The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-12-02
A True Ghost Story.

A True Ghost Story.
"Did you ever hear" said friend once to me,
a. real true ghost story, one you might depend
upon ?"
'"There are not many such to be heard - | replied
and | am afraid it has never been my good for
tune to meet with those who were really able to
give genuine well-authenticated story
1" Well, you shall never have cause to say so
again and it adventure that happened
to myself, you can scarcely think it other than well
authenticated | know you to be no coward or |
might hesitate before | told it to you. You need
not stir the fire; there is plenty of light by which
you can hear it. And now to begin. | had been
riding hard one day IN the autumn Tor nearly five
or six hours, through some Of the most tempest
uous weather to which it had ever been my i'll luck
to be exposed. 1t was just about the time of the
Equinox, and perfect hurricanes swept over the |
hills as if every wind in heaven had broken loose,
| and had gone mad and on every hill the rain and |
| driving sleet poured dow in unbroken shower |
| "When | reached the head of Wentford valley |
you know the place, narrow ravIne with rocks |
one side and those rich full woods mot that they
were very full then. for the winds had shaken them
till there was scarcely leaf their bare rustlng
| branches) the other, with clear little stream
winding through the hollow dell-when came to
the entrance of this valley, weaher-beaten veteran
! as | was, | scarcely knew how to hold on my way
the wind, as it were, held in between the high
banks, rushed like a river Just broken loose into
/ a course, carrying with 1t perfect sheet ot
rain, against which my poor horse and struggled
with considerably difficulty; still went on, for the
village Law at the other end. and had a patient to
! see there, who had sent very urgent message,
| entreating to come to him soon possible
We slaves to a me- sage, we poor medical men,
and urged my poor jaded brutewlth keen relish
| for the warm fire and good dinner that awaited me
] could see my unfortunate patient, and
get back to a home doubly valued on such day
that in which | then out. 1t indeed
drcary riding in such weather and the scene alto
geher, through which | passed, was certainly not
the most conducive towards raising mans spirits
but l positively half wished myself in it all
again, rather than sit the hour | was obliged TO
| spend by the sick bed Of the wretched man | had
| been summoned to visit. He had met with
| accident the day before, and he had been drink
| ing up to the time and the people haG delayed
! sending for me- | found him in trghtful state Of
fever: and 1t really awful thing either to
look at or to hear him He was deirlous, and per
fectly furious and his face, swe.Ied with passion,
r aud crimson with the fever that was burning him
up was sight to frghten Children and not one
calculated to add to the tranquility even OF full
grown men. dare say you think me very weak,
and that ought to have been Injured to such things,
mndlng his rawlings no more than the dash OF the
rain against the window; but, during the whole of
! my practice, ! had never seen man or woman, IN
health or in fever, in righttu state of furious
frenzy, with the impress OF every bad passion
| stamped so broadly and fearfully upon the face
and in the miserable hovel that then held me with
his old witch-lke mother standing by, the babel OF
| the wind and rain outside added 10 the rawlings OF
n | the wretChed creature within. | began to feel
. neither in a happy enviabe frame OF mind.
There is nothing so frghtul as where the reasona-
4 bic spirit seems to abandon mans body and leave
/ | it iend instead.
After an hour more waiting patiently by his
bedside not liking to leave the helpless old woman
II alone with dangerous a companion (for | could
not answer for any thing he might do in his frenzy)
n | thought that the remedies by which | hoped in
, some measure to subdue the fever seemed begin
4 ming to take effect, and that might leave hun
Is promising to send all that necessary, though
g. fearing much that he had gone beyond all my
le power to restore him and desiring that | nigh
* Immediately be called back again, should he ge
n instead of better which | felt almost certain
III would be the case | hastened homeward, glat
e. enough to be leaving wreched huts and ravlns
y men, driving rain and windy hills, for comforta
'' Bile house, dry Clothes warm fire, and goo
dinner. | think | never saw such fire in my lit
rv as the that blazed up my chimney it locke
,et wonderfully warm and bright and there SCENE
, an indescribabe air of comfort about the roor
"' which | had never noticed before One woul
lat have thought should have enjoyed it all ntensel
NO after my wet ride, but throughout the whole ever
nd ing, the OF the day would keep recurring
ad my mind with most uncomfortable distnctnes
M and it in vain that | endeavOred to forget 1t a
90 in a book, one of my old favorites too; at last
''' fairly gave up the attempt, the hIdeous ta(
ng would come continually between my eyes and a
in especially good passage; and ! went off to bt
ter heartily til ed, and expecting sleep very readily
ore visit Nor | disappointed | SOC
.ba deep asleep, though my last thought was on Il
I' little valley had left. How long this heavy al
''e dreamless sleep continued cannot tell, but grad
ned ally felt consciousness returning, in the shape
avs the very thoughts with which fell asleep, and
vas last | opened my eyes, thoroughly reused by
heavy blow at my window. | cannot describe r
horror, when, by the light OF Il struggl1
at among the heavy suTge-ike clouds, | the We
via face the face ot that man looking in at thron
OF the easement, the eyes diStended and the ia
pressed close TO the glass. ! started up in bed,
III convince myself that | really awake, and
mi suffering from some frghtu dream there it sta
on perfectly moveless, its wide CHASTITY eyes f1
ess | unwaVeringly mine which, by kind of taS
,in nation, became equally fixed and rigid gazing VI
= ~ the dreadful face, which alone without body v
~ visible at the window, unless ndefnable BIZ
list shadow, that seemed to float beyond it, might
fanCIed into one. | can scarcely tell how long
Lieu sat looking at it, but remember something @
'"u' rushing sound, feeling of relief falling
hausted back upon my pillow, and then awOk
ling the morning i'll and unre reshed | was i'll at e
Mar and the first question | asked, on coming dc
Dari stairs, was, whether any messenger had come
- summon me 10 WentIord. A messenger
'J'o come, they told me- but it was to say need trO
myself no further, as the man was already bey
no all aid having died about the middle of the nj
tho | never felt strangely in my life when they
me this, and my brain almost Teeled as the even
'"e the previous day and night passed through
5ress' mind in rapid succession. That had seen SC
ected thing supernatural in the darkness OF the mig
are had never doubted but when the sun shone brig
in in into my room in the morning, through the 5
ed w.nuIwi R VIZ tb bt nf @ anu r.
noice. - 5si;eve more i was dream and endeavoT
ected ridcule myself out of all uncomfortable feel
free which, nevertheless, | could not quite shake
gain. Haunted by what l considered painful drea
being lett my room ana th9 mrs nrS' thlns l hea[u
md Is cohhL.ia!,on o m,,aa 'J a ridorio nsaiF -
whig beGev;ng II was some hours before | ,
cratic recover my ordinary tranquility; and then it
Hdsnr beck, net slewly - yea might hsss sEgs