Re: Hunted House Of Night Ebook Download
Joseph Zyiuahndy
"Well," began Esther, "last night I sat for two hours on the front steplooking at the stars. After I came in I went down into the cellar in mystocking feet and drank about a pint of butter-milk and a large rat ranbetween my feet; then Jane and I went to our room, shut the door, saidour prayers and went to bed, and in a short time we both fell asleep,and I dreamt that when I got up in the morning every thing and everybody was changed except myself. This cottage instead of being yellow wasgreen; you, Dan, Jane, brother William, John Teed, Willie and George,all had heads like bears, and you all growled at me, but yet could talk,and, what was very strange, you all had eyes as large as horses' eyes,only they were as red as blood. While I was talking to you I heard anoise in the street and on going to the door I saw hundreds of blackbulls with blue eyes, very bright blue eyes, coming towards the house,blood was dripping from their mouths and their feet made fire come outof the ground. On they came, roaring very loudly all the time, rightstraight for the house. They broke down the fence, I shut the frontdoor, locked it and then ran to the back door and fastened it. Then theyall commenced to butt the house so violently that it nearly fell over.It shook so that I woke up and found that I had fallen out of bedwithout waking Jane. So I got in again and soon fell asleep; but thedream is still [Pg 21]in my mind. I can see it still, and wonder what it meansuntil I get the head-ache. What do you think about it Olive? Do youthink there is any truth in dreams? Did you ever know of one to cometrue, or do you think it was all caused by the pint of butter-milk andmy going into the cellar in my stocking feet, and the rat?"
For the next four days Esther seemed to be suffering from some secretsorrow. She could not remain in the house, but was continually on thestreet, or at some of the neighbors' houses, and every night she criedherself to sleep.
It is now about fifteen minutes to nine. Jane has just returned from hervisit, and has gone to her room, which is in the front of the house,near the stairway, and directly next to Dan and Olive's room. She findsEsther crying, as usual, for the girl has actually cried herself tosleep every night since the fatal ride. After getting into bed, shesays: "Oh, my, I forgot to put the lamp out," rises immediately andextinguishes the light, remarks to Esther that "it is very dark," bumpsher head against the bed post, and finally settles herself down for agood sleep.
"Esther, come down with me," said he. So down they both went, when, totheir great surprise, several potatoes came flying at their heads. Thatwas enough. They both beat a hasty retreat. The doctor left the house,and called again in the evening, with several very powerful sedatives,morphia being one, which he administered to Esther about ten o'clock asshe lay in bed. She still complained of her nervousness, and said shefelt as if electricity was passing all through her body. He had givenher the medicine, and had just remarked that she would have a goodnight's rest when the loud sounds commenced, only they were much louderand in more rapid succession than on the previous nights. Presently thesounds left the room and were heard on the roof of the house. The doctorinstantly left the house and went out into the street, hearing thesounds while in the open air. He returned to the house more nonplussedthan ever, and told the family that from the street it seemed as if someperson was on the roof with a heavy sledge hammer pounding away to tryand break through the shingles. Being a moonlight night he could seedistinctly that there was not any one out on the roof. He remained untiltwelve. Everything becoming quiet again, he then departed, saying hewould call the next day. When he had got as far as the gate, the soundson the roof commenced again with great violence, and continued until hehad gone about two hundred yards from the cottage, at which distance hecould still hear them distinctly.
About one month after the commencement of the manifestations, Dr. EdwinClay, the well known Baptist clergyman, called at the house to beholdthe wonders with his own eyes. He had read some little account of themin the newspapers, but was desirious of seeing and hearing for [Pg 38]himself,not taking much stock, as the saying is, in what other people told himabout the affair. However, he was fortunate enough to have his desirefully gratified. He heard the loudest kind of knocks, in answer to hisvarious questions, saw the mysterious writing on the wall, and left thehouse fully satisfied that Esther did not produce any of themanifestations herself, and that the family did not assist her as somepeople believed. He, however, was of the opinion that through the shockher system had received the night she went riding, she had become insome mysterious manner an electric battery. His theory being, thatinvisible flashes of lightening left her person, and that the knockswhich every body could hear distinctly, were simply minute claps ofthunder. He lectured on his theory, and drew large audiences as healways does, no matter what the subject is. Perfectly satisfied that themanifestations are genuine, he has nobly defended Esther Cox from theplatform and the pulpit.
