Volcano weekly ledger., 1856-11-15

""N't 'N Nulc W give MN ptIoOidl lCputd~
ton in the village. So one dark night at a
late hour they bent their steps towards the
churchyard, the squire being armed with a
rusty horse-pstol and an enormous bludgeon
As they slowly wandered amid those stone
memorandas of affection for tie departed,
Bradford fell into gloomy reverie. He
thought Of the time when he had seen his own
parents laid in their quiet resting-places; of
the joys of parental love which he had so
briefly known; Of the endearing smiles his
mother had layished upon his boyhood; of
the ailectionate counsels of his father, until
sense Of dreariness came over him, which for
the time, made him forget the object Of his
visit into this solemn place
a conyulsiye grip upon his arm dispelled
his dark dreams in moment, and he turned
to see the squire speeches. with fear, point
ing to some object which was revealed in the
distance. He at once hurried forward, drag
ging with him his companion whose teeth
were fairly chattering with terror. Finding,
however, that the object receded as they adj
vanced, he wrenched his arm from the con
vulsve clutch Of the Squire, and commenced
a vigorous pursuit. His active limbs enabled
him soon to gain a near approach to the
spectre when, to the horror Of the worthy
Noddle, he saw the young man disappear as
it were into the very jaws of the earth
He fired his pistol in the air, and then his
little dapper legs few like drumsticks, as they
bore their qniyerng trunk to the nearest
house, which was the deacons, where he fell
tainting into the arms of that astonished man,
who had opened the door. 1t was some time
before his scattered senses returned to him,
and then the terrible tale was told They
had seen the spectre in the form of a snow
white winged horse; and when Mr. Dale had
outrun him, and came near to it, the earth
had suddenly opened and swallowed him up
The deacon was paralyzed with wonder; but
Jane, having no faith in such spectral agency
with fearful eyes besought her father to go
to the churchyard, for that doubtless he had
fallen aud was seriously hurt But when she
found that his fears were superior to her en-
treaties, she declared that she would 90 alone
She hastily threw on her bonnet and shawl,
and got outside the door, when her father and
his friend siezed her, declaring that it would
be perfect madness on her part to attempt
such thing
AT that moment Noddlc shouted "The
SpectreW and made leap into the house,
The father and daughter looked up, and saw
in the distance what seemed to be winged
steed, while some dark object was evidently
pursuing it, On it came and the deacon's
heart beat quickly, as he saw it approach
directly towards his own house. In a few
moments the distant hills echoed with his
gruff peas of laughter. He had recognized
his old gray mare, which young Dale was
driving home.
The mystery was easily solved. While
Bradford was running in the graveyard, the
arch of an old tomb had given away beneath
his weight, and down he went into it. He
was somewhat bruised, but not severely hurt !:
and when he recovered his self-possession, he
at once saw the difficulties of his unpleasant
postion-for although he had made speedy
entrance, yet an egress was not so easy
matter. The aperture was not much larger
than his body, and that in the centre and
considerably above his reach.
He dared not make any attempt upon the
sides, for fear Of bringing the whole upon his
head; nor did he relish the idea of passing
the night in this place. AT length he thought
Of an expedient He grouped about, and
found that the tomb was not without its ST.
lent inhabitants; and although he felt that
under any other circumstances it would be
sacrilege to disturb those wooden tenements
of dust, yet by pulling them up directly be-
meath the opening, he was enabled to regain
the surface, when the first object he saw was
our parish spectre, the deacon's mare, quietly
feeding near him. She at once started off.
and then the mystery of the wings was man
ifested
1t was no more nor less than the faded
blanket, which was confined to the body by
a kind of half belt, which the motion of the
animal caused to flap up and down in the
wind, not very unlike the action Of a pair of
wings. The grass grew rank in the church
yard and no doubt that was the reason that
caused the old lour-footed lady to stray from
the pasture in which she was placed at night
The deacon took the precaution afterwards to
lock her securely in the stable and the parish
was no longer troubled with a spectre.
The schoolmaster is now known as an en-
ineRt lawyer; and his accomplished lady, en-
deared to large circle Of friends by her COM
panionable qualities, has of course for many
years ceased to subscribe her notes as Jane
/ Sampson. The deacon and his friend have
both passed away; but they often took their
grandchildren upon their knees, and related
to them the story Of The Parish Spectre" F"
Jusr So.-Say what you will, marriage
by advertisement is after all union of two
corresponding" minds.
FORTUNE is tickle Sometimes it isheaped
up like the snow, and like the snow melts and