such a foolhardy expedition was maddening. I loved the boy as a
brother--indeed he _was_ my foster-brother, brought up in my own family,
and regarded as one of us. The Cuban studied my face curiously.
"'Senor,' said he gravely, 'knowing your sentiments, I came here to-day
for advice. There is much more to be told. Every moment is precious.
To-morrow in New York----'
"'Stop!' I thundered, 'you have gone too far already! There is some
mistake. You are laboring under a delusion. I will tell you frankly,
Villasante, that you misjudge me. Many things have happened since I saw
you at Saratoga two years ago. My views upon public questions have
changed, as a more intimate acquaintance with any subject is apt to
effect. I should like to see your country self-governed, the Spanish
yoke overthrown, and liberty in its best sense gained; but the United
States must keep her hands off! It would mean war with a friendly
nation, an ancient ally. In other words, there would be the Devil to
pay! Can't you see our position in the matter?'
"'Caramba!' (or something like that) exclaimed Villasante excitedly,
walking up and down, and clenching his fists. 'Your country _must_ aid
us! We can not free ourselves--quite impossible! We are weak; Spain is
mighty! For centuries she has held us in her torturing grasp! It has
been a continual drain of our blood, our pride, our gold, and all that
goes to make for the self-respect and prosperity of a nation! Cuba is
desolated! She cries for aid--first to you; if unheeded, then to the
whole world! Shall the Pearl of the Antilles fall to Germany, France, or
England?'
"'Not while the Monroe Doctrine is respected and enforced, as it will
be!' said I spread-eagle-ly.
"'Your Monroe Doctrine, bah, I care not _that_ for it!' said he,
snapping his fingers. 'Let the United States look to herself if she
refuses to help us! As for you, Senor,' he continued in milder tones,
but with a threatening note, 'if, as you tell me, you are no longer our
friend, as a gentleman you will at least respect the secret that I have
so ill-advisedly betrayed to you. My kinsman's life, as well as that of
the Captain Robson, depend upon your silence. I rather think you will do
us no harm, eh?' And there he had me. If I was ever disposed to violate
his confidence, the fact that I would thereby jeopardize my young cousin
would effectually deter me. I assured the tempestuous fellow that his
secret was safe with me, and after a few moments we parted, with a great
show of politeness on both sides. I was glad to have him go.
"Again back in my seat my reflections were anything but pleasing. It was
harrowing to think of Charlie Robson so completely in the power of these
desperadoes, his probable fate, and the grief of his family and friends.
And what could I do to save him? My hands were completely tied.
"The Villasante family and I were under the same roof, all of us being
at the Arlington, but I hoped to avoid seeing them. Certainly, after my
talk with Manuel, a meeting would be anything but agreeable. With these
and a thousand other perplexing thoughts I left the House, hailed a cab,
and was hurried to my hotel.
"While dressing for dinner there came a discreet knock at the door, and
Manuel Villasante glided in.
[Illustration: Manuel Villasante.]
"I was distinctly annoyed.
"'Pardon this intrusion, Senor,' he said courteously, 'also what I may
have said to you this afternoon. I was excited--distressed--wounded to
the heart! Perhaps I forgot myself. Let us forget it all, and be good
friends once more,' and he held out his hand with a smile. I took it.
There was something very winning about the fellow, and he made me feel
sorry and ashamed. Somehow all the blame shifted over to me. We shook
hands warmly.
"'Now,' he said, 'you are the bon comrade I knew at Saratoga. Let it
always be so. My father and sister are waiting below and long to see
you. Perhaps you will dine with us? We will consider ourselves
fortunate.'
"We went down to the parlors and found Mercedes and her father. She was
as beautiful as ever, and the old fellow was the same courtly, polished
man of the world as of yore; a little grayer and more rat-like, perhaps,
but showing no other signs of advancing age. Mercedes was a trifle more
plump than when I last saw her, but not unbecomingly so. What a
magnificent creature she was!
[Illustration: Papa Villasante.]
