The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-06-07
RISING Sun, CECIL COUNTY, MD, FRIDAY, JUNE T. 1885

dormer window room. We have looked
| in, and nothing is there. / have heard
myself, your excellence They are walk
ing. They are there. 1t is strange
walk
"Stay here" he said sternly and left
the room. In a moment he returned.
His face was pale.
"Griselda you will not sleep in your
dormer window room tonight. 1t is
nothing" +" he said, with forced laugh.
"You will be more comfortable near
me. Tell the maids to go up stairs, J"
he thundered, Cor they will lose their
place tomorrow
1t was midnight when the mayor was
awakened with great start. 1t was all
very still in the house ON the canal.
Only the tick, tick of the heavy time
piece in the hall and the low song of
the wind across the salt meadow. He
started up. The sweat broke from his
brow. Footsteps were within his room
sweeping with filmy tread nearer. A
strange tread!
SIS it you, Griselda?" he shouted.
Only the footsteps answered-coming.
| 11O IOlu lis U0u 1u0 uOOl was
shut and locked, as he had left it, and
the man fell in a swoon.
1t was after this that other things
were missing from the mayors private
and locked desk. Yes, he swore tornado
oaths that it was locked and padlocked
and the one key to it in his own stout
! pocket. Now it was deed that disap-
peared on which some grave Judgment
| hung, now a title to an estate. They
vanished. With his own hands the
mayor searched every servant in his en-
ploy and stationed a watch over the
desk, then in a moments wrath dis
missed every attache, valet, maid on
the place and hired an old toothless
woman to do the work.
"I'll not leave the place, he laughed
coarsely. ''The dead rise not. ~
And the papers still slipped away.
"He has the dead to answer for" the
distant townspeople said, for tidings Of
it all had come to H, as everything
will slip out under Gods searching sun
| and moon. ''Let him answer for that. {"
After this my lord mayor took to
drinking heavily and to holding late
| carousals with men from town who put
| up for the night in the house on the
canal. Their thunderous laughter shook
| the very rafters across the oaken ceiling
| as they pledged the ghostly footsteps in
foaming mugs of beer. But across the
orgy and shout the steps came and went
| up and down the great central stair
| case, heard by every man among them,
tread that whitened their faces and at
moments shook the hands that leaned
forward to grasp the goblets
His excellence obliged the gentle
| Griselda to be present at these carousals.
The girl had grown paler from day to
| day. There was a gaunt, meager look
in lip and eye and gaze gradually
| coming across her face that made even
| his debauohed excellence start and stare
horribly. A smile that was more in
| iquitous than curse was upon her lips.
| 1t happened one day as he turned full
| round to stare again at her he saw her
move forward in time-exact time
keeping with the tread and movement
| of those unseen footsteps
This was on an evening in the heart
VI tu0 WAAt6I. L uo ulSub was Qul6G, 1Or
the snow whirl was over and the salt
meadow lay still under the new made
ground. The waters of the canal were
| frozen stiff. and the moon looked in.
Fetch me that song of the Lido
shore, the mayor shouted as the men
held their glasses high to pledge the
girl and her grace.
1T is up stairs," she answered quick
ly, glancing over her shoulder, "in the
room where the eye of a window looks
l will CO." And the ghost tread swayed
her forward The smile widened horri-
bly, upon her face.
"Ry heaven. you shall mott" his ex-
cellence yelled He grasped the girl and
laughed terrible laugh, "Know that
the player is long since Dead" he
chuckled, 'and the dead rise not? Singp
They lifted her up amid the clang of
the mugs and the shouts. She waited,
with finger poised on lip. A shocking
peal of laughter tangled through the
room as she pointed with long, pale fin