LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2417, 4 January 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

A COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER’S TALE OF TERROR. The following narrative is adapted from a story which appeared some years ago in the daily press : A commercial traveller, on his business rounds, came to ono of the large Yorkshire towns, where he found, upon hia arrival, that the time which, under a lapse of memory, he bad chosen for his visit, was moat inopportune. 1 The races were on ;’ and every house of accommodation was crowded to excess. Upon application to the landlady of the hotel where he had been in the habit of staying, ha was informed that every bed in the premises had been bespoken for a week before his coming ; and more than this, that even the very floors and tables of the dining-room would be burdened at eight with racing-men and weary pleasureseekers.

• We are extremely sorry, sir,’ raid Mrs Boniface, ’that we cannot receive yon, but under existing circumstances, it is impossible that we can. Bat,’ she added, ‘I will give you the names of some persons in the town who let rooms, and perhaps yon will find among them some one who can put yon np—at least I hope so.’ Oar friend took the list of names with a face, and at once set about the discovery of a place of rest for the night. But all his search was fruitless. Every bed and possible 1 shake-down ’ in the whole district was preengaged ; and if ho would remain in the town he must walk the streets until morning. Bat sooner than do this, he resolved to return to his good landlady of former days, and cast himself npou her benevolent contrivance and sympathy. ‘ Upon my word, sir,* she said, * yon greatly distress and puzzle me. I really do not know where in the world I can put you.’ But after thinking for a moment, she asked, ‘ Will you consent to occupy the oatlei-’a room, sir? It stands in a back part of the premises; and perhaps wo could manage to make it —at least in some degree —comfortable. ’ The traveller thanked her warmly, and declared that the accommodation she spoke of was the very thing under the circumstances. In about half anhour the ostler was called, and told to take a lantern and conduct the gentleman to his bedroom. The way proved to be across a large yard in the rear of the inn. up a step ladder, along a narrow boarded passage, then up three stairs, and finally through a doorway into the sleeping apartment-. Our traveller found, upon looking around, that good naa had been made of the half hour he had been kept waiting. A oarpet had been put on the floor ; blankets and sheets were unexceptionable, ‘Good night, sir,’ paid the ostler, setting down bis lantern, to furnish some light ; 1 1 hope you’ll sleep well, sir ; and, indeed, I think you’ll have a better chance of doing so here than the gents in the house —yon’re away from the noise ; and in times like these, the streets all night are anything but quiet,' It was late in the antnmn of the year—the nights were long— and our friend, rather tired, soon fell asleep, and did not wake until the grey dawn of the morning, and not even then, had he not been aroused by some one coming along the outer passage with a heavy step, and entering his bedroom. Turning round in his blankets to learn who was the intruder, he perceived a man, tall, gaunt, and grim, his throat bare, the sleeves of his shirt turned up, and his hair all unkept and standing upright in the most disordered manner. The dark figure drew near the traveller’s bed, stooped over him, and peered down closely In the dim light, evidently anxious to find out if the person lying there was awake. Perceiving that this was the case, onr traveller saw him, in the dnsky light, draw himself upright in the room, then eolemnly raise one arm, extend it, and point with hia band through the window to a place outside ; after which, more impressively still, he slowly recovered the extended limb, and motioned with his forefinger three times across his throat. This done, the strange apparition abruptly departed, his feet sounding as distinctly upon the floor and step-ladder on his going out, as they had been beard to do when he came in. The commercial traveller was not a nervous man, and be bad knowledge, more or less, of the strange occurrences and rough usages of the world. Yet, this dark, grotesque, and absolutely silent intruder, and his most singular gestures, did not strike him as altogether pleasant or agreeable; and he would much rather not have been disturbed in such an unreasonable and unwarrantable manner. He would, however, take no action in this matter—at least for the present. Indeed, he felt himself power, less to do this in this lonely part of the premises. Bat he certainly, when he got up, would make complaint to Mrs Boniface of the way in which he had been annoyed. Fixing this purpose In his mind, our Isolated lodger betook himself again to alnmber, and had almost re-entered the land of dreams, when, both to his vexation and alarm, the footsteps he had previously heard again sounded upon his ears—the same firm and measured tread—and soon his former visitor repeated his mysterious intrusion. This time the gaunt figure looked agitated and angry, and, to our traveller’s amazement and fear, carried in hia right hand a large, long, and gleaming knife. Pointing hia hand in a similar direction as before, he shook his grizzly head, and violently winked hia eyes and stamped hia foot; yet uttered never a word, but kept perfectly silent ; and concluding hia actions by drawing, not his finger, bnt the huge knife, determinedly and slowly, across his exposed throat. After this ghastly pantomlne, a second time he took his leave, proceeding along the narrow, floored passage, and down the step ladder to the inn yard. The man before whom this awful dumb show had been performed crouched and trembled in his bad. He had often heard of spectral and supernatural appearances, and had affected to laugh at those who declared they believed In them. But was not this, after all, an unearthly visitation ? It looked extremely like it. He would not. however, fully conclude that he had really seen an apparition ; yet he w.uld guard against a third invasion of this uncanny guest. He would do, what he now remembered he had unfortunately hitherto neglected—he would fasten the door of his room, and thus pat a stop to any further ingress, To his disappointment, however, when he came to secure his room door, he found that it was destitute of all fastenings. Feeling with hia fingers, in the dim twilight, no look, nor bolt, nor bar could he discover. Here was a desperate fix ; and what plan for his safety could he now resort to ? Thinking rapidly over the matter, nothing better, it seemed to him, remained to be done than to roll his bedstead head-foremost against the door, and thus effectually block up all means of entrance. Luckily, the bedstead was upon castors ; it was therefore easily moved, so that onr friend had no difficulty in carrying out his scheme ; and returned once more to bed, somewhat more certain of immunity from intrusion. A quarter of a hour, however, had but barely passed, when our traveller for the third time heard the same footsteps approaching his beedroom. He felt somewhat calm and indifferent, however; for had he not rendered ;;hia apartment completely impregnable ? l-’nt short lived was this feeling of confidence ; for in a few minutes the steps had reached hia door, and he heard hands moving over and pressing hard against it. Then a violent push was made, and after that, another and another till the bedstead, on its too facile casters, was driven back Into the middle of the floor. Again, his dread visitor approached him, and with tenfold added horrors ; for his face and hands wera smeared with blood, as was also the knife, which, on hia second coming, he had carried. Holding It as before in his right hand, he drew the crimson stained weapon for the second time across his throat, repeating the action once, twice, and thrice ; then again shook ominously hia dishevelled looks ; and taming upon his heel with a look of angry portent left the apartment. Onr traveller was almost sick with terror; he shook In every limb, while the cold oozed from every pore of hia body. He was an unbeliever in apparitions no longer. He could not stand out againt positive proof, and here he had the clear and certain and repeated demonstration of his bodily'semoeWhen ho judged the spectre quite gone 'and the coast clear, he rose, and hastily dressed himself, rnabing down the step ladder, and into the inn, where ho roused the whole inmates of the house with his cries that some dreadful tragedy had been committed on the premises, and that every effort should be made to discover and arrest the murderer.

