The Argosy — page 107: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Q2 The Story of Charles Strange. believe it was master. I don’t see why he should come back, being a good man; and good men that die in peace be pretty sure to rest in their graves. Still, ’'d not be too sure. It may be that he comes back, as my missis fancies, to silently reproach her. It’s odd that she always sees him in the same place, and in his shroud. Several times she has seen him now, and her description of how he looks never varies. Nothing will ever persuade her, sick or well, that it is fancy.” ‘You have seen him also, I hear? ” “ Not I,” said Hatch. ‘I have upheld what my missis says. For which was best, Mr. Strange, sir—to let the servants think she is shaking and raving from fear of a ghost, or to let ’em get to suspect her the worse for drink P” Hatch’s policy had no doubt been wise in this. I told her so. ‘‘T have seen the shakes before to-day ; was used to ’em when a child, as may be said,” resumed Hatch. ‘I had a step-uncle, sir, mother’s half-brother, who lived next door to us; he was give to drink, and he had ’em now and then. Beer were his chief weakness ; wine is missis’s. If that step-uncle of mine had been put to stand head downwards in a beer barrel, Mr. Charles, he’d not have thought he had enough. He’d be always seeing things, he would; blue and red and green imps that crawled up his bed-posts, and horrid little black devils. He used to start out of doors and run away for fear of ’em. Once he ran out stark naked, all but his shoes; he tore past the cottages ail down the village, and flung himself into the pond opposite the stocks. All the women watching him from their doors and windows, followed after him. The men thought it were at least a mad dog broke loose, seeing the women in pursuit like that ; whereas it were nothing but my step-uncle in one of his bouts— stripped. Mrs. Brightman would never do such a thing as that, being a lady; but they be all pretty much alike for sense when the fit is on ’em.” “And Mr. Brightman knew of this, you say? Knew that she was given to—to like stimulants ?” ‘He couldn’t be off knowing of it, sir, habiting, as he did, the same rooms: and it has just bittered his life out. She has never had a downright bad attack, like this one, therefore we could hide it from the servants and from Miss Annabel, but it couldn’t be hided from him. He first spoke to me about it six or seven months ago, when he was having an iron bedstead put up in the little room close to hers ; until then he had made believe to me not to see it. Some- times I know he talked to her, all lovingly and persuasively, and I would see her with red eyes afterwards. I once heard her say, ‘TI will try, Henry, indeed, I will;’ and I do believe she did. But she got worse, and then master spoke to Mr. Close.” ‘‘ Has it been long growing upon her?” I asked, in a low voice. ‘* Sir,” returned Hatch, looking at me with her powerful eyes, ‘‘it ECOMMIELOOOKS.E@