The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-12-10
THE Three Ghosts

on which few portraits were hanging, and cast
grotesque shadows from the old-fashioned fur
nture. The ruddy glow lighted up the three
lovely faces of the sisters, who were enjoying
its cheerfulness.
Very charming were they all, but very diff
ferent in their beauty.
Margaret, the elder-she who sits to the right
of the fire, with head thrown partly back, while
her hands are crossed upon her knees-is about
twenty-five. She is tall, stately and proudly
beautiful. Sophie, ''pretty Sophe,' sits oppo-
site, on sofa, with the head of little Rose, who
is reclining. on her lap.
Little Rose, the youngest, with neither Mar
garet's queenly grace nor Sophie's brilliant
beauty, was what ladies call ''a darling"- that
is, she was lovable, charming and innocent In
fact, she was fresh and sweet as a hawthorn
blossom.
These young girls were singularly situated.
They resided in the old homestead where we
have found them, alone, except for the servants
who attended them. Father and mother were
both dead within few years, and as there was
no relation to supply, even in measure, their
places, the orphan sisters clave yet more close
ly to each other, and continued to live in their
desolate home, like birds who nestle together in
the old nest when the parentbirds have left them
Thomas, an old and faithful man servant, and
Kitty Cork, person, notwithstanding her iu-
venile name, of middle age and tried fidelity,
were their only domestics; but they sufficed for
their labors were performed in the spirit of love
and willingness.
Such was the little household of the sisters,
and there they wese settled-for life. For, be
- 10 ,i II
each of the fair sisterhood was under solemn
VOW Of celibacy.
When their father died and left them all alone
in the world, they took each others hands and
solemnly promised never to desert each other,
but to live and die together
Three years had passed since that time, and
though their loveliness attracted suitors even
to theirq quiet, lonely home, no whisper had ever
been breathed by any one of the sisters of
wish to break that VOW.
On the contrary, they often applauded their
wisdom in devlsing it, and swore fealty to it
anew.
Some such conversation had taken place on
the very evening I have chosen to introduce
them to my readers Indeed, they were more
than usually vehement in their denuncations Of
any treason to their code Margaret's eyes had
flashed Indignantly at the very thought Of such
treachcry. Sophie had painted most touchingIy
the lonely state Of the other two, should one
be base enough to desert and little Rose had
declared
"That even ifprince Charming himself should
come flying into the room in golden chariot,
and were to fall at her feet, all crowned with
diamonds, she would not waver the least mite
but should just say very cooTy, Rise, prince
Charming, you can't have me. [ have prom
lsed my sisters never to marry.''
Margaret and Sophie laughed at little Roses
sally, and the greatest unanmity of opinion
appeared to prevail
While they sat over the fire discussing this
subject, Kitty Cork entered with basket Of
chesnuts, saying
'Ipye plase leddies, Thomas bids me give
yees them nuts. He's Sfther pckin' thin his
sci; and he sais as it's Halow Ave, yen be
thryin' yer fortunes, good or bad-and it's wish
in ye good look and good husbands he is
Does not Thomas knoW--?' began Mar
garet, with frown.
"Oh-ay-he knows" interrupted Kitty,
with slight toss of the head-but Immediately
repenting this imprudent gesture, she added,
"Och, but Thomas is quare, headstrong,
ould Body, purr oud soul, he has ay his cranks
and whims-an' one is, yell all three O yees
be married before the years out. Unfortunate,
demented craythor that he is, to take sic an
crazy fancy"
"Crazv, ndeed!' said Margaret, with digni-
ty; but yet, when Kitty was gone, the girls be-
gan, '.iust for fun,' to try the nuts on the hot
shovel in the good, old Fashioned manner
True, no names were mentioned aloud, but that
did not prevent each maiden from mentally de-
signaling her nuts as she pleased; and certainly
the most intense interest glowed in each youth
full face, as it, watched the antic maneuvres of
the mimic lovers in the symbolical pantomime.
Kitty returned to find them engaged in this
most inconsistent amusement; but like wise
damsel she took no note of trihing discrepan
cies. She, on the contrary, proposed that, as
they were trying gHallow Eve games, they should,
at later hour, before going TO bed, try the fa
nous old one ofsowing hempseed by moonlight.
"What is it? how do you do it?'' cried the
sisters, and Kitty went on to explain, how that
the girl who would look into the future as to her
fate, must go by night, alone, and beyond the
hearing of her friends, and scattering hempseed
in the moonlight, must say:
'Hempsecd SOW
Hempseed must grow;
Whoever will be nay true love, come after and now.
And then, on looking over her right shoul-
der, she should see the man she was to marry
coming after her with a great scytbe, moving
and who would most surely overtake her and
cut her heels off with that weapon, if she paused
too long to look. ...
."You forget. Kitty, we are never going to
have any husbands - remarked Sophie, when
Kitty paused in her explanations.
"Oh, well then, no harm done, ," was the re-
sponse-"if yees to have no husbands, no hus-
bands will come, yell no risk yer heels
Tie sisters were in humor for froic, and
would have adventured trial on the spot, but
the allimportant Kitty stopped them.
'.What an a time is this for sich a thing? it's
no yet eight o'clock, and the mune's no up
the earliest hour ever | seen it tried was ten
o'clock, and the midnight hour is better stil.''
The girls consented to wait more propitous
hour, and returned to their 6reside chat. Kit
ty retired to the kitchen, where she whispered
long tale in Thomas ear. The latter listen
ed-nodded his head sagaclousl y-took up his