Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 July 1873 — The Haunted Room. [ARTICLE]

The Haunted Room.

Madame Beshoulieres, the celebrated French poetess, was at one time on a visit to the ckateau of the Count and Countess de Luueville. Upon her arrival she was reque ted to make her choice of all the bed-rooms in the mansion, one only excepted, which no one was permitted to enter, as a report had been circulated that it was a haunted apartment, and, from .the strange noises that had been frequently heard at night in it, it was generally believed to be the case by the inhabitants qi the chateau. Madame Deshouiieres was no sooner made acquainted with this circumstance than, to the surprise and teiTor of her friends, she declared her intention of Occupying this dreaded room in preference to any other. The count looked aghast as she disclosed this determination; and, in a tremulous voice, entreated her not to be so rash, since, hbwever brave curiosity might, at present, make her, it was probable that she would pay too dearly for its gratifi- ' cation. TheJjountess, observing that all that, ■ her husband said Sailed in intimidating the high-spirited Madame Beshoulieres, now added her persuasions to divert her friend from the enterprise, from which - the bravest man might shrink appalled. All the arguments that could be urged were insufficient to shake the determined purpose of the adventurer. Her courage was superior to these representations of the dangers to which she was going to expose herself, because she was convinced that they must owe their coloring to superstition, acting upon weak minds; she entertained no faith in the fleshy arm of »

departed spirit, and from an immaterial one her life was safe. Her noble host and hostess pleaded, pitied, blamed, but , at length yielded to her wish of taking possession of the haunted chamber. Maaamc Deshoulieres found it grand and spacious, the windows dark from the thickness of the walls, the chimney antique, and of cavernous depth. As soon as Madame was undressed she stepped into bed, and ordered a large candle to be placed in the bracket, which stood in a stand near it, and. enjoining' her femme de chambre to shut the door securely, dismissed her. Having provided herself with a book, according to custom, she calmly read her usual time, i and then sank to repose. She was soon roused by a noise at the door; it opened, and the sound of footsteps succeeded. Madame Deshoulieres immediately decided that this must be the supposed ghostand, therefore, addressed it with the assurance that, if it hoped to frighten her from her purpose of detecting the impostor which had excited such foolish alarm throughout the castle, it would find itself disappointed in the attempt; for she was resolutely bent upon penetrating and-ex-posing if at all hazards. No answer was returned; thedhreat was reiterated, but all to no purpose. At length the intruder came in contact with a large screen, which it overturned so near the bed that, getting entangled in the curtains, which played loosely on the strings, they returned a sound so sharp that one under the influence of fear w ould have taken it for the shrill scream of an unquiet spirit; but Madame was perfectly undismayed, as she afterwards declared". On the contrary, she continued to interrogate the nocturnal visitor, whom she suspected to be one of the domestics-, but it still maintained an unbroken silence, though nothing could be less quiet in its movement, for now.itran against the stand on which stood the heavy- candle and candlestick, which fell with a thundering noise. At length, tired of all these exertions, it came and rested itself at the foot of the bed. Madame Deshoulieres, still retaining her self-pos-session, immediately exclaimed, “All! now I shall ascertain what thou art!" at the same time she extended both heqhands toward the place against which she felt that the intruder was resting. They came in contact with two cars, soft as velvet, which she firmly grasped, determined to retain her hold till the morning should lend its light to discover to whom or Jo what they belonged. Day at length-re-leased her from the awkward and painful position in which she had remained for many hours, and discovered her prisoner to be Gros Blanc, a large dog belonging to the chateau, and as worthy, if faith and honesty deserve the title, as any of its inhabitants. Far from resenting the bondage in which Madame Deshoulieres had so long kept him, he licked her hands, while she enjoyed a hearty laugh at this ludicrous end of an adventure, for which she had braced every nerve. In the meantime, the Count and Countcss, wholly given up to their fears, had found it impossible to close their eves during the night. The trial to which their friend had exposed herself -gfCwmore terrible to their imagination, the more they dwelt upon it, till they at length persuaded themselves that death would be the inevitable consequence. With these forebodings, they proceeded, as soon as it was light, to the apartment of Madame Deshoulieres; scarcely had they- courage’to enter it, or to speak when they had done so. . From this state of petrifaction they were relieved by their friend undrawing her curtains, and paying them the compliment of the morning, with a triumphant look. She then related all that had passed, with an impressive solemnity ; and, having aroused intense curiosity "to know the catastrophe, she said, “Monsieur, you shall-hb longer continue in an illusion which a long indulgence has endeared to you. There (pointing to Gros Blanc) is the nocturnal visitor whom you have so long taken for the ghost of your mother;” for such the - Count had “'Concluded itrto he, from his mother having been the last person who died at the chateau. “I will now,” continued the heroic lady, “complete my task, and emancipate your mind from the shackles of superstition, by proving to you that all which has 9Q long disturbed your family lias arisen mviirnatural causes'. ”. Madame arose,-and made her friends examine the lock of-the door; tire.wood of which was so decayed as to render the locking of it useless against a verv moderate degree of strength. This-faerlity of entrance had been, evidently, the cause of Gros Blanc, who liked not sleeping out of doors, making choice of this room. The rest is easily accounted for: Gros .Blank smelt, and wished to possess himself of the eandle, in attempting which he committed all the blunders and caused all the lioises ■ which had disturbed"dhtr ”srhnrce “of the night; and he would have taken posses-sion-of the bed also if he had not given the lady an opportunity of seizing liis ears. Thus are the most simple events magnified into omens of fearful and supernatural agency, while the conduct ol Madame Deshoulieres affords one example, among many others, of the superiority whiclt presence of mind and courage possess over superstition and credulity.