Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1841-09-15
The spectre of the wood,

TO his lady love, as llc edI W NO. ''N~ III
the hall door of her fathers mansion, OF
which she was the sole inherlteT--" You
must positively decide before yon moon
ooes down. ~ said John emphatically; and
the maiden raised her lovely countenance
toward that lumnary which single SEN
fence had coupled with her destiny.
II was it the close of a summer evening
at the time when the air is fragrant with
the perfume of early flowers, and the open
ing buds of the apple and the grape, and
when the earth is fully crowned and smi-
ling with new verdule. The moon was
scarcely more than a crescent, but even
thus it was at moments so transcendantly
beautiful, that Pope might have bent his
knee in admiration before it, and deemed
it no crime. Unsulied by cloud or vaPor
it was descending gradually toward the
bed ofthe ocean, that lay extended tarIn
the distance, like dark shining mirror
Not wave was curling amid that vast
expanse of waters, for the wind seemed to
sleep, and only murmured in its slumber
as an infant in its happiest dreams. The
landscape around was in perfect harmony
with the quiet ocean, and the beauty of
the heavens. A sloping lawn, and field,
and meadow in front of. the mansion, eX-
tended to the white sand banks that girded
the sea. On one side a wood, deep and
sombre, arose-on the other were airy
hills, covered with cattle and bleating herd.
And this enchanting domain must one day
sooner or later, descend to Mary but
Johns eye had not looked to that ciroum-
stance alone when he dedicated his hearts
devotednesS TO the maiden, for she was
herself the fairest lilly of that beautiful
valley. SO already confessed, and many
a rival swain sighed for the possession Of
such an union of wealth and loveliness.
Mary's features were of the Grecian
cast, to which profuson of bright ches
nut curls and pair of fine eyes, gave
most perfect expression. Her form was
of symmetrical beauty, but the simple
girl was not sensible of this advantage !;
She had never been told so, and therefore
had cultivated no grace of art to heighten
her pretenslons. Modesty is innate in the
female breast-this, in its purest light, she'd
lustre over all her actions. She had
long been loved, and ardently pursued by
John Hageman, the bravest and blythest
of all the swains but he had received no
definite answer-he could boast of nothing
beyond smile or a tear, yet, from those
harbingers of feeling, had the youth drawn
! the favorable conclusion that his affection
was fully requitted. He resided in a
village oc cLong Island, not far distant from
the habitatIon of Mary, as did many other
of the youths whose tender minds also
! cherished with enthusiastic affection the
one loved name.
John Hageman had every advantage of
! face and person, yet be knew less of it than
any other man, for a toilet or mirror were
things almost unknown to him; therefore
he had very rarely contemplated those
features which every female in his vicinity
could with more certainty attest 10 than
he himself As have said before, there
was deep and sombre wood adjoining
the beautiful valley, and those persons
who came from the village, two miles dis
tant, were obliged to pass that way
About midway of this compact forest OF
trees is deli, or hole, of small circumfer.
ence, but very deep. This, by the good
people of the country, was usually called
Buttermilk hollow. There was legend
attached to this spot; the story ran thus
During the old French war an unfortunate
prisoner fell into the hands of some semi
barbarians, who, without feeling of re-
morse, decapitated the wretched man, and
/ left him in the wood TO tell his own story
as he might 30 tardy passengers who were
obliged TO pass that way at a late hour,
and TO such as were lovers of beauty and
the moon. The headless spectre had sew
eral times been seen by different young
men of the village, and more than once
by the aged inhabitants, whose veracity
could not be doubted. The reports, so
well authenticated, together with the
loneliness and dreariness of that part of
the forest, impressed the stouteSt hearts of
all the clan towns people OF Long Island
are very cIansh) with such feelings of ter
ror, that, whenever they had 10 pass that
place after nightfall, they would slouch