"My Cuban friends had much to say about their life in New York, the many
flattering attentions received from friends and acquaintances, the
opera, the shops, and other delights of metropolitan life. The Senorita
said she preferred New York to Paris; so did her papa and brother. They
loved America and everything American.
"The dinner was a delight. Afterward we went to the theatre. The
excitement in the streets did not escape the notice of the Cubans. Nor
did the flag of Cuba Libre picked out in electric lights over the
entrance of a restaurant near the theatre, nor other significant sights
and sounds. But they warily held their peace. I looked for some show of
feeling, but there was none. A tete-a-tete with Mercedes was out of the
question, and for this I fervently thanked the gods! There was no
telling the havoc that bewitching face might have wrought. Principles,
opinions, and theories might have withered and fallen utterly consumed
beneath the fire of those ardent glances and the magic of that caressing
voice! So it was all for the best.
"After the play there was supper, and then we returned to the hotel.
Parting with the Senorita at the elevator, not without a tender pressure
of her jeweled fingers,--ah me!--I proposed to the father and son that
we go to my club, a few staggers away. They consented and we ambled
leisurely along, the streets now quite deserted. The night was fine;
clear, and unusually warm for the season. We moved along silently,
enjoying our cigars; at peace with ourselves and all the world. As we
approached H Street I was roughly seized by the collar, a gag thrust
into my mouth, and turning in amazement was felled by a terrible blow
from a cane--Papa Villasante's cane! While on the pavement, stunned and
bleeding, blows and kicks were rained upon my face and shoulders by the
pair, who were evidently bent upon killing me. Then Manuel drew a long,
deadly looking knife! I caught its hideous gleam in the semi-light as it
was about to descend, and then I lost consciousness!
* * * * *
"An interested and amused group surrounded me when I opened my eyes and
realized that the end was not yet. Hillis, of Kentucky, Campbell, of
Ohio, Reyburn, of Texas, and many others were grouped about my desk in
mock solemnity. A loud laugh arose as I staggered to my feet; for I
alone, of a vast gathering, had slept soundly through one of the most
exciting debates in parliamentary history! Through it all--the battle
raging around me, and the House swept as by a great storm. Through it
all, yea, even unto the adjournment!"
"A very pretty tale, and one to be remembered," observed Colonel
Manysnifters thoughtfully. "_I_ never had an adventure like that,
because I am awfully careful about what I eat and drink, and I roost at
chicken-time. There's no telling what will happen to a man when he
violates Nature's laws. Night is made for sleep, and the three hours
before midnight count for more than all the rest."
"And yet, Colonel," remonstrated Van Rensselaer, "by your own admission
just now----"
"You mean my outing with the 'Jewels,' I suppose. That, my friend, is
the solitary exception that proves the rule. That little adventure
simply confirmed yours truly in his belief of the old maxim learned at
Mammy's knee, that
"'Early to bed and early to rise,
Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise!'
"I may misquote, but it will do. Old Sol has scarce seemed to illumine
the Western heavens ere I seek my humble couch. And yet I do not pose as
a saint. But stop! If I do not greatly err, the junior Senator from
Massachusetts seems restless and eager-eyed. I think he would like to
take the floor. I know the signs, having often observed just such a
readiness in many a good man before."
Senator Wendell, blushing, denied the charge, but when urged by all
present responded gamely.
"I really think I have no story to tell that would interest you. My life
has been cast upon very hum-drum matter-of-fact lines, and I can recall
no startling incident. In my native town there is a shop-keeper who,
when he is out of any article called for, tells his customers to wait a
moment while he sends the boy over to the warehouse,--the 'warehouse'
being the larger and more prosperous establishment of a rival just
around the corner,--and the boy never returns empty-handed. I shall have
to imitate my worthy friend; so pardon me just a moment." And the
Senator left us and went to his room. He soon returned with some papers.
"I am, as perhaps you know, connected with the ---- Magazine, and this
is one of the many manuscripts that reach our office every day. These
things, with a very few exceptions, are promptly returned to their
authors--provided, of course, that sufficient postage for that purpose
is enclosed. This particular effort is as yet under advisement. Perhaps
the tale will interest you. It is called 'The Creaking of the Stairs,'
and is rather out of the ordinary. You may fancy it."
