The Union. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866, 1864-03-25

score OF JoVIal companions, many OF Who!n
he did not remember having seen before,
but whoelaimed his acquaintance in spite
of his poor memory.
In order to prove themselves jolly set
of fellows, they made free to order splen-
did supper to be given in honor of Terry,
to which they invited him, and which in
vitation he accepted. His vanity was
vastly tickled by this token of their disin-
terested (?) friendship, and he at once en-
tered upon a life of dissipation, in which
he was joined by his newly acquired
| friends.
Terry was ia a very short period trans
formed into tippling young scapegrace;
toasted by the young men, and fattered
by the girls, he supposed himself to be a
very important individual; he drank until
mis- 'skin was full of whiskey and his purse
full of emptiness" as his townspeople used
to express it.
No sooner did it become apparent that
his money was all squandered than his
''summer friends" concluded that he was
no fit companion for them. When he
reeled around town with money in his
pockets, they pronounced him a spirited
young fellow; but as soon as he staggered
along the streets penniless, and shabby in
his appearance, they termed him a.drunk-
en- beast. Possession of money, and the
lack of it, called forth those two different
appcllations, In word, his money and
(so-oalled) friends left him at about the
same time. Tcrry cursed his false friends
and his own folly when too late, and, des-
! aF
able young man, he boldly plunged into
the vortex Of intemperance, and in less
than one year after receiving his inheri-
tance he had squandered it all in proftless
pursuits, and penniless and friendless, he
wandered away one night, and was on the
following morning found dead by the
roadside short distance from town. He
had perished from the combined causes Of
intemperance and exposure to the inclem-
ency of the weather.
The Coroner held an inquest on the
body, which done, his acquaintances took
possession Of it, aud bore it to neigkbors
house, after which invitations for II
wake oyery his corpse were sent around
town.
A merry party met there; songs were
sung, tales were tol4, jokes We're cracked,
and the whiskey flowed freely, and so did
the blood from broken nobs and noses at a
later hour. Terry was "waked" decent
ly; so all said, and two days after that he
was quietly placed beneath the turf.
Phelim Mccormick, the undertaken
who had furnished Terry's coffin, was an
old bachelor, living alone in u cabin ON
the edge of the town. lie was fond of
whskey, and rarely retired without his
head as full as it could hold of the fumes
of his favorite drink.
On the night following Terry's burial,
Phelim. having imbibed pretty freely from
a suspicious looking black bottle which
stood on table, turned into bed, and be-
fore settling himself for good, he clasped
| his hands and was just about saying
prayer or two, when he was somewhat
startled by hearing deep groan near the
head of his bed A small lamp, standing
on the table, shed feeble light around
the room, barely sufficient to enable one to
distinguish objects. But Phelim turned
his head towards the spot whence the
sound proceeded, when he was Mortified to
behold an object all in white standing
near his bed, its eyes mournfully fixed on
him.
Phelim Mccormick, though as super
stitious and as eredulous as any of his
copntrymen, was also, like them, no cow
ard; so, hastily crossing himself, he sat
boldly up in bed, and addressing the spec
tire, said, In the name of the Holy Vir-
gin, who are you? where did you come
from and what the devil-I mean, what
in Heavens name do you want?"
The figure glided towards the table,
trok seat, and turning its eyes on Phelim
in bed, replied,
81 am the ghost of Terry O'Rann! I
came from me grave, and [ want to have
short discoorse wild you, Phelim McCor-
mickw
Phelim surveyed the figure well, and
certainly could not dispute the identity of
the ghost. The voice, face and figure,
were those of the lately deceased Terry.
"Holy mother of Moses, it is Terry !"
exclaimed the undertaken; ais it dead
or alive ye are, Terry?" asked he, as a
bright thought entered his head, that per-
haps Terry had been only in trance,
and not dead at all, and had come to an
nounce the fact But the ghosts reply
soon dispelled this illusion.
ssDead to the world an me friends am
: I, but frightfully alive to the inconvenience
} ye put me to, Phelim Cormickp
"What do you mean, man alive?" asked
Phelim, as he stepped from his bed and
began to dress himself
''Pm not alive, tell ye!" said Terry;
: "but dress yourself, and we'll talk the
matther over" d
I When Phelim had dressed himself he
: went to the hearth, stirred up the smoul-
: dering embers, put fresh turf ON them,
: and soon had bright fire burning, she'd
! ding genial warmth throughout the
/ room.
"Phelim, you have me thanks for your
D forethought in making fire, for I've come
; from cold, damp place!" said the ghost,
t shuddering.
The undertaken sat down at the table
opposite Terry; he probably thought ii
prudent to have table between the ghost
4 and himself After seating himself, he