The Forrest City times., 1891-06-26
UNEXPLAINED.
A Ghost Story.


 said Mrs. Marchmont smiling rather scornfully and addressing large cir Gle of friends and neighbors who, one Christmas evening, were seated round her hospitable hearth.
 'Ah! you think SOP Pardon me, if l cannot agree with you" said Mir. Henniker, well-known Dublin barris- ter. of burly frame and jovial counte- nance, famed for his wit and flow of anecdote.
 You say all ghost stories may be explained Mrs. Marchmont. So would have said year ago; but since we last met at your hospitable fireside, my wife and I have gone through a very astonishing experience. We-'can a tale unfold No man was better in- clined to laugh at ghost stories than I.
 Well, to begin to my true tale. We wished for complete change of scene last February, and Angela thought she would like to reside in the same county as her sisters and cousins and aunts. intended to take house for my fam fly, leave them comfortably settled in It, and run backwards and forwards between Dorsetshire and Dublin. I had seen wonderful advertisement of spacious dwelling g-house, with offices, gardens, pleasure grounds-to be had for $50 per annum. I went to the agent to make inquiries. I would have taken the Hall for year, but Mir. Harold advised me not to do so. 'Iake 1t by the quarter, or at least by the half year." he recommended.
 '1 replied that it appeared such a desirable bargain that wished to take 1t by the year His answer to this was reiteration of his first advice. I can't tell you how he influenced me- for he really said no more than I tell you; but I yielded to his evident wish without knowing why I did so, and closed with him for six months. not a year.
 We went to the Hall and Angela was delighted with it. The snowdrops lay in snowy masses about the grounds the garden gave promise of beauty as the season advanced. How the children ran over the house how charmed we were with every nook and corner of it! Our own bedroom was a comfortable, large room, opening 1nto very roomy dressing room, in which my wife placed two cribs for our youngest boys, Hal and Jack-''
 Don't forget to say that our bed chamber opened from the sitting room, /" interrupted Mrs. Henniker.
 Well, for three weeks we all slept the sleep of the just in our really splendid suite of apartments. Not grumble from our servants-nothing but satisfaction with our rare bargain. was on the eve of returning to dear. dirty Dublin and the Four Courts, when"
 "Whenp We are all attention, Mir. Henniker"
 Angela and I were sitting in the drawing room under the bed chamber when loud cry startled us, Mother mother, mother
 ''The little boys were in bed in the dressing room. Angela dropped her teacup and dashed out of the room. forgetting that there was no light in the rooms above us.
 Il caught up candle and followed her quickly. We found the children sobbing wildly Jacks arms were al- most strangling 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 --ohr
 II thought little fatherly correc- tion would be beneficial, but Angela would not suffer me to interfere. She tried to soothe the little beggars, and in few minutes they were coherent enough in their story. A frightful old woman. wearing black bonnet, had boon in the room. She came close to them and bent over their cribs, with her dreadful face near to theirs.
 How did you see herp' we asked. There is no candle here
 ''She had light about her. they said; at any rate, they saw her quite we'll. An exhaustive search was made. No trace of human being was to be found. l refrained from speaking to the other. children, who slept in an upper Story, though I softly entered their rooms and examined presses and wardrobes, and peeped behind dark corners. laughing in my sleeves all the while. Of course we both believed that Hal had been frightened by dream. and that his little brother had roared from sympathy. Don't breathe word of this to the servants, whis- pered Mrs. Henniker. I'm not such fool, my dear replied. But pray, search the lower regions, 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 of his head.
 Who. lovep asked his mother.
 The old woman in the black bon net. Oh. don't go away, mother.'
 ''So Angela had to spend the re- mainder of tho evening between the children's cribs.
 ''All went we'll next night. There was no alarm to summon us from our papers and novels, and we went to bed at eleven. Angela remarking that the three cherubs were sleeping beauti- fully. and that it had been good move to let Lucy bear the other two company. I was reused out of sound sleep by wild shrieks from the three children.
 ".What! More bad dreamsp This sort of thing must be put stop to, I said; and confess I was very angry with the vOuuQ rRsCals Nv wife was