The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-05-20

CHAPTER Xv.-(Continued)
What? Are the village tales really
true, them" asked his nephew, with
look of the creates. interest.
What did they tell your
That you were in a haunted house
with not one or two, but a perfect
legion of ghosts around you!"
Mr.. Cowley groaned.
They are in the right: l have been
introduced to four since my arrival;
and il you had not come tonight, I
should have struck my tent and run
away in sheer terror and desperation"
-Four ghosts! You must be joking,
uncle. You never used to believe in
such things. you know"
"Ah, but / do now! It is no joke,
can assure you, to see three such
horrors as I have seen. And there is
q beast OF cradle that will go on
rocking in the buffers pantry. You
can't see it, but you hear it directly
under your feet
"Ah! the girls were telling NE some
thing of that. But I confess thought
1t was only some of their nonsense"
II wish it was! However, now that
you have come, l don't care so much
for anything of the kind as l did be-
fore. You'll see me through it, won't
you, my boy?"
Through what?'
why, I'll dig the old place up by
the roots but what I'll come to the
bottom of that cradle business. l fancy
that all the other distur Dances arise
from that"
And am very willing to help you"
he nd
just look around this chamber,
Charles"
We'll, it is a very pretty room"
I'VE must sound these walls and
take up this floor. There's something
wrong here, too"
Indeed
why, l was sitting over my cigar
the other night, as innocent as a lamb,
when the door opened, and a great
hulking niger came in, leading a
bleeding nun by the hand You
young villain, what are you laN Ching
at?''
my dear uncle, it is too absurd to
think of such things happening in
this matter-of-fact century,"
why, you puppy, do you mean to
say 1 am inventing the story"
"Oh, no; but you might have fallen
asleep
"A likely thing for me to do. 1 tell
you / saw them as plainly as 1 see
you now. And the nuns hands were
tied; and, by George! they came so
close to me that l could have touched
them if l liked
why didn't your
We'll, if you must know, they tried
to touch me, and l bolted.''
Charles nodded his head and showed
his teeth.
s'The wisest thing you could possibly
do, under the circumstances"
Il see you don't half believe the
story. But l swear l was not asleep.
And that was not the end of it-for
last night l saw another"
"Ghost?"
Yes, sir; and in this very room"
His nephew looked incredulous.
In this room. SRA woman dressed
in red, with a black mask. And she
held a confounded lock of hair in her
hand that / had seen before; and her
face You are laughing again, you
unfeeling wretch! III say no more
I'll give no orders to have your room
changed! You shall sleep here to-
night; and i hope with all my heart
she will appear to you, and make you
sing out of the other side of your
mouth. Laughing, indeed. at such a
story! / am quite ashamed of you,"
And the worthy gentleman trottad
Indignantly back to the drawing-room
and never spoke to his nephew again
that evening-not even when he took
his candle and babe them goodnight
CHAPTER XVI.
A day or two passed before Mr.. Cow
ley and his nephew could put their
valiant project into execution. Mean
while the ladies found the house en-
ceedingly dull, The two gentlemen
We're always closeted together The
weather was fncIement; the box OF
@books from Nudes failed to come:
and, to crown the whole, Christmas
was fast approaching, and they knew
well that they ought to be in town
On the evening of the second day
they were sitting together after tea,
in Marjorie's little turret-room. Mr.
Cowley and Charles were in the parlor
together, and Mrs. Cowley gave a tye-
mendous yawn.
so dullv' she exclaimed. Rose.
child, do read something
Very we'll. mamma: here is the
new book papa brought the other
night" and the girls eyes twinkled
mischievously as she began
THE DOCTnP'S STnPv