The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-12-15

tuallN be-ame IN time accustomed TO
oar ghost, just as the Wesley family
did to their "Jeffrey.'
1t was. perhaps, fortunate that we
were, at first, SO often late, and did
not enter our bedroom until after the
fatal hour of midnight, for we soon !
discovered that the mysterious noises
which so puzzled and disturbed us al
ways REQUIRED with fixed and unde-
Waiting punctuality at the same hour.
The last stroke of the church clock at
midnight was invariably followed by
the triple deliberate knocks at the
head of our bed; and if we delayed en-
tering our bedroom until minutes past
twelve o'clock at night, we were
safe from the annoyance of hearing
them.
For a willie we did this; then "fa-
miliarty bred contempt" and we did
not trouble surselves about our noe
turnal rappar, "Jetfrey," as we had
named him after the equally mystcr
ious visitant who had haunted Ep-
worth pars IN :" in the las century.
'.Why, there's Jeffrey! | had no
idea it was SO late II .lc1 would eX
claim, as the usual triple raps sound
ed as she stood brushing her hair at
the glass.
think the fact of our indifference
to this certainly singular nightly oc-
currence may he partly attributed to
the fact that we were both at this time
SO very much occupied; and busy peo-
pie arc seldom prey to supernatural
terrOrs.
Helen's beautiful voice had attract
ed much attention. She was engaged
to sing at many private concerts given
at loca! country houses. | had obtain
ed many pupils through Mrs Clayton's
recommendations Altogether our pros
poets were Frightening and our days
were fully and pleasantly occupied.
So it was only when the actual raps
fell upon our ears that we thought
much of our "Jetfrey.'
Some two or three months passed
away. Then strange thing happen
ed; the noise suddenly ceased.
Singular, and even absurd, as it
sounds, this circumstance really made
us more uncomfortable than had the |
familiar sounds to which we had long
ago grown accustomed. | think, though |
we never confessed it to each other
that both my wife and | had half
formed dread that "Jeffrey" might on
ly be preparing to manifest himself in
some other and less endurablc form.
But days went qnickl., by, and we be-
gan to grow accustomed to the absence
of our raps as we had formerly been to |
their presence.
Any excitement was noticeable in so
quiet street as ours, and when we
heard from Mrs. Brown that our next |
door neighber, retired military officer,
with wooden leg, had deceased,
Helen, like most of the residents in the |
vicinity, paid visit to the house, in
y,hi i,,b 10 81 = Of
fects was TO take place, as much, |
believe, from curiosity as from an act
ual intention of purchasing any of the
goods.
One or two antique bits of furniture
had caught my wifes fancy-we were
now able to indulge in some small ex-
travagances-and we both walked into |
the old mans house the day before the
sale to view the tritlcs upon which |
Helen wished to have my opinion before
deciding to bid for them.
The old majors housekeeper was
still in charge of the premises, and
ushered her up to her former masters
bedroom, roomy apartment next to
the one we occupied in the adjoining
house where stood the antique fire J
screen upon which my wife had set
her affections. AS | was examining
it, the houseAccpor, who was evidently
much attached to her former employ
er, stood by talking and wiping her
eyes.
IL feel the loss, | do,' she remark
ed, though the majors behaved kind
and handsome to me in his will. But
one don't part with good master
and its nigh thirty years as I've serv-
ed the ma or-without a wrench, so to
speak. \ kinder gentleman never
stepped than he was; and if he was a
bit fidgety whiles,-well, We all has
our little ways, YOU know, sir. Pune
tual to the moment the major was,
and would bc-why, even in his hunt
ting for rats, don't think he varied
a minute from month end to months
end"
'Are there rats here. them | ask.
cd
Not now, sir, | think; it's some
while since | set my eyes on EN- in
this house. But the major he'd most
mortal aversion to these brutes, and
once, a year or more ago now, he seed
a rat run out behind his bed right down
on his pillow. There was fine set
of ferrets, and stopping up the holes
fairly cleared the place of the vermin