The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1893-06-09
AN AVENGING SPIRIT.

Hark There it is. The ghost
is taking hii'midnight walk. There
can be no mlstaking that light step
echolng through the wide and ST.
lent hallway. Itis the ghost.
Springing up | grasp Dalrymple
by the arm and give him a raising
shake. lie starts up with a sleepy,
half frightened look.
Jack" said I, in an awed whis-
per, "lis,en! There is The ghosts
step This house is haunted sure
he coming down stairs |"
Dalrymple rubbed his eyes and
sprang 10 his feet. Ghosts nor men
had no lerrors for him, and 1t was
for this reason that | had asked
him to spend the night with me in
this house, about which were so
mary etwyiesof ghosts walking At
aight, ana which was so much
avoided by the villagers.
Aud in truth the houses uncan-
ny reputation was not without
foundation. Ii had not been occu-
pied for thirteen years and was
now inhabited by rails and cock
reaches; lis root was all moss
grown and all approaches to il
were grown up in weeds and
briars. No one bad cared 10 90
near il in thirteen years. Its last
occupant was a rich old man who
lived in it only during the summer
and was al | alone. For fifteen sum.
mers he lived there. The people
knew but little Of him save tina,
his name was Casper 1roup and
that lie was very wealthy.
The last seen Of HIM about The
village was one day in August
just thirteen years before the oc.
currence Of the incident narrated
at The beginning Of this story. He
Was observed walking about super
intending some work that he wa.
having done. The next day the
house was shut up and he was seer
no more. 1t was thought that he
returned to The city, and woul(
turn up uext summer. A few
months later younger brother o
his came down anil removed tn,
furniture and closed up The house
That was the last ever seen 0
Casper Troup, and the next sum
mer the house was MOI opened.
| The big r0Omy Eouse remained
all through The year f,llowlne
closed up, deserted and alone
The villagers who passed by 1t a
night began to tell strange slorie
Of The sounds that they heard in
side, and declared that they ha,
often seen light shining through
the blinds, and had heard voice
moaning as If in pain. Thes
stories gave the house a fepata
ton OF being haunted, and il wa
: given a wide berth by all at nigh
just as many other houses are i
: nearly every village, For thil
. teen years the house sustained tn
1 reputation well and even increas
!, ed IT. It became the talk of tn
a iown, and any number Of intrepi
youths spoke Of spending a nigh
in the house and solving the myi
> terry. But none ever did so. d.
3 termined to see If there was any
: thing IN The many stories that ha
been told, and proposed to JAG
Dalrymple that we spend nigh
> in The house and meet the gho.
), face TO face.
! And 40 it came to pass that W
!. repaired TO The silent house on
night just after dusk, and openln
: the creaking door entered tn
. vide hallway. All was dark. w
i lighted a wax taper and set
q down in the hallway to give u
Il light. We spent the first few houl
# Of the night speculating about III
appearance of his ghostship, an
: finally, becoming wearied. we ha
Q fallen asleep. | had scarcely falle
= asleep when l heard the fOotsteI
! as described above.
= And after rousing Dalrympl
!, !, VIC walked into the hallway.
We could hear the footstel