The Room with the Tassels

ry of t

oms Eve and Norma ru

and at their entrance shot her head out, cry

wn and slippers, and from distant

ked Gifford Bruce. "Was

ernie called out. "

astily donned bath robe

d candlestick, the one the-the murderer used-on

ing about-a murder

if, and, you know you said you were going to fool us if you co

ense! I did noth

u know you had thi

. Wonder what's

china candlestick Vernie had carried to her room the night

n themselves, but so inexplicably transferred, if,

when I saw how nervous and wrought up all you women were last night, I wouldn't dream of doing such

eir number, and there were varying opinions as to the identit

ssed very seriously and each avowed in all

y and Mr. Braye. They would have had to pass my door to move around the halls, and I w

"I declare on my oath that I did not leave my bed.

suspect Wynne or Milly. And naturally, the two girls, Eve and N

me, and the breakfast is so good and all. I think it's the beginning of these experiences

s unafraid now, but Ha

stigate if there's a trickster among us. Y

yes left no room for disbelief. "Honest, I didn't. But," s

ve glared at her, "You little

Stop it! You scare me." Vernie fairly cowered be

. If we've all finished breakfast, let's now hear the story of the house, and then we ca

y to hear the story. Where's M

don assured them. "Whe

id Milly, "that's the onl

aid Tracy, in mock terror. "Those

ughed. "They don't frighten me, b

n that there parlour. Here in the hall. You folks want this house

s you say, Mr. Stebbins. Now begin at the b

ough in disrepair as to walls and cornices, the lines of its architecture were fine and it was of noble proportions; the staircas

doors. They're some valu'ble, I'm told. You see, the doors is the same outside and in, and the colyums is, too. Well, then, he had the vestibule of murhoggany,

he story, Steb,

of a man, but full of the old Nick. And, as those little men will do, he married a reg'lar Hessian of a woman. Big, sort o' long and gaunt, they say she was, and a termagant fo

says, that she give him slow poison. But, be that as it may, one night, she give him prussic acid, and he died. She threw a shawl over her head, and ran

e was the woman,-and she was a washin' the dead man's lips,-she said, to get the smell of the bitter ammonds off,-you know, prussic acid is for all the world the smell of

ody. They was in that room," Stebbins pointed to the room with the locked door, at

hose piercing eyes were fairly glitterin

he curtains and lambaquin

ined Landon, "t

went away, and because he knew she was out of her head, he locked 'em in. And when he came back-she

" rasped out

' some signs, and if she had, what in the world could she 'a' done with it? It wasn't buried nowhere around, and if she'd 'a' threw it in the lake, s'posin' she'd got out a winder, how'd she got in again? Anyhow, that's the story, and they all said she was a witch and she bewitched the body aw

mstantial," observed Gi

a little resentfully. "This here story's been common talk around th

mmanded Lan

ylvania way. They come up here for a while, I b'lieve, but the ha'nt scared 'em off. It's been sold some several times and at last it fell to my father's family.

e spoke quietly, but her lips quivered a little, and h

mbre than he had, "that's my own experie

ago, and I was plucky enough to hoot

room with the tassels,-out o' shee

n his breast and he p

ndon, less brusq

"Don't let him tell the

member, this is wh

rd, both hands on his knees. Gifford Bruce sat with one arm fl

face and Eve's, while Tracy was holding Vernie's han

, slowly. "First night! Land! there never was another! Not

" asked Bruce

und sleeper, I am, and I went to sleep quiet and ca'm as a baby. I woke as

bed in that room?"

s slep' downstairs. I come awake suddenly, and the room was full of an i

re firmly. Landon slipped his arm round Mil

is sneering smile, which

ing, but the room was full of an unearthly light,-a sort o

step but was comin' straight and sure toward that bed I was lyin' on. I tried to scream, I tried to move, but I couldn't,-I was

as murdered," put in Mr. Bruc

s doin' the ha'ntin'. I s'pose she can't rest quiet in her grave

el

kull. And her long bony hand held

take it?" Th

u may call it. I lost all consciousness,

?" inquired Mr. Bru

restedly. It was impossible to annoy th

er?" ask

But-I ain't never sle

I will! I'll brave the phantasm. I'd

hort laugh. "You won't see anything, Miss

ave you experienced?" asked

ly gr

upted Bruce. "Those are the r

Bruce, you drive me franti

derstand, Mr. Stebbins, that this charming lady of large size and hard

ins resented

many's the time I've known that candlestick to

ng, and let's get down to business. We set out for a haunted house. I, for one, think we've got all we came after, and then some

. But it was scarcely necessary for me to do it, when such a

elievin' it. What I've told you is true, so far's my own experience goes; and what I've told you hearsay, is the old story that's been

Milly, "I can't

t on the terrace and walk about in the sunlight. You

lly offered his escort. "The ta

through. You can look a

ebbins, as he prepared to unlo

said, almost apologetically

d the key and t

. There were more of these heavy, long curtains, evidently concealing alcoves or cupboards, and over each curtain was a "lambrequin" edged with thick twisted woolen fringe, and at intervals, tass

ngy, faded, but still of an individuality that seemed to say

id, in an awed tone. "I mean before-she come. They sor

hostliest things I ever saw! But the whole r

e windows ain't been up for years and years

ried Eve, hysterically, "I mean-so

hat night I slep' here, and I wouldn't be now, only to show you folks the room. I sort of feel 's if I'd shift

top it!" and Eve al

and ha'nt it will be, till the crack o' do

btle presence and each glanced fearfully, furtively

it?" whis

t he shook his shoulders as he spoke,

stillness that was not an ordinary silence, and there was an impel

, "Seen enough?" they almost tumbled over one ano

a voice he strove to make matter-of-fact, said, "Thank yo

Did you not

ha

the odour-i

"I noticed the odou

d Stebbins, "that