VIII
SENATOR WENDELL READS "THE CREAKING OF THE STAIRS"
"After four years of luxury at the Capital there came a most disastrous
change in the Administration and I lost my rather exalted position under
the government. This was all the greater shock, for I had cherished the
comforting idea that I was protected to some extent by the Civil Service
law. However, when I recovered from the first effects of the blow I
looked the situation squarely in the face, and was content with a stray
crumb which fell from the opposition table. I had still some influence
to command, and after superhuman exertion managed to secure a
twelve-hundred-dollar clerkship.
"My wife, always cheerful under the most trying circumstances, was fully
equal to this occasion.
"'Well, my love,' said she, 'of course we must give up everything here,
and that will be a little trying for a while, I'll admit, but we should
be thankful that you are not thrown out altogether,' adding with a tinge
of melancholy, 'I don't think, though, that I could bear to live in
Washington after the change. Suppose we try A---- for a while.'
"A---- is over in Maryland, about six miles from town, and very
convenient trains are run between the two places. One can live quite
comfortably there for very little, so my wife's suggestion was quickly
adopted.
"'It reminds me of dear, dear Salem,' she said some weeks later, 'and
rents are so cheap. Think of the ridiculously small price we pay for
this house.'
"'Suspiciously small, you mean,' said I gloomily, not at all reconciled
to my wife's choice of abode. But as my feeble protest was treated with
silence I held my peace. 'Anything for a quiet life' has ever been a
favorite conceit with me.
"Mrs. Ploat had taken an old-fashioned house in Queen Anne Street, large
enough for a family of twenty persons. Now, as my household consisted of
only my wife, her unmarried sister, and myself, I could not understand
what was wanted with such capacious quarters. But I had no say in the
matter. My wife fancied the house, it seemed to me, on account of its
colonial air, wide halls, huge high-ceilinged rooms, and general lack of
modern improvements.
"I never liked the house in Queen Anne Street, though this aversion was
apparently unreasonable, for we were cosy enough after the throes of
moving in and settling down were over. But it struck me from the start
that there was something decidedly uncanny about the place, and a vague
feeling of uneasiness became very keenly defined in me whenever I heard
the creaking of the stairs.
"The stairs throughout the house had an infernal habit of creaking--one
after another--as if somebody was coming up or down. At first I thought
it was the rats that infested the old mansion in legions; but I
abandoned this idea after a few experiments which proved conclusively
that the creaking sounds could only be made by a person or thing quite
as heavy, if not heavier, than myself--then tipping the beam at one
hundred and eighty pounds.
"In the course of time I became personally acquainted with each stair in
the Queen Anne Street house, and especially with those in the main
flight. Business, or pleasure, often compelled me to keep late hours,
and on such occasions, on arriving home, I would naturally try to reach
my room as quietly as possible. With my shoes in my hand, and by a
series of agile leaps from one less noisy stair to another, I usually
succeeded in attaining the upper part of the house without much
disturbance.
"The annoying sounds occurred at all hours, but were of course more
noticeable at night. I am a light sleeper, and was invariably awakened
by them, and this, with the loud ticking of a grandfather's clock on the
first landing, usually banished further slumber, and I would arise at
daybreak, weary and unrefreshed. The clock was finally stopped, after a
heated discussion with my wife and sister-in-law, who regarded it with
something akin to reverence. It was indeed a venerable affair. I hated
the thing even when it was quiet, for it reminded me of a coffin set on
end, and I would pass it in the dark hurriedly, and with averted face.
"I do not think that either my wife or sister-in-law ever heard the
creaking of the stairs. If they did they never said anything about it to
me. For my part, I was silent, because I did not want to be laughed at
by my womenkind, and I knew also that if the matter reached the ear of
our only servant she would immediately take her departure. Help is not
easy to obtain in A----, and if it were known that our home was haunted
we would be obliged to do all our own drudgery in future.
"This state of things continued nearly a year. Occasionally, for a week
or two at a time, the creaking stopped altogether. In these intervals I
slept well and improved in every way, but when the disturbances returned
I became more depressed and gloomy than ever. My health was wretched at
the time, and I felt that I was gradually breaking down.
