The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-11-27
Spirit RaPpers.


saw his hat sailing steadily aud majesh-
| caly up inio the darkness, with neither
| wind nor hand touching IT, ana lhen
with a shriek thA no ghost could liaNt
4 .Ncelledy he turned from The haunted
house. dashed at the six-foot fence OF
tthe garden. scaled IL like monkey, and
] in a moment was flying, as fast as legs
could carry him, through the Grange In
the direction OF his own home. How he
got home and spent the night does not
appear, but he had both a heightened
face and a wonderful story 10 lay before
me next morning.
"1he house Is haunted or bewitched!'
was his serious remark i'm concluding.
"Begorra, / wouldn't be surprised II IL
was carried on in blue fire some night,
for them spirits or ghosts is moighty
strong. as you'l admit IL YOU unbutton
me shirt and look at nay shoulder. There's
no human hand could have a mark like
that"
/ looked at the bruise and grinned call
lously; but I was really more puzzled
than 1 cared TO show. That there was
some clever jugglery in the whole case
j had not tho slightest doubt. but that /
would be able TO lay bare the tricks was
not so certain.
! went out TO the Grange at once, and
was introduced 10 Mrs M'Ilwraith and
her dear companion, Mrs. Anson. What
Mrs. MIlwraith told me did not tend 10
enllghten me much; but, astonishing TO
relate. as | was busy conversing with her
close TO the window OF the room into
which l had been shown, the thick plate
glass forming the lower half OF the win
dow suddenly crashed inwards in hum
dred fragments without any appearance
OF a missile having caused the smash.
rushed 10 the window. There was no one
iu the green or garden below j ran
down. and through the scullery, only to
find the door fast locked and barred. as
Ii had been. ! was told. from the moment
that M'Sweeny's hight had been discov-
cred. | ran up again and was met by the
servant. who had been working In some
OF the upper rooms and Mrs, Arson. who,
with upiIfied hands. exclaimed
II heard a crash--it is surely not an
other of the windows broken!"
Now, il there is anything more danger
Gus than another, IL is over-acting
part. Mrs Anson. 1t seemed TO me, was
OVERRIDING her Ignorance. Any one with
ears I'm their head could have said a hun
dred yards of that window had been
smashed, and yet here was she affecting
wonder and artless inquiry. | distrusted
the woman from that moment
But how hau the window been broken?
that was what concerned and puzzled me
most. No missile had been projected into
the room, or found I'm the green below:
the glass had certainly not been broken
from within. for IL had been done In my
presence. and yet il was broken. My
only solution of the difficulty was sus-
picion that II might have been broken
from above. But how? That was more
than | could decide at the moment Dis
guising my suspicious, | managed to get
Mrs Anson TO descend to the garden and
green to make a narrow search for any
hidden assailant or missile: and the mo-
ment she was outside ] coolly locked the
back door and ran upstairs, past the din
ing room, up TO the room occupied by
Mrs. Anson. which / had ascertained was
directly above the room in which the
window had been broker. The door was
locked, without "a moments hesitation |
threw my whole weight against the door
and hurst u inwards Ny first discovery
was a nail in the centre OF the wooden
window sill. for which there was appar-
emily no use; then ] tprned out every
thing that was loose. Knowing ] had but
a minute or two to work in. and at length
came upon heap Of strong whip cord In