Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1856-12-26
From Peterson's Magazine.
Aunt Eapzibah and the Spirits.
BY MISS C E. FAIRFIELD.


to this po!y old place, l promised t
advise you from time to time of my ex
periences. Well am going to be ii
good as my word.
Wildfre Hall IS a queer place bu
on the whole l rather like it. 1t is al
ancient, half-tumbled down mansion
and they say has been in the family sine,
before the Revolution and there are F.;
great many immense elms and button
woods around it, which I suppose hav'
stood just were they do now for thest
hundreds of years. You see it is JUS
the place for ghost-secing-but I mus
not anticipate.
Uncle Deac On Wildfre is tall, thir
theological looking individual, who al
ways dresses in black suit, and wears
a white nockcloth. with face as long as
the moral law any time, but on Sundays
and preparation" days as long as the
law and the testimony both. And yet
he is good man, and fond Of a joke
too in his quiet way.
How in the world he came to have
such daughter as Kate, and such a
son as Allan, I can't imagine. / don't
think aunt Wildfre could have been
Just fitting person for deacon's wife.
But forget that l hadn't told you
anything about aunt Hapzibah yet
You see. she is uncle Jobs half sister.
and since aunt's death she has taken
charge of the HOUSEHOLD, because Kate
won't be housekeepcr any way. She is
a real cross old maid, the straightcst,
thinnest, severest-looking individual it
was ever nay lot to see. She drinks
strong tea, and goes to sewing societies,
and talks solcmnly through her nose !;
and yet she is continually scolding and
fretting, and gossiping and prying into
other peoples business, in the most pro-
voking way in the world.
The funniest thing happened, the 9th
er day, that ever you heard in all your
life. You sec, Allan and Kate and l,
had been down to Squire Peters, eve
rvbody is squire or deacon or cap
tain here to spend the evening and they
fell to talking about the spirlt-rappings,
so we got up Il circle amongst ourselves.
We sat and sat, and sat for almost fif-
teen minutes, and bv-and-by Frank gave
the table shove, Just in sport but
Ellie Peters told him to be still and
wait Just five minutes more, and if it
didn't move of itself in that time we d
give it up. SO we all sat here, quiet
as could be, till began to trcmblc, and
the tears came in Hates eyes, when all
at once the table began to move, and it
went faster and faster, and spun ronnd
and round and we were all frightened
most to death and ran out of the room
as hard as we could go, and shut the
door upon the table just as it was COM
ing through the doorway after us.
Well, as you may think, we were all
a good deal frightened but Al laughed
at us, and said it was electricity, and if
he only had battery, he'd show us a
great deal stranger things than that -
and as it was getting late, he thought
we'd better go home.
Now Lizzie said Kate, as we were
walking al ong, don't you say word
in fathers presence, for he'll be very
angry about it and as for aunt Hap,
she would set us down as hopeless cases
at once if she knew it..
YES said Al, but I'll bet a hat,
Lizzie, that you can't keep the secret if
you try you'll be sure to let the ca.
out at some unguarded moment
NO indeed said l, as earnestly as
possible, and l felt it too. 1T is very
saucy in you, AL, to insinuate such a
thing. I'm quite as close mouthed as
you arc, at any time
Well, when we got home, we found
aunt Hap sitting up in the dining-room
taking red pepper tea for cold.
why aunty,' said Al, Il hope yor
amt sick
Law child she said, with her usua
groan when anything ails her; 'yor
know | amt never well, and I've beer
dreadful low spirited for week or two
it's enough to make body down sicl
abed TO see the way you young folks
carry on. a settin' up nights and a frol-
icin' gals didn't use to act SO when
was young. ltatfects my sperets amaz
ingly to see my brothers children, ant
he deacon, se,tin' such an example,
went into the hall to lay away m,
things, and didn't hear AIS reply, bu
as | came back heard aunt Hap say,
'Sperets Al, am astonished at you
YOU know | hain't no faith in sperets
and besides think it's sin to max
use of EN-. What would your fathe
say to such language, sir y
OF course thought AL had been tel
ling about the spirits, and considered
that had a right to be angry.
There, l thought so, said |, L knew
you'd tell aunt Hap that we had beer
to see the spirits. Never talk to mi
about keeping a srcret again.
What 2 said aunt Hap, have yo,
been to see the spere,s Marcy to us,
thought l smclt birthstone when yo,
came in. I'm amazed that young peo
pie brought up as you have been. th
children of deacon. should countenanc
such things
BY this time Al was laughing read
to kill himself. Bravo ILL., said he
you have done it now. was only tell
T..