"At last I determined to call upon my landlord, Doctor Matthai, and lay
the trouble before him. He was born and raised in the house, and I
thought it probable that he could solve the mystery, or at least suggest
a remedy. Doctor Matthai lived just across the way in a quaint cottage
covered with great climbing roses and set well back in a prim garden,
with hollyhocks and hedges of box, and an ancient sun-dial which was my
wife's never-ending delight.
"The doctor was a short, thick-set, heavily whiskered gentleman, and
looked more like a retired man of affairs than the prosy recluse that he
was; but he had long since ceased to take any active interest in life,
and gave himself up entirely to scientific study and research of a more
or less abstruse nature. A useless sort of existence, it seemed to me,
as mankind was never destined, nor intended, to reap the benefits of his
labor. His sister kept house for him, and had full charge of all his
business matters. The doctor owned considerable property, and Miss
Regina proved a capable manager; as a collector of rents she certainly
had no equal--to that I can cheerfully testify. She was not popular in
A----, nor was her eccentric brother. Unpleasant tales were told about
Matthai. I never knew all the particulars, but they had something to do
with the murder of a slave in antebellum days. The townsfolk were
extremely reticent on the subject, and very mercifully so, for, as I
have since learned, the tragedy occurred in our house in Queen Anne
Street.
"I found Doctor Matthai in his library, immersed in study as usual;
quite out of the world so far as every-day happenings were concerned. He
greeted me rather coldly.
"'I beg your pardon,' said I, 'but I have come to see you about the
house.'
"'My sister, Regina----' he interrupted.
"'Yes, I know,' said I, 'but this visit is to _you_, though I fear you
will look upon what I have to say as very nonsensical and farfetched. To
me, though, it is a very serious matter.'
"I dwelt at length upon the grievance; putting it as strongly as
possible. The doctor listened attentively, and when I concluded, laughed
and said, 'I believe you fully as to the creaking of the stairs, but you
attach entirely too much importance to it. The noise results, I have no
doubt, from perfectly natural causes. You must remember, sir, that the
stairways are very old indeed, any jar from the movement of persons in
other parts of the house, the action of the wind against the walls, or
the rotting or shrinking of wood from age will produce just such sounds
as you have heard. I quite fail, therefore, to see any mystery about
it.'
"'However,' he continued, 'I will send a carpenter around who will
probably set things to rights; that is, if the expense be not too great.
I am not prepared to put a large sum of money on the house; and
stairways, you know, are costly arrangements at best.' I fully agreed
with him.
"'By the way,' said he, blinking at me through his thick glasses, 'there
is just a bit of nervousness in your make-up, isn't there? "A little off
your feed," as Regina says; liver out of shape--something of that sort,
eh?' I confessed that that was just it. I frankly told him that I was
not only a nervous man, but a miserably sick and frightened one to boot.
He did not offer to prescribe for me, and after some moments of silence
I judged that he considered our interview at an end. I arose to go, but
on leaving the room fired a parting shot, which, to my surprise, proved
a telling one.
"'Doctor,' said I, 'before you send the man to make repairs I would like
you to hear the creaking of the stairs for yourself--just as a matter of
curiosity. My wife and sister-in-law are going up to the old home in a
few days. Suppose you come over and spend a night with me while they are
away.'
"The doctor chuckled, 'You are a queer fellow, Mr. Ploat; a queer
fellow, and no mistake. You say you are run down, played out, can't
sleep. Take more exercise, sir; give up late suppers, drink less, stop
smoking. A man leading the sedentary life you do should take more care
of himself. I am older than you are, and a physician. My advice may be
worth something. As to coming over and staying with you, I don't see
that there is anything in that. It seems absurd, quite so; but
nevertheless, I will humor you. Let me know when to come, but on no
account say anything of this to my sister. My absence would greatly
alarm her. I have not been out of this house after dark for over forty
years!'
"With this strange assertion our conversation closed.
