The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1851-04-26

kitchen: and in the streets and shops
every day This was ALL Amidst til,
multitude of nightly viSitations, no ey
planatlon-no new evidence-occurret
Tor several years. Mr.. Gurney wa
not fond of being puzzled. His plai
was to dismiss from his mind what puz
zled him. He seldom inquired afte
the ghost; and when he did, he alway.
received the same answer
One morning, after this lapse O
years, Mr. Gurney called to ask the la
dies If they would like to join a party
to see a glass-house The residents ot
manufacturing towns cannot ihtrude
IN such places at their own pleasure
but las is well knownl take their op.
Portunity when an arrival of strangers
! or other such occasion, opens the doors
OF any mandatory. Mr.. Gurney was
the first man in the town. in regard to
doing the honors of it. All strangers
were introduced to him, and the doors
oil all show places flew open before
him. He was wont TO invite his friends
IN turn to accompany him and his party
OF strangers TO these show-places and
he now invited the Whartons to the
glass-house. Miss Wharton was una
voidably engaged at the school, but her
mother went.
When the whole party were stand
ing near one of the furnaces, observing
the coarsest kind of glass blowing
that'of green-glass bottles-Mrs. Whar-
ton suddenly seized Mr.. Gurney's arm
with one hand, while with the other
she pointed, past the glare, to a figure
on the other side of the furnace.
'That's the face m she exclaimed
in great agitation.
"Keep quiet, ma'am, and pull down
your veil," said Mr.. Quincy in her ear.
She Immediately drew back into the
shadow, andslet down her veil, feeling
scarcely able to stand. Mr. Gurney
did not offer an arm; he had something
else to do. =4
"Who is that man q; he inquired of
the foreman, who was Snowman at the
moment. The man inquired about
looked scarcely human. He was
stunted in figure, large in face, and
hideous,-making all allowance for
the putting out of his cheeks, as he blew
at the end of the long pipe
he was twirling in his baboon-like
hands.
"That poor fellow, sir? His name
IS Middleton. He is a halfwit-in-
deed, very nearly complete idiot
He is just able TO do what YOU see-I
blow the coarsest sort of glass;
Mr Gurpnu ,-:-L-I ----
isTfh;; and The poor creature was sum
moned. He came, grinning; and he
griuned yet more when he was re-
quested to show the glass-house to tie |
gentleman. Mrs. Wharton, with her
veil down, hung on her friends arm
and they followed the idiot, who was
light-footed flor a wonder) |
10 the place he was most fond of. He |
took them down to the annealing cham
ber; and then he observed that il was
9 a nice warm place O. nightsn Being
asked how he knew that, he began
pointing with his finger al Mrs. Whar-
ton, and peeping under her bonnet
Being advised to look him in the face,
she. raised her veil. He singled and
giggled, and said he had seen her many
/ time when she was asleep, and many
/ time when she was awake: and an
,ther lady, too who was not there. He
aid himself down here when the other
men went away-it was so warm and |
hen he could go when he pleased, and
see "her there" and the other, when
hey were asleep. Mr. Quincy en-
iced him TO whisper how he managed
t; and then. with an air of silly cum
ling, he showed little square trap
ioor in the wall, close by the floor,
trough which he said he passed. It
seemed too small for the purpose but
1e crept in and out again. On the
,ther side, he declared, was Mrs. Whar-
on's cellar. 1t was so. Far distant>as
he glass-house seemed from her house,
t ran back so far, the cellar running
pack also. that they met No time
vas lost in sending round to the cellar;
md, by a conversation held through
he trap-door, it was ascertained that
when Mrs. Wharton's stock of Goals
vas low, that is, in summer, and before
| fresh supply came in midwinter, Mid
lleton could get in, and did get in, al
most every night. When he did not
appear, it was only because the Goals
covered the trap-door.
Who shall say with what satisfaction
he ladies watched the mailing up of
he trap-door, and with what sense of
,lissful comfort they retired to rest
Who shall estimate the
of the good clergyman /
It this solution of the greatest mystery
le had ever encountered Who will
lot honor the courage and fortitude of
he ladies, and rejoice that their dwell
ng escaped the evil reputation of be-
ng a. Haunted House? Lastly, who will
lot say that most of the goblin tales
'xtant may, if inquired into, be as
'asily accounted for as that appertain-
ng to the good Mrs. Wharton, which
las this advantage over all other ghost
tories-for it is perfectly and literally
rue.