The times., 1897-09-05
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The Syndicate House.
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| there was q draught somewhere " hen a
noise ike the singing of a telegraph Wire
! II the wind came from the hail, and
! @as speedily followed by wall and
| sobbing. 1t was like child CRYING
| out in distress, and IL lasted fully thirty
| seconds. This was the sound which had
driven the workmen out OF the L0use.
| but il did not drive me out. / tremEasd
so that ] feared to drop the lamp, and
my throat was SO dry that | could not
| have made d loud sound, but | Iassed
| through the rooms into the hall aud up
stairs, and once more looked about mo-
| SO upset was l that, in descending tnc
stairs, | had to sit down three dffferens
|. times, and my feet dragged after me as
| returned to the kitchen. / fell into a
char aud sat there shaking for many
minutes, but / was still determined not
10 be run out. III the noise came again
and l listened closely, perhaps / could
interpret IL. I waited and waited, grow
ing ealmer all the time, and had lust
consulted my watch and noted that ib
was twenty minutes after midnight when
pat. pati pat. OF footsteps caught NY
ear. They began in room overhead and
descended the stairs and came along the
nall and through the sitting rooin. Every
step was as distinct as could be, though
gentle, and I'd have almost staked my
life that woman or q child was ap-
preaching.
| sat looking into the open door of the
sitting-room which was lighted by candle,
but though | heard the footsteps L saw
nothing They crossed the rooui-they
entered the kitehen-they advanced To the
table, and nny hair stood up and my
heart choked me the lamp was blown out
and was left ia semi dar kness. Ii I tell
ysu that L screamed out and Jumped for
the door and fled across the grass you
Will not call me cowardIy That's what
| did do, and going 20 the farmer 5 barn
put In the remainder OF the night On tho
hay NOW IL was O'Clock in the morn
ing when l returned 10 the syndicate
House. The lights ! had left burning
had not burned Out, but had blown out
There was nothing but this to see. When
l drove over TO the village 1 found the
worSmen waiting for me. 1 told them
had passed the night in the house aud
heard nothing but rats at work, but they
refused 10 go back
did not press the matter, as I had
other plans, and two nights later the
superintendent, who was TO occupy the
house, was installed to rass the night.
had frankly related my experience, aHd
had been met with ridicule, just as ex-
pected- He was hard headed, practical
man, fifty wears OF age, and fearless OF
everything human. He jumped at ths
chance OF solving the mystery and we
drove over and went through the house
together. Ee said the ghoStIy footsteps I
Rad heard was the eiIawing OF rats, and
nat had IL
and thus created draught to blow out tho
lights. In fact, he bUTIesqued the nlattsr
from start to finish. nd to show his con-
tempt for the ghost h. insisted that take
away all the lights but d single candle, and
that not even a match should be left him.
l left the house as darkness came and
went to pass the night with the farmer.
AT l O'Clock in the morning we were
aroused by the superintendent, and in
all ny life 1 never saw man moro
brogen up than he WIS He first heard
a waiting ard sobbing at about 10
O'Clock, and mad then gone over the en-
tire house and sought to locate the
sounds AMI Prove to himself that they
we're the result OF natural causes. The
sounds came again at II, aud he made
another tour Every door and window
was secure, and the night was as qlhes
outside as the one l had passed Soon
after II O'Clock, as the man sat at the
Kitchen table tTying 70 find a reason
for things, he heard footsteps on the
cellar stairs The stairs led up into the
Kitchen. but hale the door opening
into the room was shut it had neither
bolt nor lock on IT He plainly heard
the footsteps take every stair in rota-
ton until the top was reached, and then
the door softly swung open 1t was not
over six feet from hinl, and he was look
ing fun at it. He expected 30 see a hU-
man bein 9 appear, but nothing was
there nothing but darkness. There was
a minute of deepest silence, and then the
candle at the superin tendent's elbow
was suddenly blown out. He admitted
that he never was so scared in his life.
For a few seconds he could not move q
finger. and though he had seen no one
he fully expected to be struck or stab
bed. Then he made rSsh for the back
door, shut il behind him as he went out,
and ran for his life.
After breakfast l went back to the house
with him. There was his half-consumed
candle-there the open cellar-door, which
1 knew had been closed the night before.
What hand had opened that door? What
brea tn had exiting nguished the candle?
What had cried ont in that wailing, sob
| bing way? / wanted nothing more to Go
with the house and the superintendent said
| he wOrId live in s stable first. hired a
constable to pass night there, and the pool
man was neatly frightened TO death. Next
night two of the wOodcutters put in the time
until one O'Clock and then left the house.
| then told the whole story 10 the board Of
directors, and il was decided to pull the
house down. II the house was haunted the
| miners would soon discover the ghost In the
mine, and that would not do at all. Sooner
than have any gossip about it the house was
torn down and the material used else
where. Was the mystery solved in the
| tearing down? No. Things occurred
/ just as have told you and no one was able
| 10 give any satisfactory explanation.
CHARLES B. LEWIS.