Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-12-10
NJ | ) { L L L 4 \ Y .
From Chambers journal.
THE COCh-AND-BULL CLUB.



nra,., .,c ,7o,or, .,,,s,.
have never sem A rh0st, and / don y
want to see one. Ifopvfbinr of lint not,rc
under a mistaken notion of 5sncftinr me bv
warning me of a danger. or n,intinc ont y
treasure hole. or n,,tting mo mn to q oood
thing ON rrtrrn snort;n,, overt sboulJ
present itself I should he f,ISI SI,tenrd to de,tb
there would, if I know mvself he onntbn,
ghost in the room in obtnt half minmto
IS for devil-mov.coro dors ybo ,;s;t ronr,,,
olisos alone and ot midn;rbt or who oro
nrenared IN sir nm in tba;r SoI;t,rv bods ond
pronounce their own names so,nIrl,, tbroo
times with tl,o ;ntont;nn of rai,;n', +Lo;.
familiar sririts-I dnn,t LoIiove sncj cro,-
lures exist. What man dore do-,yitb rnos.
on and respectabiIitv-I dare. .vbo daros 4,
more, l have good authority for stating, lis
none' When a certain spectral lirht steals
into nv bedchamher upon a sudden, | am
accustomed to make me n sort of Crime,n
onlv at long intervals to hreo tbe. hnvo lEst
more nonnds of Acsh IN tbIsmanner tbronrb
moonbeams than onv African traveller sHr-
renders to the sun. We'll do 7 r,mnmh her
that particular terror in nv bovbood- which
resulted in nv remaining n, fye feet sevon
instead of six feet ono and b,lf-tbe olt;'
tude attained hv each of NV brotbo,z. that
shock from which nv constitution +, n t,vo
entire wears to recover itself dnr;no which
at vonth's most rro,y;nr t;moNI G;d not
approacb the STARS bv q singla inch yeas
about nine wears Of 3oe wbon tbo fr;nbtf,I
incident occurred and what is called hS varv
old persons who have forgotten what school
was-a happy school-boy: that term, how
ever, was, Just then applicable to me enough
since had got away from nv place of du
rance and instruction for lew days of Eas-
ter vacation. | was stayinr at the bouse of
a cousin, who lived in the outskirts of n large
PROVINCIAL town. of wbicb-asI kent in mind
with unutterable awe-he was then the
mayor. Cousin Richard was short and stout
to a degree that | should be now inclined to
term 'podgy;' but being vested with this su
preme and mysterious dignity. he seemed to
me to nossess a nrasance more mnosinq than
that Of anv other being unon the earth $
surface. When he said .Ynn mnst sleen in
the red room. Harry. since Won are 50 fond
of getting up early. and then YOU won't dis
turb the house in the morning, in putting
on YOUR boots I submitted without remon.
strince. That did like rettipn up early
SO that mirbt enjoy as much Of the rr,,sent
immunity from nv scholastic priyilepes AS
possible that I did commonly make a trc-
mendous noise in pulling on nv boots, was
true enough; but that sh ould be put in the
red room, the state-apartment dedicated to
exalted guests. away from the rest of the
house, and-almost to certaintv-haunted.
seemed mode of prevention worthy of the
worst DAYS of the inauisition. Had my father
proposed such proceeding, had my school
master, had indeed, any authority with
whom could crapple, and of whose powers
l could calculate the extent, would have
protested manfullv; but the edct of the
mayor appeared to settle the matter beyond
dispute, and knocked under at once with
an Asiatic serylity.
need not saw how the rest of that after
noon was embittered by the thought of the
night that was to follow: those Who are ac-
quainted with such terrors can easily enough
imagine them those who are not. can
never be made to understand them by mere
description. Enough to say that about nino
o'clock p. m, found myself in the big bed
in the red room, in a cold bath of perspra-
ton, and with nv ewes tightly closed. en-
deavorinc to 90 to sleep before the adults OF
the house should have retired As LONG ms
the noise of tongues and feet continued
however much in the distance. nv mind
would I knew. he comnaratiyelv tranouil
and subject to the influence of the dream,
god but if once the sense of solitude should
creep over me, slumber would become impos
sible, and should fall victim TO the dread
ful nowers of darkness for the rest of tn,
nirbt
did oo N sloan in accordance with
,bese nrnfonnd calculations. hnt nnhopnilv
and contrary to them. I woke about tbre,
hours afterwards II was midnight. did
moi require the weird accents of the cuckoo
clock upon the stairs to tell me that. nos
sassed as acute a percention of that phostl,
time as aldermen of their dinner-h0ur. o.
station masters of the period when the nir h
exnress is wont To dash for moment betwee,
the trembling walls, The moon was SHINING
through the shutterless windows, and throw
in, al kinds of suspicious shadows abou
the old red room Red room Wbv red
The marrow in nv voutbfnl homes caugh
mch n chill at the hare ioea that did no
core :, reneat tha question Two oolsnn cnn
boards which. in nv haste To get into til
regions of oblivion. had f3rrotten +
examine. began To harass me with onxietie
about their contents. slinned cantiousl
out of bed. Good heavens was somebod
holding on to nv nigbt-oown. or -? No
il was a lonp one. and had trodden unon
with nv ow1 foot-thot was all Iapnroach
ed the doors. and without taking the libert