Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-27

returned to 1t. He obtained a cruising YES
sci, which was lost In the Atlantic two
years afterward. The widow was left in
amuence; but reverses of various kinds had
oeiallen her; bank broke-an investment
fafled-she went into small business and
became dnsolvent-then she entered into
service, sinking lower and lower, from
housekeeper down to maid Of all work
never long retaining a place, though moth
ing decided against her character was ever
alleged. She was considered sober, honest
and peculiarly quiet in her ways; still,
nothing prospered with her And so she
had dropped into the workhouse, from
which Mr.. j had taken her, to be placed
IN charge of the very house which she had
rented as mistress in the first year Of her
welded life.
Mr.. j added that he had passed an
hour alone in the house in the unfurnished
room which l had urged him to destroy;
and that his Impressions of dread while
there were SO great, though he had neither
heard nor seen anything, that he was eager
to have the walls barred and the floors re-
moved, as l had suggested. He had en-
gagged persons for the work. and would
commence any day l would name.
The day was accordingly fixed. 1 re-
pared to the haunted house-We went into
the blind, dreary room, took up the skirt
ing and then the floors. Under the rafters
covered with rubbish, was found a trap
door, quite large enough to admit man.
1t was closely nailed down, with clamps
and rivets of iron. On removing these we
descended into room below, the existence
OF which had never been suspected In
this room there had been window and a
hue, but they had been bricked over evil
IDENTIFY for many years. BY the help of
candles we examined this place; it still re-
tanned some moIdering furniture-three
chairs, an oak settle. table-all Of the
rashion of about eighty years ago.. There
was chest of drawers against the wall,
In which we found half-rotted away, old
fashioned articles Of mans dress such
as might have been worn eighty or a hun
dred years ago by a gentleman of some
rank-costly steel buckles and buttons like
those yet worn in court dresses-a hand
some court sword; in waistcoat which had
once been rich with gold lace, but which
was now blackened and foul with damp
We found five guineas, a few silver coins
and an ivory ticket probably for some
place OF entertainment long since passed
away. But our main discovery was in a
KIND OF iron safe fixed to the wall, the
lock of which it cost US much trouble to
get picked.
In this safe were three shelves and two
small drawers. Ranged on the shelves were
several small bottles of crystal hermetical-
ly stopped. They contained colorless vola-
tile essences of the nature of which 1 shall
only say that they were not poisons-
|, phosphor and ammonia entered into some
OF them. There were also some very curl
Gus glass tubes and small pointed rod
VI ~ oii, Win d large lump OF rOck-cry Stal
and another of amber-also loadstone OF
great power.
In one of the drawers we found minia-
ture portrait, set in gold; and retaining
the freshness of it's co.ors most remark
ably, considering the length of time 1t had
that of man who might be somewhat adj
vanced in middle life. perhaps forty-seven
or forty-eight.
1t was a remarkable face-a most impress
al ,Sy-
serpent transformed into man, preserving
In the human lineaments the old serpent
type. sou would have better idea OF that
countenance than long description can con-