The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-05

behavior of the uncanny things always
made them III at ease. and ~long-con.
tinued study was impossible. The eld-
est boy often tried deliberately to find
the cause of the unpleasant disturb
ances. but while the effects could be
felt. the cause remained a mystery.
one OF the Oldest experiences which
the Dlcksons had In the haunted house
happened on "A Sunday afternoon In the
early summer About 5 o'clock, while
the sun still filled the house with abund-
ant light n the conditions were ex-
ceptionally favorable Tor the detection
Of the disturbing element. IL IL were of
a human or animal character. Mr.. and
Mrs. Dickson returned home from a
stroll and at once went to the parlor to
rest themselves before inner They
had hardly been seated two minutes be-
fore they heard a rustling and rumbling
on the second floor. Now, thought they.
would they intercept the disturber. Arm
ing themselves with canes they hurried
upstairs to the second loo Instantly
all the hustle ceased. but along the we'll
lighted hallway something rushed to-
ward them as though II were enveloped
I'm a gust of wind. While their eyes
were wide open 1t passed them as
though IL were a living creature. yet
they saw absolutely nothing but the
floor and walls. Nothing daunted. they
turned and followed the thing swiftly
down the stairs. for 1t had plainly
rushed i'm that direction, and the foot
falls on the steps could be easily dis
cerned. A dozen times they tried to
strike or touch the ghost with the canes.
IL went through the lower hall n hus-
tied down the basement stairs with Mr..
and Mrs. Dickson still chasing IL. 1t
fluttered through the basement and dis
appeared. The husband went n way
after il and the wife went another. 1t
refused TO c%apitulate. They had at this
time been tenants of the house for a
year and a half. One conclusion they
drew from this incident was that the
ancient impression that ghosts hold high
carnival only at midnight Is a fallacy.
The only instance in which the thing
made itself apparent or in n degree
visible was one morning soon after this
experience. The servant girl had been
directed to clean the windows i'm the big
bedroom on the top floor. While rub
bling away briskly at the panes she
turned about casually To reach for a
cloth. when her eyes lighted on an APP
partition. She could not afterward de-
scribe IL, but its aspect was horrible and
menacing. its form plainly outlined but
translucent. so that the furniture could
be plainly seen through IL. 1t was the
most frightful thing. said the girl. that
she ndu ever ldlu eyes OH. Sit
and tainted. Mrs. Dickson and Miss
Rapp hurried to her relief. All she could
say was, I've seen a terrible sight, a
terrible sight" on being conveyed To
the lower floor and interrogated still
further. she described as best she could
the vision. Next day she left the family.
Night after night the same Did, unex-
~plainable rustling continued; but moth
ing very noteworthy occurred after
this until one evening when the mem
beers of the family with a couple of
friends were sitting i'm the front parlor.
Some one made "A pitcher of lemonade.
brought II to the group and. being
asked to set II aside temporarily, went
into the rear parlor. placed the pitcher
carefully i'm the middle Of a table
retired. The rear paTlor Is accessible
only from the front room, and the rear
windows were known to be closed tight
IL. Scarcely two minutes later the
heard something overturned
in the rear room and then the sound of
splashing water. Every n in the
front parlor darted through the por-
there's into the rear parlor to lind out
what had happened. The pitcher had
left the table and was standing upright
in the middle of the floor. while the
lemonade had been entirely poured over
the carpet. Had the pitcher been lying
On It's slut VI fNth SAaliAibS "ANAhAAi ~
sCnable distance of the table, they
would have willingly inclined to the be-
lief that IL had fallen accidentally.
There. was only one conclusion that
they could draw after a couple of hours
deliberation, and that was that some
thing other than human agency had
caused the emptying of the pitcher. The
family still regard 1t as one of the odd
est of many odd experiences.
Thara mara tfunaG almost ALWAYS late
at night, when varied noises were
heard in the basement. 1t mattered not
whether the gas had been extinguished
or the lights still slowed, the commo-
ton went OF just a. though the unseen
perpetrators of all the mischief were
quite Indifferent In the light; but there
was no mistaking the fact that they
resented all attempts at human investi-
cation. There were times when the
banging on the radiators and the
wrenching at the plumbing were so Sc
we're that the family did not expect 10
see "a single piece in place when they
went to the cellar, yet they always
found everything just as they left II
and the efficiency of the water service
and the heating apparatus quite unim-
paired. The lids Of the kitchen range
were repeatedly ratified together with
a d%eafening noise.
~ sIh'N WYNN h'' VI
version I'm the pantry and the china
closet. Dishes would rattle and %clatter,
but the family never found a chip or
a crack in even the finest porcelain.
Occasionally the bookcase would be at
tackled in the same way, but nothing
was disturbed.
MIR. and Mrs. Dickson and Miss Rapp
sitting early one evening in the
over the main parlor. The
gas shone brightly. and IL anything
entered the room IL could not fail to be
noticed. While they chatted they were
by the oun of pouring water.
II seemed to be in idair. The swish
Of the liquid was plainly heard, yet
the source Of the water and its destina-
ton could never be found. All three
heard the peculiar noise. and to each IL
was unaccountable.
A few weeks after hat incident Mr..
and Mrs. Dickson retired n evening
rather early TO their room. As they
passed through the door the spook went
the room with them. II crowded