Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1854-08-09
Bal o country life for me.
ryalE nrs5anls.s olosr.

Ii mixed company the conversation
tioa Glanced to turn apoa ghosts Most Of
the company st8utly diatelevel 10 tho.r ex
istance altogether Fhcre s, however one
grave looking stranger dressed in funeral
black, who though he acknowledged he bad
nevar encountered ghost. bad explicit fail0
IL their existence.
The dispute waxing warm il YES decided
10 collect the opinions oi all prose e. AT
length u came 10 Uncle Betjamin's turn
DO you believe in ghosts Unelo 8epjl
min
Z d., said be, aud fcr The best ofal rea-
sons. because ! have seen one.
indeed, sad the luDeral stranger picking
up bis ears. would you be kid enough 10
fayor Us With au account Of the cireumstan-
ees 2
q Do tell, Uncle Benjamin was echoed
on al silca.
Thus adjnred be settled himself into an
attitude and commenced
I'll was perhaps thirty years 20 when tus
mess called ne 70 q town some twenty miles
distant from my own There were no cars n
those days, and | was obliged to hito horse
aud obaise belonging to neishbor.
Being det.ined to later hour than an
tieipated i was past twelve ocIoek when
got back witb the horse and ehaiso to tho
house Of tie neighblr Of whom bad bor- (
rowed it. Having left il, proceed On foot
towards my own house, which was pest9ps I
mile further on.
Being, as yol viii readily Suppose. very
much fatigped, | considered whether it would !
not be possible to shorten mg walk at all /
There was solitary path across the fields |
which whnld diminish the distance fully one
half There was one objection to it, howey 4
er u led through a graveyard
This thought, however did not for a mo.
meut deter me | was not superstitiJas IL
had always laughed at the idea Of ghosts,
and considered them Nero fgmouts # a dis
ordered braia But was d9omed-hoBey-
er, ! will not anticipate.
I got as far as taa graveyard without
meeting aug bIadFauea, G0d wi.a a bold con
iideut air lcaped the stoue wall which served
as rs boundary, ana found myself all 1t oaeo
within the precincts Of the dead
Say what you will continued uncle Ben
lamIn, his voice becoming deeper and more
solemn. there ia fee.ng Of awe. scarcely 10
be resisted, which steals over cue waea he
fluids himselG in the eloom Of midnight sur,
rounded WITH The relies Of fran! mortl!ltv. and
considers that ere many years be shall be as
those around him
But the ghost suggested The stern look .
Ing gentleman, who Was apparently yee5 /
mach interested in the deuouemoat.
I was coming to that directly was Tic re.
IT..
As said, | jumped over -bo stone wall
and proceeded, Notwithstanding slight
feeling Of awe, with tolerable bodness tiIl / .
had got, | should think iuto abou. the cen
tire Of the yard
II was a very dark night There was no
moon and hut few stars, dimly twiuklior
IN TIE distance to light up the darkness Of tic
way
AZ this point. from behind monument
which stood beside tie path. there suddenly
Strobe forth figure 10 ehosay white The
arms were extended and one Of the hands
contained something bat what Il was could
nos discover
J shah never forget tho horrors Of That
moment, a sensation Of freezing terror
erept ever mo and psralyeel al m3 limbs --
though | would have given worlds to have
moved from tue spot, there was Gzed. aud
all tho wolfe at i've feet distance FROM ac
stood that sepuichral figure
Uncle BeJamin pa1scd, as if overcome by
TIE recollection Of chat fearful mgbt aud e.
cry eye was bent upon him ni,h esger iuto
rest
The sad-lookia1 gaatlo.aan gazsd about
bin IN tFiamph ea teis Confederation # biz
oprious.
ell
Thus We stood slii Uaela Bsoiamin
'3oaing al eaea other. Tor Win Nc. say bow
long 1t might nat have been moro chan two
minutes, yet TO me it seemed an eternity. -
1T length ! could bearit no longer, but burst
f.fth imPetuously
Ia Heavens name sbo and what arc
You
And shat did it gay ? querriod the sad
looking gentleman, uarvouly pushing hi.
ebaiI towards Uncle Beuimi9
" slowly turned its ga2e full noon me
cad With an unearthly laugh uttered ,bcs,
words
Lor. mister. you aim afraid IT ne no,r
are yoHf I'm only Polly HeaSaau. com
oqi q Pics some yar6s f2r my oia nan
whats tooF sieE 'eib he cobcF
The spell was broken The sober gentle
man sprung TO bis feet, aud, amid shout o
irrepressible mirth which shook The very raj
tiers. called tor bis bat. and left Qith al pos
sioe expedition.
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GF-Why are country eirls' cheeta TIA
vel printed cotton Because they are sar
rantsd 10 wash and keen the cnlor