A Night Adventure In New York

by Darius Cobb

The rain was beating against my window, and I was in a semi-drowsy state of mind, when I thought I heard a low moan in the street, directly under me. At first I was disposed to drop off again into a lazy mood, in which I could picture something more agreeable than storm and violence. But I was brought up to an extraordinary point of wakefulness by a second moan, which increased into a low cry of distress. I waited no longer, but threw up the window and looked down into the street.

“Is that you, up there?” shouted a lodger, who hired the room under mine.

“It’s I, sure enough!” I returned, while the storm beat vengefully down my throat. “I thought I heard something in the street, and I presume that by your head being out at this moment, you heard it as well as myself.”

“That I did!” shouted the lodger, “and it’s a kind of sound I don’t fancy. Let’s go down and see what’s up.”

“Just what I was going to propose, myself,” I returned; and with these words I closed my window, and seizing my overcoat and hat, I opened the door. But no — I had better take with me a provision against emergency; so I stepped up to my bed, and took from under the pillow a small revolver, and this time left the room and descended the stairs. I found my neighbor waiting for me at the door of his chamber, and we went down the hall stairs to the front door. We were about to open it, when there was a loud ring of the door-bell.

“Who’s there?” cried a voice from the top of the stairs.

We did not answer but opened the door, and were greeted by a strange sight, which, as revealed by the flickering gas-light of the hall, was effective in the extreme. It was a tall and elegant lady, dressed entirely in black, drenched with rain, and as pale as death.

“It’s Longwood and I!” cried my neighbor, “we rang the bell by mistake.”… Read More