Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-10-07

servlent to his purpose. After having been
in bed several hours, there was, to use his
own words, noise like an earthquake, and
the house shook. Immediately the room
became light as day, and the figure of fe-
male appeared to enter window, and, with
gliding motion, TO approach within few
PAGES of the bedside, where it became sta
tionary. Though the sight "made his heart
knock at his ribs" he was able to distin-
guish her features, and the material and
fashion of her dress. She was an entire
stranger to him, and the roll or cushion over
which her hair was combed according to
the fashion of the times, was considerably
higher than the young girls of his acquain-
lance ventured to wear. Her gown was a
rich chintz, the prevailing color of which
was purple, and on her neck she wore a
kerchief of fine white lawn, For minute
or more she stood perfectly motionless, in
tently regarding him; and then approached
the bed more nearly, and began to bend
slowly over him.
Till this moment it had appeared impos-
sible for him to move or speak, but the eX-
tremity of fear which now possessed him
broke the icy spell by which he was bound,
and suddenly rising so far as to support
himself on his elbow, he repeated the sol
emn adiuraton, which, according to tradi-
ton, he supposed proper on the occasion.
She Immediately, still keeping her eyes fix
ed upon him, began slowly to recede in the
direction of the window, which, having
reached, she appeared to melt into thin air,
and the room became dark as before she
entered
In about week anerward, at house a
number of miles distant there was quilt
ing, to which he and some other young men
were invited in the evening. On entering
the room where the young women were
seated round the quilt, his attention was ar
rested by one of them, whose appearance in
every respect answered to that of the phan-
tom that had visited him in his chamber
She was dressed in the same purple chntz
gown and lawn kerchief, and her hair was
combed over roll nearly an inch higher
than those worn by her companions.
The acquaintance which commenced on
that evening resulted in marriage, and he
subsequently ascertained that the night he
imagined he saw her at his bedside she was
very i'll, having been for some time insensi-
BILE.
Whether their married life proved happy
or otherwise, the person | heard relate the
foregoing particulars did not say, and prob
ably did not know. 1t was certainly very
brief, his wife having been dead many years
at the time he became enamored of the
handsome dark-eyed maiden he wished tc
make her successor.
Persons having the credulity to follow his
example as respects Crying the fortune,
could not readily be made to believe that
the Imagination might be so vivid as to de-
ceive the eye, or that there ever was such :
thing as an illusion of vision, occasioned by
an affection of the retina; yet they nigh
possibly be deferred from so doing by the
knowledge that the spectral appearance Of
his wife, as she glided into his room at mid
night, seemed ever to haunt his memory
rather than such as lovely and full of health
she crossed his threshold as his BRIDE
Many imagined that it awakened into life
the latent germ of insanity, which wa:
heightened by the GOODNESS of the SECOND
object of his choice.
A lady once related to me two instances
of spectral illusion, which had occurred tc
herself The first took place when she wa:
only eleven or twelve years old.
She had, as usual, during the long days
of Summer, retired to bed with the frs
faint shadows of twilight. A favorite broth
er, three years old was lying by her side
and was already wrapt in rosy sleep, wher
she beheld close to that side of the bee
where he lay a small coffin, which appearec
suspended in the air a few feet from The
the floor. Very soon it began to move
slowly toward window, through which j
appeared to pass in the direction of grave
yard at no great distance.
From that moment she felt sure that hel
brother would die within a year, kind o
weird period, which, it was thought, per
son never passed whose death had been re
vealed by what was called forerunner."
The child did die within few weeks, o
a prevailing epidemic, and she, then, wa
confirmed in the belief that what she ha'
seen was a warning of his death.
| Those who might be inclined to assign
/ natural cause for what she took to be a su
pernatural appearance, would probably i'm
agine that owing to her anxiety respecting
the child on account of the prevalence of
malignant disease, she had merely been Wis
! llSu ny OlC VI thOSC i'OiJ uiOuhiSJ hHiN
Sir Walter Scott says may take place whe
! the person is :" so far conscious as to kno,
that he is lying in his own bed, and SUI
rounded by his own furniture
The other instances occurred eight c
ten years afterward.
She had been invited to spend few day
in family that lived about twelve mile
from her fathers residence. 1t was in til
month of September, and on the day whic
had been appointed for her to go, althoug
there were indications of rain, she starte
on horseback in season to perform the lou
ney before dark. When she had arrive
within two or three miles of the place whei
she was going, thick, heavy mist con
menced falling. Another family with whol
she was intimately acquainted-one of ii
} children a girl nine years old, being h,
particular favorlte-liyed within a short di
f lance of the one she was going to visit.
large, fine orchard contiguous to their hous
extended to the main road, from whence
t was separated by stone wall. As she W
: passing this orchard she saw the little 81
3 who was her fayorte, walking along pari
lei to the wall at about the distance of hi
/ a rod. The child looked at her and smile
, and she returned the smile, but for son
= reason inexplcable to herself she did n
o.ooI, 90 bar AIthnuuh she did not hi