The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-01-24
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1AdHFrOwS0od p Il exclaimed. 'sYou SUR
prise me grsafay. g saw him sat the
INN. and he seemed to me the most IN
gfwuincanEs and uninterestdng one OF the
lot"
'aThat proves you q person OF poor
gifts OF digcernmeut, Mr.. Ames." And
his tome and manner were quite rem
iniscent of, Ids sisters ways, and his
furthee explanation proved A4Ep even
more worthf1y the brother of his sis
ter.
sAs was Obliged" he began, cow
ang to am unfortunate physical handi-
cap. to abandon my art, that OF ma
r1ne pa9nters 1 have given my atten-
f10n fDr. number OF years to the
study Of me Irish. situation. I met
Arrowood ny chsnee I'm the highway
yesterday, and hound t91at he holds
exactly my ideas, which favor Irish
an1ependsncs.' Tz11saeertaanfy had the
true HoIlastsr touch
~And. eo,V Bassford HolIister con-
cIuded. sI nakaraaly incline toward
Arrowocd, though he ia so poor that
he was obliged TO- come over in the
Bteerage 30 continue his VvOctng Of nay
daughter"
He let lapsslf 9 dey9 + tnte the dark
and swaaked by my side to the stair
way, both Of Us maintaining silence.
was deeply curious to know how he
had entered and whether be expected
to go down the front way and out the
main door. We kept together TO the
third floor hall. could have sworn
to that. Then suddenly, just as we
reached the stairway out went the
lights, and we were In utter darkness.
smothered an exe1amatfon, cIubehed
my matches and struck Hight, and
as the stick famed slowly looked
about Tor Bassf0rd HoIIister But he
had vanished. as suddenly and COM
pletely as though trap had yawned
beneath MS and swallowed him.
found the third door switch, and it
responded Immediately, flooding the
stair well TO the lower hall, but ned
Their saw nor heard anything more Of
HOLSTER
Astounded by this performance, CON
dnued on to the lower door TO have a
look around, and there, calmly reading
by the library table. sat Miss Octavial
Late hours, Mr.. Anesf'. she cried.
81 supposed you had rst1xed long ago.
Pardon my troubling you, b1tsxnay
inquire. Miss HolnsteT. how long You
have been sitting heRe7''
II. and she listened connposedly to q
few of the deep toned strokes before
replying.
tJust half an hour I Thought some
one knocked at my door shout an hour
ago. The lights were ON and I came
down, saw q magazine that had es-
capped my eye before and here you find
me-"
"some one knocked at your doorY'
81 thought so-Xou know, the serv-
ants have an tdea that the place IL
haunted, and I thought that II I sat
here the ghost might take it upon him
self to walk. I confess to a slight dis
appointment that it is only you who
have appeared I suppose It wasn't
you who knocked mt my door2''
NO." L replied, laughing little at
her manner, 'noa unless it was you
who switched on the lights as I was
coming down from the fourth floor I
have beengtudyfng this chimney from
the roof. know something of the
ways Of electric switches, and they
don't usually move OF their own ac-
cord
a'Your comtpg to this house has been
the greatest Joy to me, Mr.. Ames
should not have imagined in a chance
look at you that you were psychacaI,
ana yet such is clearly the fact. as
sure you that have not touched any
swteeh since I left my room. It was
unnecessary, as found the lights on.
And I acqu1t you OF rapping, rapping
at my chamber door. 1t gives me the
greatest satisfaction to assume that
the house is haunted, and at any time
you find the ghost beg that you viii
lose no time In presenting me-"
She wore remarkable lavender
dressing gown and nightcap such as
I had never seen outside museum.
As she concluded her speech, spoken
tn that curious lifting tone which from
the beginning had left me in doubt as
10 the seriousness of all her statements,
she rose and, still clasping her maya
zine, made me a courtesy and was soon
mounting the stair. f8s
1heard her door close minute later,
and then, feeling tnaG had earned
The right to repose, I went to my room
md to bed
slept late and on going down found
the table set in the breakfast room.
Miss 0ctHvia entered brisk1y, her slight
figure concealed bysa prodigious. ging
ham apron.
Good morrow, merry gentleman"
she began blithely. 1.-THE most delight
ful thing has happened. Without the
slightest warning. without the faintest
intimatiRn of their dissatfsfac tion, the
house servants have departeds with the
single exception of my personal maid.
who, being SWede and therefore singu-
larry devoid Of emotion, was unshaken
BIZ the ghost rumors that have sent the