The morning call., 1892-03-01
THE HAUNTED HOUSE.
BY c. 4. s.

almost innumerable collection of studies,
sketches and memoranda with which his
walls were won't to be adorned
'Oh. il is down behind there somewhere.
Ialways thought il rather gaudy, somewhat
like an Egg splaShed on wall 1t was only
an attempt to paint the impossible. at least
in so high a key. A human voice becomes
a screen if you force it beyond natural
limits, and light becomes mere paint. You
can have the thing If you care for1t."
As anything Raleigh paints has some
merit, and even a partial failure to realize
his own ideal does not imply that 1t might
not more than embody my own, | was not
slow in unearthing the picture in question
and bringing it TO the light Of day
Somehow it doesn't look as bright as it
did" / remarked.
"Ah tried a sort of experiment with it
which was not successful"
He was ABOUT TO explain what tile expert
ment was, but some one came in and the
matter was dropped.
hung it III q guest chamber which needed
something Of strong coloring to enhance its
somewhat somber furnishings.
We had quite a houSeful Of visitors, two
elderly les having been given the cham
Der to which / allude. | told the story OF
the scene represented during the evening,
aud all locked at the picture ana COM
mented upon it before it was hung up. The
tale was crude and commonplace enough.
but we cannot expect all haunted houses,
in this country especially, to have romantic
surroundings. This is the story as Raleigh
told il 10 me.
The picture represented a medium-szed
dwelling partially surrounded by trees and
shrubs, standing upon slightly elevated
piece of ground, along the base Of which
road passed, curving out of sight a short
distance beyond the house; this was on the
right in the foreground and IN shadow, and
also In shadow was thlcbet, With few
taller shrubs on lower ground TO the left.
Over all was a gorgeous sunset sky, the
reflection OF which seemed 10 redden the
wind0w-panes of the mansion. The color
ing was vivid and striking.
Ii the house thus represented there dWelt
for years two brothers named Gordon.
There was a considerable interval between
their ages and at the time of the tragedy To |
be related Lloyd. the older, was about 60.
and Cyrus 80. Cyrus was demented, or
unidentified. or in some way affected in his |
mind. SO that he did nothing toward caring |
for the farm of which the two were joint |
owners, d large tract Of some 800 acres.
The elder had been an enterpriSng. hard |
working, clOse-hsted man in his day, but of /
late years had cared only to raise such |
crops as were needed fer their support and |
TO purchase ordinary NECESSITIES. They /
lived q penuTi0Qs. bare life. and had grad 1
uaily become almost heTmlt-Uke Ia their /
sOitaIlNSSe. AZ TIMES. however DelD Was /
required 10 harvest even their small crops,
anu al the time referred 10. in the early 4
part Of NOYem Der, four helpers were living
with the Gordon brothers.
Cyrus was usually OF a dull and passive
nature, rarely speaking, aud apparently \
hardly understanding what was said 10 him, (
though at times he showed some quiCkness /
Of apprehension; he could use certain
so0lS, the hoe, the scYthe, but was most
conteuted.in pTFparing Eindling wood. At |
Tftr h4 NJ I
would humble 10 himself and wander of
gesIiculaung, or stand wrapped in cOntem-
platGn Of the evening sky, muttering some
thing that sounded Ike More. more,
more" and -betraylng an almost childish
delight when al especially brilliant eX-
bibition Of this kind was in progress.
November Is the month OF such splendor.
The GOODNESS, with the fulness Of yspOr
with which the atmosphere is charged, con-
duces to produce gorgeous skies. Sc, when
Cyrus came In one evening, IN state of
OF great excitement, no one of the party |
seated at supper thought il a matter OF much
importance that the fool" rs lie was
called. should stand bTandishing his Ratchet
aud crying:
'hll on fre-all on freP'
''Get pail of water and put 1t out" said
one, iokingly, and the others burst into
laughter.
''All on FIRE! All OF fire! Come and seep'
repeated Cyrus
The helpers were not sufficiently inter-
ested In sunsets to leave a good supper to
observe one, but the cook went to the door |
and looked out Cyrus was al a little dis
lance and looking not at the sky, but at the /
house. Tie cook went down the path, and, |
turning toward the house, saw that by some |
reflection Of light, the upper windows, bare |
OF curtains as the rooms were bare of any |
ornament showed rudy, as If rich red |
hanglugs were behind them. He came back |
10 tell OF the phenomenon, and, even as he |
entered tile house, lie felt that tho sun had /
dropped behind cloud and dusk was over |
all.
At that moment Cyrus came running in |
banishing his hatcfet and crying:
more blood. God wants more blo0dw
Before anv Of the party were alive to the
danger that threatened, Cyrus had buried
his Ratchet IN the brain Of his brother, kill |
Ing him instantly. and then advanced upon
the others with the cry:
'Blood-more blOodl God wants to paint
his sky
He was OverpUwered and disarmed be-
fore he had power TO do further injury. He
settled back into his usual apathetic state.
and seemed unable to comprehend the harm
be had done or express concern for it, He
was afterward placed under keepers, there |
being money enough TO provide for him, and
the farm was suffered TO run to waste No
one would occupy the house. The reprta-
ton OF lis flaming windows gave 1t a bad
name, and few cared to risk seeing them
fame at sunset, which phenomenon occurs.
am assured, upon rare occasions, cOnsid-
ering 1t to be presage of misfortune and
even death.
The most curious phase of the matter is
that IL is asserted that this illumination does
not come from the sun. There are no win
dows In the side facing the vest, for one
thing; Tor another, 1t has been seen
when the sun was hidden behind a
pail OF clouds, and once or twice it was
observed In the night, when certainly no
external agent could have been Its cause
The skeptical will always attribute natural
influences, and hint at tramps; but such oc- |
eupancy has never been proved.
You wont be afraid to have IL in your
room?" / said TO Miss Gleason. "Pll take |
it out II you feel the least nervous"
spoke, OF course. in jest, though had she |
expressed any fears l should have quickly |
guieted them by doing as l had suggested. |
respect any ones within. But she laughed |
I'll try it for one night. If / wake up and |
see the windows shine you'll hear from
me-"
And we did. 1t was the last thing we ex-
pected. but 1t reused US all thoroughly. |
That harsh farm experience-and it seems |
to me that such insane freaks are more COM |
mon in rural districts than in the city |
should years afterward nearly frighten into |
fits two quiet, inoffensve old ladies, was |
what l should never have imagined pos
sible.
"Helpl Firel Thievesl Murderp
bounded out OF bed like rubber ball.
In my half-awakened condition thought it
might be dream evolved by the premature
ringing OF my alarm; but the sound Of sour
ryiDg feet along the passage above and
down tile stairs assured me that it was
waking reality.
My wife met the ladies at the door.
''What is t?" she asked, folding them to
her breast like children.
''Oh, we've seen it We shall die! It's
Warningi Oh! oh! The haunted house is
shining as though the sun was on it stil!
/ was on my way upstairs. / suspected a
joke on the old ladies from some OF the
younger ones. Girls are sometimes more
recklessly cruel in their jests than boys