The Project Gutenberg eBook, Widdershins, by Oliver Onions

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: Widdershins

Author: Oliver Onions

Release Date: November 26, 2004 [eBook #14168]
[Most recently updated: October 24, 2006]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WIDDERSHINS***

E-text prepared by Suzanne Shell, Mary Meehan, and the Project Gutenberg
Online Distributed Proofreading Team

WIDDERSHINS

by

OLIVER ONIONS

1911

"From Ghaisttes, Ghoulies and long-leggity
Beasties and Things that go
Bump in the night--

"Good Lord, deliver us!"

NOTE

I have pleasure in acknowledging the courtesy of the proprietors of
"Shurey's Publications" by whose permission "The Cigarette Case" is
included in the present volume. Also it has been suggested that a
definition should be given of the word that forms the volume's title.
That word means "contrary to the course of the Sun."

O.O.

CONTENTS

I. THE BECKONING FAIR ONE
II. PHANTAS
III. ROOUM
IV. BENLIAN
V. IO
VI. THE ACCIDENT
VII. THE CIGARETTE CASE
VIII. THE ROCKER
IX. HIC JACET

THE BECKONING FAIR ONE

I

The three or four "To Let" boards had stood within the low paling as
long as the inhabitants of the little triangular "Square" could remember,
and if they had ever been vertical it was a very long time ago. They now
overhung the palings each at its own angle, and resembled nothing so
much as a row of wooden choppers, ever in the act of falling upon some
passer-by, yet never cutting off a tenant for the old house from the
stream of his fellows. Not that there was ever any great "stream" through
the square; the stream passed a furlong and more away, beyond the
intricacy of tenements and alleys and byways that had sprung up since the
old house had been built, hemming it in completely; and probably the
house itself was only suffered to stand pending the falling-in of a lease
or two, when doubtless a clearance would be made of the whole
neighbourhood.

It was of bloomy old red brick, and built into its walls were the crowns
and clasped hands and other insignia of insuran