The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-03-23
Experience Of a German Ghost.
PORTFOLIO OF A MUSICAL BACHELOR.

PORTFOLIO OF A MUSICAL BACHELOR.
My piano had been my companion
all day, for violent storm was raging
out of door it was the dead of winter
and l was deep in a mountainous part
of Germany. Weary of the studies
for which l had secluded myself, for a
time, in that wild and romantic region,
| longed to take my usual bachelor con-
stitutional--a daily scampering ramble
for health-over the rugged mountains
that everywhere surround me. But
winter twilight had set in, the snow
and hail were beating violently against
the shivcring window panes, and 1
shivered sympathetically.
| Suddenly l bethought me of a re-
source for locomotion within reach
The house in which l had my rooms
was a large and somewhat rambling
building, which had formerly belonged
to the reigning lord Of the domain,
whose castle lowered on rocky height
close by. Attached to this house was
an uninhabited wing only partially con.
nected with the main body of the bull
ding, which had rarely been occupied
since the death of a Princess of the
reigning family, to whom the house,
as part of the ancestral estate, had
formerly belonged, and who had pas
sed most of her days and died there.
In this distant wing I remembered a
suite of rooms, terminated by a spa
cious saloon, along the entire side oi
which ran along corridor, affording cap
ital opportunity, it struck me, for 6
brisk promenade. l touched a bel
which led to the family below stairs
who inhabited the house, and desired
the servant to request the keys of the
distant apartments. The honest Ger
man girl looked at me well nigh aghast
and murmered something in an under
tone about the Ahntrau. Well, wha
about the Ahntrau, l said. "Oh, til,
Ahnfrau appeared at the castle las
night"
Now, thcAhnfrau, or "anccstral la
dy," Cor pale lady. as she is some
times called,) is a family ghost-th
ghost of the House of Hessen. AS
was then residing in one of the princi
palities of Hessen, and in a hous
which had belonged to the reignint
family, was subject to all the inhuer
ces, sinister or otherwise, of the All,
frau for when any one of the family
expcctedly or Unexpectedly, was nea
his end, the pale lady made her appear
ance at the castle, and also frequent
r ly reappearei at any other chatea
or building which had been occupie
| by members of the reigning house. l
} each building she had her favorite an
accustomed haunt, generally some sp;
sious room or long corridor, and, i
the house where L was tarrying, tn
, very apartments which l thought c
f visiting.
The kind hearted servant earnestl
demonstrated against my taking sue
l an audacious step. The Ahnfrau, sh
said, had been seen Of sentinel undo
circumstances like the following.
was the midnight watch the guar
had Just been relieved, without Oh tn
ramparts and within at the variou
posts was near the long corridor whic
was the favorite haunt of the -Ahntrao
: The heavy chapel bell had tolled OF
/ twelve o'clock, the wide-awake sent
mel was near the haunted spot when
5 after the stiffness which followed tn
r busting tramp of the "ronnd," tn
chapel bell again deliberately and myi
tcriously tolled three, and the astonisl
! ed sentinel saw the cloud-like figure c
| a lady floating noiselessly past him int
, the corridor, which she assembled wit
: half-turned and hal-avertcd face, an
. disappeared at the other end.
Nonsense, said I, impatiently-gc
, , the keys and a candle. Both wer
! reluctantly procured, and it was no.
quite dark as, swiftly crossing an in
termediatc courtyard, We approache,
) the entrance to that part of the build
ing. Putting the keys into tho loc
and placing the candle hastily int
' my hand, the frightened Wilhelmin
made a precipitate, and-to me-ver
ludicrous retreat, as though the Pal
Lady herself were at her heels. As
cending to the second floor, l foun
, myself in the vacant apartments Of tn
departed Princess. Passing throug
, the outer rooms l entered the larg
] saloon, at the extreme end Of whicl
t were two windows looking out upo
the dark mountains beyond whil
the space between these two window
was entirely occupied with long mil
ror. Placing the candle in front
, the mirror, l adjusted an ample Ger
man cloak (for it was a conloundedl
|, cold place l found myself in) settlc'
my cap, and commenced a conscier
: tious promenade-passing through tn
: rooms and into the corridor-throug
t the corridor and into the rooms. Nj
: thoughts went wool gathering upo
all sorts of subjects, and soon forge
, the AhVrau, Princess, and all thing
pertaining.
| had just passed through the dil
, ante.rooms and entered again the 50
, loon vhan hanneniup 10 raise my eVc.