The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1915-12-25 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

JAMES.  It was cold. The snow lay thick upon the ground, and heavy flakes were still dickering down from a leaden sky. Gusts of icy, biting wind came sweeping round the house, shaking the doors and rattling the windows. "What a day!" I thought. 'Even s dog would hardly venture out in such weather." Just at thatmoment a loud rat-tat echoed through the house. I ran out hastily to eel I whom it could lve. At the door was a man, covered with snow from bead to foot. He handed me a letter. Opening it, I found, to my surprise, that it came from an old school friend, Amy Francis. I bad not men her for the last few years. Her marriage to a very wealthy man had lifted her somewhat out of our little social sphere. Now, it seemed, she had come back to our neighbourhood. Her letter ran thus :  "My dear Gladys,—Of aouree, you will be surprised to hear from me. Is it really three year. since I saw you? Well, we have done with this whirling town - life, where time passes so quickly ! Jack and I are heartily sick of it. and we are packing up and flying off to your dear, peaceful, quiet country. Do you remember old Hendre Hall? We have bought it, furnished it, and hope to be down there next week. Quick work, isn't it? But why I write to you just now is because I am quite determined to have you with us for Christmas—l am asking Muriel Bowen slim., I have a strange longing for old scenes and old friends, so please don't refuse. I will send' further partieulani next week. Until then,— Tours affectionately, Arr." I was hardly likely to refuse. The prospect of a visit to Hendre Hall filled me with delight. I was young, and a change from the dull quiet of my uneventful days would be most welcome.  The following week brought Amy's second' letter, written from Hendre. She seemed charmed with her surroundings. "There is even a ghost here." ehe wrote. Secretly, this rather alarmed inc. I was a very nervous girl, and usually the very mention of the word ghost was sufficient to make me shiver with fright. I mentioned my fear that afternoon to Muriel, who had come to see me to chat about our coming visit. She-was of the cool,' phlegmatic type, that laughs lightly at stories I of ghosts and haunted rooms. She soon' allayed my team, and made me almost ashamed of having mentioned them. The day fixed for our departure-arrived at last. On the journey we chatted gaily about our visit, and grew each moment more ex, cited—almost like schoolchildren travelling I home for the holidays. 11 even laughed about the ghost, which Muriel declared she %%at, going to see—" even it she had to sit up all night to watch for it." •  Hendre was not a great distance from our village, but the railway made of it a tiresou.e eroes-country sort of journey. It was ti:gilt when we arrived at the sleepy little stollen. We found a jolly, roomy carriage awaiting tr,.. sod soon we were bowling swiftly along to the old Hall. As we approached the houtw. it was (pile easy in the clear moonlight to make out its outline.  It was an irregular building of some size.' One wing was evidently very ancient, running' out at right angles to the rest of the building and ending in a square, tower-shaped structure. Heavy bow-windows jutted out from the walls, all overgrown with ivy, and from among the thick foliage the small diamondshaped panes of glass glittered in the moonlight. Trees surrounded the house, and they . • . . .  seemed to be waving their giant branches in a wild, menacing fashion across the sky. There Wss an eerie touch about the whole place which remindod me irresistibly of the word ghost. I shivered, and suddenly grew nervous and apprehensive. On entering the house, however, I quickly forgot the momentary chill in the warm eelcome of our host and hostess. Amy was evidently delighted at seeing her old friends again, and introduced us vivaciously to her husband. We were eoon shown up to our rooms—two dainty modern room—very different, indeed, from any idea I might have entertained about a ghost clamber. Alter dinner that evening. Muriel introduced the topic of the haunted room. "Do tell us about the ghost," she implored. "Do people really believe there is me, and is there really a haunted room?"  "Oh yes," replied Amy. "There is no doubt about it; we are really and truly haunted; it's lime, isn't it? This old place would be incomplet • without its ghost. But I'll tell you the storril you realty want to bear it."  Of course we do," cried the inquisitive Muriel. "What fun it would be to unravel the myAery !" I was again seized with that stupid cold fear I had experienced at coming in sight of the house. But I smiled bravely and tried to look as interested as Muriel, far I did not want Amy to know whet • little coward I was.  'A long time ago." began Amy, "there! lived in this house so old gentleman of very I eccentric habits. For sole companion he had a groom who used to sleep in a little room at the end of a long, narrow passage. I v '!! point it out to you as we go upstairs. This groom acquired, little by little, an undue amount of influence over the old gentlernau, and at length persuaded him to make a will in his favour. Not satisfied with this, and unable to wait in patience for his maater'i death, he contrived to murder the old man. The crime committed however, he was overcome with remorse. and,terrifiecl by the in,. table consequences of his critne, he committed suicide by cutting his throat is his bedroom. It ia said that on moonlit nights he may be seen lying on the bed, and his head lyinc severed from his body. The bedstead and old mattress-are dill irrthe room, so that, perhaps, is is hat gives rise to the story." I shuddered, "what a gruesome story." Yes, pretty bad, isn't it?" agreed Amy. e But there is still another story that is told about this old howe. Many years ago a ball was given here, sot which a sad tragedy was enacted. Jost after supper two young girls, iss•serpiristrof adveeture stole way to explore the tower. They climbed the old stairway, and orept into the room at the top. No OM had ventured there for yeses, for it was Irsiosns that the floor was unsafe. The poor little things crept across the room to the window, from whence they could look down into 11" i.sn.room below. But alas! under_ the on