Po nmoh for the ghcst ; and now for the laying of It.

It turned out, upon inquiry, that the gaunt and grotesque figure which had haunted our traveller was on'y a poor dimb lad, who was accustomed to help the boiler to bill pigs. On this morning, three of tlese animals had to meet the common doon of their kind. The first visit of the lad to oar traveller’s room was to Inform his comtade who, he knew, usually slept there —that the hour was come for their deadly wok, intimating the manner of It by the tlree passes of his finger aoro s his throat. Upon leaving the room, and finding, after due interval, that the hostler—as he took our traveller to be —had not arisen for his tisk, he returned the second time, angry that his call had not been obeyed, and took the slaughtering knife with him, as a tokcnand sign of what the lazy hostler had to get np and do.

By the time of his third visit to the rom he had himself done the work of diath without the aid of hla fellow, and he brcigat the blood-stained knife to signify as mtoh ; and also In dumb show to say : * You nay cow lie In yonr bed there for another hour or two, if you like ; but it has been of you to leave all this troublesome piect of bntoher’a work to me.’ Wo are sorry we cannot add that the traveller was quite pleased either with limBtlf or with the explanation of his for ho felt that he had out rather a strry figure in the early morning; and ha cruld not help observing that those whom he had aroused with his clamor and terror vero slipping back to their rooms with nuoh louder indications of merriment than mr hero could properly appreciate. He t>ok an early train out of the town, not oren troubling his landlady to make breakfast for him.