Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1864-07-23


that their insubstan,ial forms were sup.
ported BY The gross food Of mortals, or
even the exquisite spirituous contents Of
her casks. From all these circums'sucea1
she felt abundantIy satisfied that her fe.
male servsLt knew we'll enough Of the ex.
istence of the flssh aud blood in the cellar.
While the baroness was occupied in
these and similar reflections, her old maid,
who had entertained not the smalleet ap.
prehension chat her mistress could awaken
from such state Of deep somnolency as
that in which she seemed evidently locked.
for some hours At least, began to make
preparations for quitting the room. She
made slight noise, IS If BY accident;
carried Z candle near the face of her mis-.
tress; and asked, with solerable audiLil,y,
If she was awake, or would be helped to
anything? Then, adjusting her head
dress y, the toilet, with more attention
than would have Zee" necessary for an as
signation With ghost, she again repeated
her questions, in lower note; passed the
candle st \ little greate- distance from her
face :; aud. finding oil still and silent, slow.
j. ,ip-.oed out Of the chamber.
She followed in the dark, At shor: dis.
tance, and saw them descending into the
cellar, without any dread OF ghosts or
goblins. On the contrary, she heard
laugh Of triumph, which seemed but little
suppressed, and in which her ear quickly
recognized complete trio. Being thus
perfectly satisfied Of the fact, which was
exactly MS the old lady had suspected, she
returned to her room and, while dressing
herself, determined how she should act.
She was . woman not only Of great
good sense, but Of great good nature and,
not seeing objects in the worst light. had
in her hear. already forgiven them the ter.
ror which they occasioned her, though
she was resolved to punish them for their
audacity little in their own way. With
benevolence in her heart, and IN arch
smile Of cheerful benigni,y on her conn
,enance, she softly descended the cellar
stairs and perceived the fur.ive worship.
pers Of love, ~ we'll ., wine, ., their mid
night orgies. near the favorite cask, in an
internal vault. The mellow light Of .
large lantern gave them completely to her
view; and she found, rs she had suspect
ed, that the recently discarded young man
was no, COW quite so disngrecnbe TO her
squamish old main as he VAS formerly
said to be
After surveying this interesting scere
for few minutes, the baroness retrealed
= step or two back, and gave a stamp with
her foot. She now heard a general scre am,
and instantly advanced but, though her
two servants remained apparently pet'i
6ed with apprehension aud horror, the
friend Of the old maid had instan,aneously,
vanished.
The rood old baroness suffered them to
imagine that she knew nothing Of any
third person hut she sarcssticslly eompli-
men,ed their courage, on thus venturing
themselves in haunted cellar, and e..
pressed wish, now they were oil together,
thu. each hole aud corner Of the vaul.
might be searched for the ghost.
+ At the mention Of this design, . groan
was suddenly heard, proceeding from a
closet in . remote part Of the cellar. The
baroness. assuming great alarm, desired
her man to look into this closet; which,
with some reluctance, he at length did:
but, though the eroaning continued, be
persisted that there was nothing 10 be seen.
She then desired her woman also to look; j;
and she, too. affecting much terror, ~ the
Rroaning was s,ill audible, opened the
door little way, peeped in. and, return.
ing. assured her mistress, ~ she we'll
might, that NO ghost was there.
The old lady now desired her man TO
to take the hammer, and few stout nails
from basket in the cellar, and Instantly
to close up the door; icing, ~ she observ.
ed quite positive, thrt the ghost must uow
be there, where she was resolved to keep
him. Having made her man do this, and
also completely block up the doorway
with full casks and lumber, she drove be
fore her, out Of ,hi. subterranean Paradise.
The guilty pair Of transgressors, and locked
them up in their respective .par.ments.
In tho morning she '.s them out, but
would not permit any approach to the eel.
lar. observing that the parochial priest
should grst be sent for, that he might ex>
ercise the inprisoned ghost, and lay hin
to rest till doomsday In the Red Ses.
Tho baroness accordingly dispatched
her man IN pursuit Of tho person, enjoJ.
ing the CONSERVATION into which Shs had
thus thrown hsr plotting domssties, who
had little conception Of .As eeaing satas-
-