The record-union., 1894-06-30
York, York for my monte,
OF all the places l ever did see,
This is the best for good companie,
Except the city of Lunnonr'


OF all the places l ever did see,
This is the best for good companie,
Except the city of Lunnonp'
They roared louder still when I stood
before them held fast and motionless by
magnificent bulldog. The uglylook-
ing Boniface quietly reached Tor huge
club. This ne brought down with crash
upon the table enforcing silence in that
quarter, and then thanking his dog for
his oddly-secured guest with cruel
thump, which released Inc, he led the way
through labyrinthS of cob Webbed arched
Railways and huge deserted rooms to
Wretched apartment, and, pointing to
bed scarcely better than pile of rags,
turned without word Of civifity to take
his departure.
"One moment, landlord l said, be-
ginning to remove my torn ana drip
ping macintosh. 81 am ghost hum
ter"
He dropped the candle from his hand,
snatched it hastily from the floor and
scowled at me suspicieusly.
THAT is why / came to the Unicorn.
There are ghosts about the old place | ain
told. If they are genuine and you can
treat me nicely while | remain L will
make the old inn so famous that your
business and profits will be largely in
creased"
"Ghosts do pay" he ventured thought
fully, but still with much caution and
suspicion. His lordship remarked as
much"
ibis lordship!" L was sore on the sub
ject of the nobility and spoke hotly.
"Who-yes-that is-one as comes here
now and agin.' Then stitfening up no.
ticeably: well, we has no ghosts as is
ever SEEM
How about the one of the beautiful
maiden that recently made her appear
ance here?"
Herr He stumbled outside the door;
grasped the latch and slammed it shut;
then opened il an inch or two and stam-
mered: ''Oh, she's not worth mindin'
Jess raps and means out little by day
an night. You won't heed such foolish
ness as hers. It's the old, prowlin' ghosts
you'll doubtless be wantlnh, sir. Good
night!
With this he slammed the door and
stumped away down the echoing pas
sages.
This was the once famous George, now
the Unicorn Inn. Eight coaches, bound
10 London, or Glasgow, daily changed
horses here in the good old coaching
days Dickens and his friend Hablot
Browne, had occupied this very room,
once cheerful parlor chamber, when
the former was making his studies for
| "DotheboyS Hail. which stands a
schooiboy horrors, not half mile away.
But the night, with it's unreliable furies
of an awful storm shrieking about the
grewsome old place, with windows rat
thing like crazy castanets, doors Of hall
ways and cupboards opening as il flung
into the room by unseen hands, and the
very tioorboards restless and diSquiet as
though struggling with ugly gnomes be-
low, seemed 10 unite all the hateful and
evil spirits of the dead past in protest at
disturb bance by life and health and in
quiry.
Thoroughly exhausted I put out my
light and hung myself upon the misera-
bic bed Sleep, [ thought, will safely
shut all hateful things from him who
will come with a storm over Stanemoor'S
wilds. l was soon, despite the creaking,
groaning and moaning OF the old struct-
ure in a gentle doze. Suddenly / awak
ened FROM this.
Some one was surely rapping at my
door. | sprang from my bed, lit my can
die, flung open the door and peered down
the low, long hallway. No one was
there. Returning TO my room l endeav-
ored to locate the mysterious sounds. At
last l caught them sure and true. They
came from the oaken wall behind my
bed. / climbed upon it, and with MY
pocke nife clicked back sounds which [
hoped might mean an answer. The rap
pings from the other side came louder,
even impetuously. | answered again.
Another little burst OF rapplngS, and
then long silence.
| Directly l heard few sharp rappings,
and moment after soft rustling sound
against the ceiling. The sagging OF beams
| had left a little hollow there, unobServa-
BILE from the door, but | was amazed to
see strip of white pasteboard slowly
protruding through the crevice. 1t
/ = 4 . IL D De-
! fore | could reach 1t from my bed 1t
had suddenly shot to the center of the
room and fell fiutteringly beside the
| table.
| ] grasped it and looked carefully for
| some message. There was none to be
seen. l examined it closely running the
candle along both sides. Them l found
scratches upon it resembling writing.
! They were almost illegiDle. All, here
was something-and here-and here!
-pTiSOned-heip"
This much | at last deciphered, and it
was enough.
| l raped loudly on the oaken wall to
apprise this ghost which could so cum
ningly make known its needs that it's
message was understood. In a minute
more / had forced a door, opposite the
| one | had entered, and stood in a large
unused passageway choked with the ac-
| cumulated dust and cobwebs of half q
century. From this, ladder-like stairs led
to a lott or the roof. With great effort
! raised the rusty hatch and stood in a
/ huge attic among what my Imagination
conjured as a myriad cayorting rats.
scattered them with chunks of plaster,
and cropping about found a division wall
OF oak running through this attic to the
roof in such way that | felt sure the
apartment it formed extended above the
main roof of the old structure. l tapped
gently against this, and response came,
seemingly far below.
The roof was my only recourse then.
and ! at last reached it through an odd
/ little dormer window. 1t was slippery
from the storm, but l foundered about
upon il until | had located a tiny half
story rising above it. With bit of
! broken tile [ raped upon its side. There
| was no response for time, but at last
several strokes, as if by something raised
high above ones head, almost beside me
startled me.
Just then faint flash of lightning re-
vealed the whole series of roofs OF the
huge, ancient structure, courtyard, pad
/ docks and ALL 1t also showed an abrupt
side wall, with its entire length, beside
an open field, struggling on beyond the
| old inn offices to the near railway station,
a little distance to the north. | waited
| and prayed for another bit of heaven S
/ light, and at last it came in tremors and
! pulses lasting long enough to disclose "a
| flat bit of roof with rainshackle outer
/ stairs descending to somewhere below.
/ In moment l was upon these. The
second story reached | found myself
! upon the floor of sunken gallery. Stairs