irs 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.
Mattha