On returning to Dan's cottage the most startling part of the case wasdeveloped. One night while in bed with her sister Jane in another room,her room having been changed to see if that would put a stop to theaffair, she told her sister that she could hear a voice saying to herthat the house was to be set on fire that night by a ghost. The voicealso said that it had once lived on the earth, but had been dead forsome years. The members of the household were called in at once, andtold what had been said. They only laughed and remarked that no suchthing as that could take place, because there were no ghosts. Dr. Clayhad said it was all electricity. "And," added Dan, "electricity can'tset the house on fire unless it comes from a cloud in the form oflightning." As they were talking the matter over, to the amazement ofall present, a lighted match fell from the ceiling to the bed, and wouldhave set it on fire had not Jane put it out instantly. During the nextten minutes, eight or ten lighted matches fell on the bed and about theroom, [Pg 40]but were all extinguished before any harm could be done. In thecourse of the night the loud knockings commenced. The family could nowall converse with the invisible power in this way. It would knock oncefor a negative answer, and three times for an answer in the affirmative,giving two knocks when in doubt about a reply. Dan asked if the housewould be set on fire, and the reply was three loud knocks on the floor,meaning yes; and a fire was started about five minutes afterwards. Theghost took a dress belonging to Esther that was hanging on a nail in thewall near the door, rolled it up, and, before any of the persons in theroom could remove it from under the bed, where the ghost had placed itbefore their very eyes, it was all in a blaze. It was extinguished,however, without being much injured by the fire. The next morning allwas consternation in the cottage. Dan and Olive were afraid that theghost would start a fire in some inaccessible place and burn the housedown. They were both convinced that it really was a ghost, "for" saidOlive, "nothing but the devil or a ghost with evil designs, could do soterrible a thing as start a fire in a cottage at the dead of night."
"Oh, I wish I were dead." After this exclamation, she fell to the floorand burst into an agony of grief. "Well," said Dan, after lifting herup, "Something will have to be done, and quickly, too. The wind isblowing hard to-night, and if the ghost does as he threatens, the housewill burn down sure, and perhaps the whole village. You must go, Esther.Remember, I don't turn you out; it is this devil of a ghost who drivesyou from your home."
After dinner, the author lay down upon the parlor sofa to take a nap, asis his custom in the afternoon. Esther came into the room for anewspaper. He watched her very closely, keeping one eye open and the onenext her shut, so that she would think he was asleep. While watching herintently to see that she did not throw anything herself, a large glasspaper weight, weighing fully a pound, came whizzing through the air fromthe far corner of the room, where it had been on a shelf, a distance offully fifteen feet from the sofa. Fortunately for the author, instead ofstriking his head, which was evidently the intention of the ghost whothrew it, it struck the arm of the sofa with great force, rebounding toa chair, upon which [Pg 52]it remained after it had spun around for a secondor two. Being very anxious to witness the manifestations, he requestedEsther to remain in the room, which she did. After seating herself inthe rocking chair, little George came into the room, when she placed thelittle fellow on her lap and sang to him. As the author lay therewatching her, one of the child's copper-toed shoes was taken off by aghost and thrown at him with great force, striking his head. The placestruck was very sore for three or four days. The balance of the daypassed quietly away. Evening came, and the author had a good night'srest in the haunted house of which he had heard so much. The next daybeing Sunday, everything was peaceful in the cottage, though why theghosts should respect the Sabbath the author has never been able toascertain; however they always remain quiet on that day. On Mondaymorning the ghosts commenced their mad pranks again, and seemed readyfor anything. At breakfast, the lid of the stone-china sugar bowldisappeared from the table, and, in about ten minutes, fell from theceiling. After breakfast; over went the table; then the chairs all fellover, and several large mats were pitched about the room. The authorimmediately left the room and went into the parlor, when, to hisastonishment, a flower pot containing a large plant in full bloom wastaken from its place in the bay window and set down in the middle of theroom and a large tin can filled with water was brought from the kitchenand placed beside it. During the afternoon a large inkstand and twoempty bottles were thrown at him. The ghosts also undressed littleGeorge, and, as if to make a final climax to the day's performance, Bob,the head ghost, started a small bon-fire up stairs, and he and the otherghosts piled all the chairs in the parlor one on top of the other, untilthey [Pg 53]made a pile about six feet in height, when, as if in sport, theypulled out those underneath, letting all the others fall to the floorwith a crash.
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