Speaker 1: And unbidden guest by W. Bob Holland. My cousins Kate
and Tom Howard, married at Trinity at Easter time, concluded
to commence housekeeping by taking one of those delightfully expensive
furnished unfurnished cottages with which the fashionable watering place of
w abounds. From those rear windows one might almost take
a plunge into the surf, the beach being at the
back door. They went down quite early in May, being
in a great hurry to try their domestic experiment, and
as the evenings were still cold, they spent them about
the open fire, spooning. It was upon one of these nights,
about eleven o'clock, that they were startled by a noise
as of some small objects falling, soon followed by the
sound of heavy footsteps, and then quiet reigned again. Supreme
at once, Tom, poker in hand, boldly started in search
of the burglar, followed by Kate wildly clutching his coat tails.
In a state of tremor, they looked upstairs under the
various beds, Kate suggesting that in novels they were always
to be found there. The dining room was next explored,
where all seemed well, and lastly the kitchen, where they
found what was evidently a solution of the mystery. The
burglar had entered by the back door, which was found
to be unlocked and slightly ajar the first excitement subsiding,
they returned again to the dining room, where Tom, upon
closer inspection, then discovered that one of a pair of
quaint little pepper pots wedding gifts, was missing, and other
small articles on the sideboard had been slightly disturbed. The
next morning, when Kate mildly remonstrated with the Queen of
the kitchen for her carelessness, she received a shock by
being told that it was her usual custom to leave
the door open so that it could be asy convenient
loki for the milkmaid. They parted with her, and a
new maid was engaged, whose chief qualification for the place
was that she was most faithful in the discharge of
her duties, especially in locking up. While they mourned the
loss of the pepper pot, it still seemed so trifling
when they thought of that lovely repose salad bowl sent
by Aunt Julia, which stood nearby, that nothing was said
of the loss outside of the family and the little
household settled into its normal state once more of billing
and cooing. About a fortnight later, Tom started out one
night with an old fisherman, one of the natives had
a local character to indulge in that delightful pastime so
dear to the heart of man, known as ealing, And
as the night was dark, the eels were particularly sporty,
so that it was well on towards the way small ours.
When Tom at last returned to the cottage, he found
all excitement within. Kate was in hysterics, and the new maid,
also weeping, was industriously applying the camphor bottle to her
mistress's nose. The burglar or ghost, as they had now decided,
the windows and doors being found to be securely locked
this time, had been abroad again and had succeeded in
purloining nothing. His royal ghost ship had amused himself, apparently
by simply walking about. Oh Tom, he had on such
heavy boots and was so dreadfully bold about it, said
Kate tearfully. From that time, Kate became nervous and refused
to be left alone. Tom started whenever the door creaked
and the treasure departed, hurriedly, saying faith the house is haunted.
Sure after that, Kate spent her days in girl hunting
and her nights in answering shadowy advertisements that never materialized.
They tried Irish, English, Dutch, and the Heathen Chinee with
a sprinkling of colored ladies to vary the monotony. They
seemed about to become famous throughout the length and breadth
of the land as the family that changes help once
a week. When they landed Treasure number two, shortly after
her advent, we were all asked down to w to
help celebrate their happiness, and incidentally, to christen the new
dining set. We were not a little surprised to find
Kate so pale and Tom rather distrait. However, after a
delightful dinner that should have filled with pleasure the most
exacting bride, we adjourned the the piazza, leaving the men
to the contemplation of their cigars. We were enthusiastic in
our praise of the house and congratulated Kate in securing
such a prize, when, to our horror, she burst into
tears and said, oh girls, it's a dreadful place. It's haunted,
and then tearfully proceeded with the details until we all
felt creepy and suggested the parlor and lights. It was
not long afterward that Kate discovered that Tom had also
related the ghost story to the man that evening, to
which Ned Harris had said laconically rats and bob Shaw
laughingly remarked, come, old Chap, you really shouldn't take your
nightcap so strong. About the first of July, the climax came.
The ghost walked again, this time taking not only the
remaining pepper pot but also a silver salt cellar. Evidently
he had a penchant for small articles, But unlike former times,
everything on the sideboard was in the greatest disorder. Aunt
Julia's salad bowl was found on the floor, and not
far away the cheese dish, with its contents scattered. About
this time, one of the windows was found half open.
A week later, a note came to me from Kate
saying that she and Tom had gone to Saratoga to
spend the remainder of the season with her mother. The
following spring, Tom received a note and parcel from mister
b the owner of the house at w which read
as follows, Dear mister Howard, I send you by express
three articles of silver, which my wife suggests may belong
to you, as they are marked with your initials, namely
two silver pepper pots and a salt celler. They were
found the other day during the process of spring house
cleaning in a hole behind the sideboard. I forgot to
have the hole stopped up last spring, or to caution
you against the water rats. The great fellows will get in.
You know. Kind regards to missus Howard, yours truly, John B.
The next season, the Ghost Club was organized, the badge
being a small silver rat bearing proudly aloft a tiny
pepper pot. We thoughtfully offered Tom the presidency, but he
declined with offended dignity, from the effects of which I
think he will never fully recover. The End of the
Unbidden Ghost by W. Bob Holland