. Presently he turned and with
his finger TO his lips. beckoned Us to Join him
We obeyed nolselessly. intensely curious to
know what the mystery could be.
"A moment later four stood together al
the foot OF the stairs. beneath the hall lamp.
Papa with one hand ON the newell post and the
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