The San Francisco call., 1908-03-29

M L was oldest, but one. or i've
children. II was IN January
of my fifteenth year. and upon coming
home from school one day my mother
sent me to a neighboring lady, who
had been making some OF our clothes
to have coat made. The lady was
about 50 years OF age. lived IN very
large two story house. and had four
small children I found her lying on
the lounge feeling III, but she did not
appear to be very sick She said that
a dog had annoyed her all day by look
ing In at one OF the windows and
whining As often as she drove him
away he returned This. and q dream
the night before. she told me. In which
she saw blood coming from her lips.
had greatly depressed her.
The following morning heard that
the woman was very III and upon ar
rivtng at her home found her dying
She reco ognized me as came into her
room and lifted her head to give hsr
q drink OF water. She whispered her
thanks and q few moments later was
dead
Her younger sister. about my own
age. was staying with her. and asked
me to remain over night with her.
returned home to get my mothers per-
mission Coming back In the after
noon, I found a number of relatives
there besides the woman's sister. chill
dren and husband
The remains were lying In one OF
the bedrooms, but had not yet been
placed in casket- few minutes
after / came in the husband asked me
whether 1 would not please go into
the room where his wife lay and there
get his purse out OF his coat hanging
IN the closet There was no one In the
room with the body. AS entered the
room 1 felt cold. icy breeze and
heard rust1ing sound Looking
toward one Of the windows. I saw
what appeared to be the woman. COM
ing through the window. She was
dressed as I had seen her so many
times about the house. a long wrapper,
a hood on her head and a shawl over
her shoulders. She looked so real that
I forgot all about the remains lying
on some rests She came to the center
OF the room. Her eyes blazed angrtly
and there was a frown upon her face
as If she was very angry about some
thing.
Naturally, 1 was startled. but I was
ashamed to go back and say that
was afraid. so quickly running to the
closet got the purse and ran out say
ing nothing, however. OF what I had
seen.
That night I slept with the womans
sister in a bedroom on the second floor
previously occupied by the dead woman
and her sister. The husband and two
OF the children slept downstairs and
the other children and some relatives
on the second floor. No one remained
sitting up with the remains
All night heard the sound Of chairs
rocking rapidly and noises as IL some
one was running against things. Hear
ing a creaking on the stairs I looked
out through the door OF the room
opening out upon the head OF the
stairs and saw the full form OF tho
dead woman coming up and passing
by our room. 1t was about I o'clock.
A few minutes later the servant girl.
who slept IN the adjoining room. cried
out that there was some one IN her
room. that she saw some one standing
by her bed. who Immediately disap-
peared when she called. This was fol-
lowed by noises like the knocking
over OF chairs on the lower floor. the
creaking OF the stairs and. as a climax.
the call bell standing on the dining
table rang out sharply several times
We called to the husband and asked ic
he was up. He said no. that he had
not been up since retiring Just then
came a terrific crash from the pantry.
The husband got up and we heard him
moving around. but he called out that
he could not see anything IN the house.
but the quavering voice betrayed the
fact that he. too. heard things
1 shall never forget that night. No
one slept a wink and never has a
night seemed longer 10 me nor have I
waited as I did that time for the gray
dawn to break IN the east There was
hardly a moment that there was q
noise as II some one was moving about
and every little while caught
glimpses Of what seemed TO be the
angry wrath or specter of the dead
woman. In the morning. upon going
70 the pantry. we found that six thick
milk jars. or crooks" as they were
called, were broken. Each one had
the bottom broken out and the milk
had run out As the milk was not
frozen and the temperature OF the
house was too warm for that. IL was
not caused by freezing. Neither was
there any sign of something that
might have fallen on or into the
-crockery.