Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1860-10-26

lights. We were interested in the whole
affair, and maintained profound silence,
while the Spaniard. who remained In our
midst, sung or rather chanted, in a sweet
and sad voice, the following words:
''The sepulchre opens wide,
| The eofin-lid falls away
Behold by the black graves side
The phantom, grim and gray !"
After this first couples, he lifted his voice
solemnly and said,
"You have asked to see your friend
Francois Vialat, who was drowned three
years ago ! what do you see p ..s E.
81 see" answered the young student
from within the pavilion, "a pale white
light that rises inside the window, but it
has no form, and nothing but vague
cloud"
We remained in state of stupefaction.
''Are you afraid p cried the powerful
voice of the Spaniard.
Il am not afraid, " answered the student
in voice none the less assured -.
We scarcely breathed The Spaniard
was silent for moment, then he struck the
ground with his foot three times and sang
again, but this time with deep command
ing tone,
| phantom gray in the wide sea drowned,
| Wan of cheek and hollow of eye.
Wrap thyself i'll thy shroud around,
| And come hither at thy masters cry!
The song ended, the Spaniard turned
once more to the door of the pavilion, and,
with voice still more solemn than before
cried, .
''You who desire to sound the deep mys-
teries of the tomb, what do you see 2"
| We listened with breathless anxiety
The student replied, in the calm voice of a
man who watches with curiosity the details
Of physical phenomenon.
Il see the vapor elongate itself and take
the shape of a phantom. This phantom
has its head covered with long vail. 1t
remains in the place in which [ first saw it. %
care you afraidi'' said the Spaniard,
insultingly.
Proudly and bravely the young man an
swered, Il am not afraid -
We scarce dared look at each other, so
great was our astonishment and so much
were we occupied with the wild motions of
the Spaniard. who tossed his arms over his
head and invoked three times a name sin
full to utter, after which he sang the third
verse of his demoniac song, in shrill re-
verberant voice:
''The phantom is come ; the ghost is here.
He says. i hear my dear friend CALL
he loves too well to feel fear
When lift my veil and cast my pail. +"
The Spaniard, as soon as he had finished,
repeated his diabolical question.
"What do you see p
II see," answered the student, s'the
spectre advancing. He lifts his veil-it is
Francois Vialat-he approaches the table
he writes-it is his signature.
care you afraid?'' cried the Spaniard
| with sort of hoarse fury.
There was moment of awful silence
Then the young man replied in q calm and
equable tone.
! "No, I am not afraid
Then the Spania1d, as if attacked with
an epileptic fit, leaped and shivered in a
sort of frenzy, and sang in a hoarse, gut
tural voice. the last Internal stanza:
''The phantom says to the braggart boy
| clasp thy neck with shuddering joy,
My lips to thine forever I'll hold.'"
"What do you see! p cried the Spaniard
in voice of thunder. -
"He comes-nearer-nearer he pur-
sues me! He opens his arms-he en-
braces me help !-help p! Oh, help, say. +"
care you afraid p cried the Spaniard,
with sort of ferocious joy. rar {
A piercing cry, then stiaed groan, were
the only replies to this terrible question,
ssAssist this young braggart, said the
| Spaniard to US, III bitter voice. Il have
won the bet, but it is enough to have given
him lesson. Let him keep the money,
and be wiser in future" +" t'
Having said this he walked rapidly away.
We were stupcfed We opened the door
and found the student in horred convul-
sions. A paper signed with the name of
Francois Vialat lay on the table. The mo-
ment the young man recovered his senses,
he demanded where was the magician, the
infamous magician, who had been ths cause
of such horrible proclamation. He wished
| to kill him. He ran to the tavern to seek
! Hlul--lle- iuSiltu Ilhe IL ulduIitt4 Out INV
the night t. discover him, we saw him no
more. s. ---- iaaHe fs-
THAT is my story, boys.." said uncle
Otis, drawing deep breath.
| In the dead silence that prevailed-so
much were we impressed with the story-I
was the only one who had the courage to
say, .-.... f...... .. 81,
| "And after all that, how is it that you
don't believe in ghosts?'
because" answered my uncle, "neither
the young man nor the magician ever came
| back, nor with them the five thousand
francs that myself and fellow-travelers had
contributed towards the bet. Those two
rascals had robbed us, after having played
under our noses comedy the price OF
which I shall not consider too dear If it
convinees you that it is only fools who be-
lieve in ghosts
The MENTAL GIANT WONDERED AT.-A
Kansas correspondent of the New York
Erc1i1g Post thus amusingly sketches the
impression made upon his Western auditors
by Gov. Seward's personal presence =
"The crowd was too much awed by the
reputation Of the man to be very enthusi-
astic in its demonstrations of applause, and
/ the general sentiment seemed to be one OF
surprise, that such little, mild hammered,
respectable gentleman should have made
| md baoornn