The times., 1899-01-08
Why We moved.

:. I
Miss Mary A. Smith is sensible wo
man. So am l. Being sensible women
we did not propose to let a bad name
stand in the way of good bargain. and
so. as she liked the house because it was
grand and gloomy. and l liked it because
it was gloomy and grand, and we both
liked it because it vas cheap. we signed
the lease and moved out the first week in
May. Not last May. Some other May.
The old place crowns topknot Of
ground overlooking the county road. Its
chimncys are hid in the dense foliage OF
ancient trees. It's walls are weather.
beaten into a delicious gray and haif
smothered in ivy; its piazza, when we
went out, was abioom with o.d-fashioned
yellow roses, and its lawn was oyergroWn
with wild grasses that ripp!ed In the
breeze like pond.
To begin with, most people own TO a
weakness of some sort Mine is tramps.
It isn't so poetical hobby. perhaps. as
crampng flowers in pots, or Matching ca
naries in cages, but someway. wouldn't
care to swap. / might have gone in for
antipodean heather. but ! didn't. L am
only all ordinary vessel, made out of com
monest clay. and my missionary hanker-
ings have always een@appeased by plain
tramps.
some good people make spiritual invest
ments in tramps for the sake OF the slo-
rious percentage the Master has promised
to those who shelter his homeless and feed
his poor. but | am not good and | get my
reward as 1 go. Get it. sometimes. in sto-
ries that make me laugh and truths that
make me cry; get it, sometimes again, IN
odd bits of knowledge which books do not
teach; for the men who write them are
too fine gentlemen to ferret out the Sc
crets of nature by sleeping in her lovely
pines or under the big yellow stars in a
; ditch. Once in while l have had it in
( blessing a blessing, let me tell you,
is grand thing when it comes straight
from the heart of world-beaten creature,
who can wish you the good he knows that
he can never enjoy. And this time 1 am
telling about / got my reward in good
big dose of revenge.
Our first visitor was a tramp. Our sec
ond visitor was a tramp. Our third Wis
itor was a -. We had dawdied through
two glorious weeks of spring Worthless
ness, when Sister Mary, stretched out on
the grass, with no end of tiny live things
hopping and buzzing and flying about us
as happy as gods, bolted upright and ejac-
ulated the one word "Wheelsl''
With an answering bolt that brought me
to my feet beside her, | gazed me up and
gazed me down after the fashion of that
other sister Anne in the tower, and, behold,
cloud that looked like gold and choked. |
dare say, like good old reliable dust, came
in rolling puff down the road toward us.
Whereupon l calculated another word
cab"
If an earthquake had stepped out of it
instead of a long, skimpy. oldish-faced man
we would scarcely have looked at each 9TH
er in more helpless, demoralized fashion
for Mary and / haven't a gentleman caller
between US, poor souls-but when he be-
gan fumbling with the gate latch, Sister
Mary, with her plain little face on fire.
marched across the lawn to meet him while
scudded around the back Of the house
for | am not the imposing character l
would like to be in my everyday Mother
Hubbard gown. When at last | sauntered
on the piazza with the serene composure
of one born in starched cambric and four
in-hand tie, the long skinny oldish- faced
man raised his black length from a rocker
and my sister made him known as the twin
brother of the eminent Mr. Slade.
/ bowed to the twin brother of the emf
nent Mr. Slade, and said I was very pleas
ed to meet him-which | expect to have
to answer for when l die.
You have read of Slade, the medium,
Anne explained my sister, with a stem
ographic flicker of her eye, and l men
toned that / had.
"Slade," continued Sister Mary. who is
a trife nearer the century mark than my
self and consequently has the advantage
OF me in reminiscence, was one of the most
remarkable sprtualists of his day. This
gentleman tells me that he is gifted with
the same supernatural powers that so dis
tinguished his brother. and his visit TO us
/ this afternoon is at the request of Mr..
Steel" Mr.. Steel was the agent OF the
| house.
Il was passing through Washington" "
| remarked the great mediums twin, when
Mr.. Steel called at my hotel, and stating
the condition of the premises, begged me
| TO ride out and ascertain from my friends
on the Other Side the cause OF the disturb
| ance. Mr.. Steel assured me that you would
not object to my holding seance this
evening. and he himself will attend"
With which piece of sensational intelli-
gence he subsided into his rocker.
Wont it be rather like fishing for
| whales in fountain?" asked Sister Mary.
| bluntly. Il really can't understand why
Mr.. Steel should insist upon giving this
| place a bad name, unless"
And there she stopped, and no wonder.
for our guest had bounded from his chair
| like a jack in box and was saving the
air with his arms Sister Mary and fol-
lowed suit so far as to jump up beside him
and watch with amazed eyes, while he nod
ded and smiled and sawed again and then
sank back in his seat and covered his eyes
in his fingers.
"Fits' gasped Sister Mary.
"Fits!" l gasped back in reply. But /
was wrong; SO was she. We generally are,
MY friends from the Other Side" he
murmured, with an expression that l am
very positive he intended for q far-away
smile.
When We speak of the other Side" said
Sister Mary. still breathless from her
shock, but oppressively practical in her
ideas, we mean Virginia; you evidently
don't"
| Il mean" he exclaimed with a pompous
| condescension that made me wish I was a
| small boy and owned a bean shooter
| the other side OF life-that shadowy
bourne to which there is but one entrance
the g-r-r-ave."
And to which you seem to own dead
| latch" remarked my sister Mary, with a
levity unbecoming her years. =
| Look here, Mr.. Slade," said, straight
ening myself aggressvely on my wicker
/ bench, I'VE have been in this house good
two weeks now without seeing a shadow
that we couldn't account for, or hearing the
| first sound of a groan. Mr.. Steel warned
us to prepare for both. though why he
should be in such gust OF anxiety TO
ruin the house and its owner l cant tell,
| unless" l had been allowed to ex-
press my views just so far as Sister Mary
| had been humored in hers when our visi-
| tor began saving some more.
''SCoff not at the unseen" he cried