The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-11-07
AN AVENGING. SPIRIT.

his midnight walk. There can be no
mistaking that lightstep echoing through
the wide and silent hallway. It Is the
Ghosti
Springing up grasp Dalrymple by the
arm and give him a raising shake. He
/: starts up with sleepy. half frightened
look.
Jack" said | in an awed whisper,
'1istenl There is the ghosts step This
house Is haunted sure; he's coming down
etairsl"
Dalrymple rubbed his eyes and sprang
to bis feet. Ghosts nor men had no ter
fors for him. and it was for this reason
that had asked him to spend night
with me in this house, about which were
30 many stories of ghosts walking at
might, and which was so much avoided
by the villagers
And in truth the houses uncanny repu-
fation was not without foundation. It
had not been occupied for thirteen years
and was now inhabited by rats and cock
reaches; its roof was all moss grown and
all approaches to it were grown up in
weeds and briars. No one had cared to
go near it in thirteen years. Its last oo-
cupant was a rich old man who lived in
1t only during the summer and was all
alone. For fifteen summers he lived
there. The people knew but little of
him save that his name was Caspar
Troup and that he was very wealthy.
The last seen of him about the village
was one day in August just thirteen
gears before the occurrence of the Incl
dent narrated at the beginning Of this
the place experimenting some work that
he was having done The next day the
house was shut up and he was seen no
more. 1t was thought that he had re-
turned to the city. and would turn up
the next summer. A few months later
q younger brother Of his came down and
removed the furniture and closed up the
house. That was the last ever seen of
Caspar Troup, and the next summer the
house was not opened
The big roomy house remained all
through the year following closed up
deserted and alone The villagers who
passed by it at 0ight began to tell strange
stories of the sounds that they heard in
side. and declared that they had often
seen light shining through the blinds.
and had heard voices moaning as if in
pain. These stories gave the house a
reputation of being haunted. and it was
gwen wide berth by all at night, just
a. many other houses are in nearly every
village. For thirteen years the house
sustained the reputation we'll and even
increased it. 1t became the talk Of the
town, and any number Of intrepid youths
\sloke of spending night In the house
and solving the mystery But none ever
tlld So determined to see if there was
anything in the many stories that had
nSen told. and proposed to Jack Dali
rymple that we spend night in the
house and meet the ghost face to face
And SO it came to pass that we repair
ed to the silent house one night just
offer dusk, and opening the creakng
door entered the wide hallway. AL
was dark We lighted wax taper and
set it down in the hallway to give us
hight We spent the first few hours Of
the night specializing about the appear
ance OF his ghostship. and finally. be
coming wearled We had fallen asleep
had scarcely gotten asleep when l heard
the footsteps as decribed above.
And after rousing Dalrymple we walk
ed into the hallway.
We could hear the footsteps sounding
In the hallway just over our heads L
was the ghost and it was coming toward
the stairway. Nearer and nearer thu
footsteps came, and faster and faster my
Great God. There it was! Hideous
Horrible
At last had seen ghostl In all m.
most horrible freaks of imagination
mad never conjured up anything half 81
fightful or hideous as this It was tn,
figure Of an old man, who might hav'
been a thousand years old. 90 bent, O.
feeble and decrepit he seemed He wa
leaning with one hand on cane, Will
with the other he steadied himself on tn
railing Of the stairway. But more hor
able than all was the awful gaping Gu
which extended from one Of his ears Il
the other and which was dripping will
olood. His white beard was clotte'
with blood and the long white bal
which fell In folds over his shoulder wa
soaked with gore
This horrible. unearthly figure cam
down the stairway and stood before a
staring at us with his wild. mahiacal
nrutruding. bloodshot eyes, while hi
fhin lips were twitching nervously an
the ghastly wound was gaping open
ahowing the severed windpipe
sWho-who are your asked Dalrym
pie In o husky voice
The creature replied In a squeakin
goioe without moving his lips, the voic
( 1unning ont Of the gaping wound
he said. II ana Caspar TrouI
's's And / was murdered here In this houe
fhaxteen years ago.
% Troup- murderedl' was all
could edscuiate.
go 81 And fhia WA q QhoeN