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And unbidden guest by W. Bob
Holland. My cousins Kate and Tom Howard,

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married at Trinity at Easter time,
concluded to commence housekeeping by taking one

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of those delightfully expensive furnished unfurnished cottages
with which the fashionable watering place of w

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abounds. From those rear windows one
might almost take a plunge into the surf,

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the beach being at the back door. They went down quite early in

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May, being in a great hurry
to try their domestic experiment, and as

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the evenings were still cold, they
spent them about the open fire, spooning.

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It was upon one of these nights, about eleven o'clock, that they

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were startled by a noise as of
some small objects falling, soon followed by

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the sound of heavy footsteps, and
then quiet reigned again. Supreme at once,

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Tom, poker in hand, boldly
started in search of the burglar,

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followed by Kate wildly clutching his coat
tails. In a state of tremor,

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they looked upstairs under the various beds, Kate suggesting that in novels they were

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always to be found there. The
dining room was next explored, where all

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seemed well, and lastly the kitchen, where they found what was evidently a

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solution of the mystery. The burglar
had entered by the back door, which

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was found to be unlocked and slightly
ajar the first excitement subsiding, they returned

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again to the dining room, where
Tom, upon closer inspection, then discovered

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that one of a pair of quaint
little pepper pots wedding gifts, was missing,

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and other small articles on the sideboard
had been slightly disturbed. The next

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morning, when Kate mildly remonstrated with
the Queen of the kitchen for her carelessness,

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she received a shock by being told
that it was her usual custom to

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leave the door open so that it
could be asy convenient loki for the milkmaid.

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They parted with her, and a
new maid was engaged, whose chief

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qualification for the place was that she
was most faithful in the discharge of her

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duties, especially in locking up.
While they mourned the loss of the pepper

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pot, it still seemed so trifling
when they thought of that lovely repose salad

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bowl sent by Aunt Julia, which
stood nearby, that nothing was said of

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the loss outside of the family and
the little household settled into its normal state

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once more of billing and cooing.
About a fortnight later, Tom started out

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one night with an old fisherman,
one of the natives had a local character

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to indulge in that delightful pastime so
dear to the heart of man, known

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as ealing, And as the night
was dark, the eels were particularly sporty,

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so that it was well on towards
the way small ours. When Tom

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at last returned to the cottage,
he found all excitement within. Kate was

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in hysterics, and the new maid, also weeping, was industriously applying the

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camphor bottle to her mistress's nose.
The burglar or ghost, as they had

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now decided, the windows and doors
being found to be securely locked this time,

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had been abroad again and had succeeded
in purloining nothing. His royal ghost

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ship had amused himself, apparently by
simply walking about. Oh Tom, he

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had on such heavy boots and was
so dreadfully bold about it, said Kate

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tearfully. From that time, Kate
became nervous and refused to be left alone.

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Tom started whenever the door creaked and
the treasure departed, hurriedly, saying

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faith the house is haunted. Sure
after that, Kate spent her days in

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girl hunting and her nights in answering
shadowy advertisements that never materialized. They tried

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Irish, English, Dutch, and
the Heathen Chinee with a sprinkling of colored

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ladies to vary the monotony. They
seemed about to become famous throughout the length

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and breadth of the land as the
family that changes help once a week.

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When they landed Treasure number two,
shortly after her advent, we were all

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asked down to w to help celebrate
their happiness, and incidentally, to christen

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the new dining set. We were
not a little surprised to find Kate so

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pale and Tom rather distrait. However, after a delightful dinner that should have

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filled with pleasure the most exacting bride, we adjourned the the piazza, leaving

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the men to the contemplation of their
cigars. We were enthusiastic in our praise

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of the house and congratulated Kate in
securing such a prize, when, to

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our horror, she burst into tears
and said, oh girls, it's a

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dreadful place. It's haunted, and
then tearfully proceeded with the details until we

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all felt creepy and suggested the parlor
and lights. It was not long afterward

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that Kate discovered that Tom had also
related the ghost story to the man that

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evening, to which Ned Harris had
said laconically rats and bob Shaw laughingly remarked,

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come, old Chap, you really
shouldn't take your nightcap so strong.

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About the first of July, the
climax came. The ghost walked again,

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this time taking not only the remaining
pepper pot but also a silver salt cellar.

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Evidently he had a penchant for small
articles, But unlike former times,

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everything on the sideboard was in the
greatest disorder. Aunt Julia's salad bowl was

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found on the floor, and not
far away the cheese dish, with its

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contents scattered. About this time,
one of the windows was found half open.

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A week later, a note came
to me from Kate saying that she

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and Tom had gone to Saratoga to
spend the remainder of the season with her

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mother. The following spring, Tom
received a note and parcel from mister b

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the owner of the house at w
which read as follows, Dear mister Howard,

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I send you by express three articles
of silver, which my wife suggests

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may belong to you, as they
are marked with your initials, namely two

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silver pepper pots and a salt celler. They were found the other day during

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the process of spring house cleaning in
a hole behind the sideboard. I forgot

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to have the hole stopped up last
spring, or to caution you against the

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water rats. The great fellows will
get in. You know. Kind regards

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to missus Howard, yours truly,
John B. The next season, the

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Ghost Club was organized, the badge
being a small silver rat bearing proudly aloft

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a tiny pepper pot. We thoughtfully
offered Tom the presidency, but he declined

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with offended dignity, from the effects
of which I think he will never fully

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recover. The End of the Unbidden
Ghost by W. Bob Holland