The record-union., 1894-03-15
aauunI Bnki1tn 3pnmnsr.

keeper came to him, and in her most I'M
presslvely mysterious manner SAID she
wished to speak to him in private.
Thinking to humor the old woman. the
doctor took her into his study and laughed
heartily as she looked carefully around
the room to see that no one was listening,
even going to the door and peering up
and down the long hall.
Sure, sir, and you wouldn't laugh If
you knew all about the goings on in this
| house that | do"
"Why, what do you mean?" said the
doctor, thinking to humor her whim.
well, sir, this house is haunted, and
don't think it's any place for Christian
woman to live in. 1t | hadn't raised
Miss Edith myself, 1 wouldn't stay here
another minute. Every night l go
through this house myself and see to it
that every blind and window in the place
is tightly closed and locked. l am espe
cially careful In the front room down.
stairs, because it opens on to the piazza,
and this is a lonely part of town, and Pve
had more than one tramp beg from me
at the kitchen door. Well, sir, if you'll
believe it. every morning when | go
downstairs to that front room the inside
blinds are wide open and the windows
on the outside unlocked. Now, I'd like
to know how you can account for that?"
The doctor was unable to account tor it,
and the old housekeeper went away
shaking her head and mumbling some
thing of evil spirits that couldn't rest
easy in their graves.
That evening the doctor took upon
himself the precaution of locking the
blinds himself. He saw to it that the
fastening of each was secure, and went
up stairs chuckling to himself, as he
thought how surprised the old lady
would be when he showed her the blinds
next morning and exploded her little
mystery.
That night for some reason he could
not sleep; he turned and tossed in his
bed and prayed Tor even the first faint
streak of dawn. Suddenly he was startled
by the sound of laughter. accompanied
by the moving of chairs and tables. 1t
seemed to come from the front room,
down stairs, and sounded as though it
were crowd of jewellers. The laughter
and noise waxed louder and more furious
every minute. He arose and dressed
himself partially, and, taking his pistol
from the bureau drawer, started down
stairs. He was met at the door by Edith,
who rushed into the room trembling
with fear. He quieted her as best he
could, and then started for the scene of
action with his sister close at his heels,
declaring wherever he went. there she
would follow.
Down the stairs they went; the noise
seemed to increase with every step, but
at the door all was quiet, and when they
entered the room, fully expecting to be
confronted by a crowd of boisterous
tramps, much to their surprise and con-
sternation the room was silent and
empty. Again the doctor made a thor
ough search, but found nothing.
Sending his sister upstairs to her room
he sat down to wait. The room was so
silent that he began to nod in his chair,
when he was awakened by a piercing
scream from above, and the sound OF
heavy fall, then silence so deep that it
could almost be heard. He ran quickly
upstairs and into his sisters room, but
she was not there. lie stood in the hall
and called to her, but received no re-
sponse. He searched for her In all the
rooms, but she was nowhere TO be found.
Something impelled him to look in the
bathroom, and there. stretched full length
upon the floor, as though dead, lay Edith.
He picked her up and lay her upon the
bed, where be and the housekeeper
worked with her the remainder of the
night.
The next day they moved from the
house, and it was many weeks before
Edith would tell her experience of that
night.
1t seems that after she left her brother
she went to her room and lay down on
the bed, but could not sleep. Finally she
felt the need of a glass of water, and as
she opened her door to go to the bath
room she was confronted by a figure in
white standing before her door. She was
thoroughly frightened, but thinking it
might be the housekeeper, she called to
it. Instead of replying, the figure moved
down the hall in the direction of her
brothers room. Some strange fascination
seemed to draw her after it. 1t walked
three times around the room, then
through the long hall and into the bath
room. Edith, following close at it's heels.
made clutch at the white gown. only to
see the vision or specter or whatever it
was dissolve before her very eyes,
From that on she remembered nothing
more.
To-day the old house stands deserted
and alone; a house with mystery, a house
where no cloud OF smoke ascends sky
wards from the chimneys. house where
no voices echo through the halls. 1t is a
house with mystery, and whatever that
mystery may be, the secret is guarded
we'll by its grim old walls.
BESSIE MAE GUINEAN (Beselena),
March Z, 1898.