THE DEATH-WATCH. 



CURIOUS ticking 

 sound is frequently 

 heard in old houses full of 

 ancient furniture, and espe- 

 cially during the still hours 

 of the night. This noise, which I often hear in 

 my own rooms, is attributed by the superstitious 

 to some strange omen called the Death-Watch, 

 and even in these enlightened days there are 

 those who imagine it to presage the approaching 

 decease of some one in the house. 



But there is nothing really mysterious about it, 

 and it will be well for us to learn all we can about 

 this house-dweller, so that such an absurd idea may 

 be entirely exploded. 



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