"The following Monday my wife and sister-in-law left for Salem, and
Doctor Matthai promised to be with me on Wednesday night. When I found
myself alone in the house I resolved to put into execution an idea which
struck me with much force. I thought it very likely that I would find
out whether the creaking of the stairs was of human or supernatural
origin; and this I hoped would be made plain before the doctor came
over. That the noise was due to natural causes, as he so adroitly
suggested, I, in my heart of hearts, could not bring myself to believe.
Poe is my favorite author, and he perhaps could have suggested a
solution of the perplexities that beset me; but no inspiration came to
me from the oft-read pages which I turned over and over in despair.
"My plan was a simple one, and it was odd that I had not thought of it
before; but after all, it would have been impracticable as long as my
wife and sister-in-law were in the house.
"On Tuesday night I sprinkled a thin layer of flour over each stair,
from basement to attic. This was a task of an hour or so, but I felt
that I did not labor in vain. Then I turned in and slept soundly until
midnight, when I was awakened as usual by the creaking of the stairs. It
is hardly necessary to say that I remained in bed, making no attempt
whatever to investigate, but valiantly drew up the covers over my head,
fully expecting every moment to feel the weight of a dreadful hand upon
some portion of my body.
"In the morning, my bravery having returned, I found upon each stair the
clear impression of a naked human foot! The footprints were very large,
and were made in ascent. There was no trace of them beyond the third
floor, for the flour on the stairway to the attic above had been
partially brushed off as by a trailing garment. The attic was perfectly
bare, affording no hiding-place for man or beast, as there were no
closets, presses or means of concealment of any kind. My visitor may
have gone out by way of the trap door in the loft which opened upon the
roof, but it was securely bolted on the inside, and the bolts, which
were caked with rust in their fastenings, had evidently not been pulled
out for years. I made a thorough search of the attic, the loft, and the
upper floors of the house, but failed utterly to discover any further
trace of the prowler.
[Illustration: "--Upon each stair the clear impression of a naked human
Foot!"]
"I hardly knew whether to feel relieved or not when I learned that the
unknown was no ghost after all. Certainly not the vapory, unsubstantial
kind that flit through mansions such as mine. Here was a being of solid,
nay, gigantic proportions, as the creakings and huge footprints fully
attested. I knew, though, that I would assuredly have the best of Dr.
Matthai should he (or she) of the massive feet see fit to appear on the
coming night.
"After carefully sweeping up the floor I shut up the house, and resolved
to keep my own counsel. I breakfasted in Washington that morning,
having, for obvious reasons, given our servant a holiday, and returned
to A---- about five in the afternoon; dining later with Doctor Matthai,
who met me at the station and very hospitably insisted upon my going
home with him. Shortly after dinner I bade my host and his sister
good-evening and went over to my own deserted dwelling. An hour or so
after, Doctor Matthai came in. Both of us were armed, and I thought it
singular that the doctor, who appeared to treat the whole affair as a
joke, should have taken that precaution. We sat by the open fire in my
dining-room, smoking; the doctor lingering somewhat mournfully upon the
departed greatness of A---- which, it seems, had once been a town of
considerable social and commercial importance. With reminiscence and
ancedote the hours sped by, and it was nearly midnight when we retired.
"The doctor, sharing my bed, asked me to arouse him if I heard anything
during the night. I slept fairly well until the clock on the mantel
struck two, when I awoke with a start. Complete silence reigned, and I
rolled over again for another nap. As I did so I heard a faint creaking
sound on the upper stair!
"'Ah,' thought I, 'it is coming down.' And so it proved. I gave the
doctor a violent nudge. He opened his eyes and looked at me stupidly.
"'Hush,' I whispered, 'don't you hear it? Don't you hear it?'
"'Yes, I do,' replied he, sitting up and peering into the darkness.
"Creak! Creak! Creak! Nearer 'It' came, and our floor was reached.
Clutching his revolver, Doctor Matthai sprang out of bed and ran to the
door. Then a horrible scream of terror and anguish rang through the
house. An invisible hand seemed to drag the unfortunate man out of the
room. There was a brief, desperate struggle on the landing, the creature
went heavily down the stairs, and the street door shut with a bang!