Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-05-31

-Eg tHAhlp4 WITH 1hE dEADLESS AOhSES.
On TIE right bank of the Opequan--that
auresdue little stream which, rising
Love Manchester. in the valley of Virginia,
VS. between rush-clad banks and be-
..a.A white-armed sycamores to the Po-
-ac--there stands to-day, as it stood fif-
years ago, an old country house. This
use las wide hall, full of deer antlers,
tt4reS OF race horses, fishing rods, fowl
il. pieces and game bags In the large
7Arments Of the mansion, portraits of
les and cavaliers, in lace and rut1ies,
towu from the walls Without tall
4. ; rctea their mighty arms against the
,r.s An. sigh around the gables. In front
the broa d porteh extends sort of chase,
tied over with other oaks SO huge and
that thew are dying at the top. Be-
-a,h the hill how VIZ the 0pequan with a
continuous murmnr. ''river of time"
~rsng the Potomac, It's eternity.
In the thirty wears which have rolled over
-e head Of the present writer since his
.ldhood-each of which has destroyed
NE hope, brought to him some griet, or
rne away upon its dusky wings some
-ar lusion--many hours have been
F@nt by him in this good old mansion, and
Use hours were among the happiest OF his
.z.s,ence. The faces, the eyes, the lips
.aE eyes smiling lips ! where are they
". They shone and laughed once, to-
ay they are dim and cold.
Among the advertisements OF the place
LII tine were ghost stories" Whence
ines that profound interest taken by so
.ly persons in tales of diablerie? Does
\ ,?npg from some inherent weakness OF
n human mind, some craving for theory
life more exciting than the real? L
-.T not but ! know that many hold to
-- oe ief that there are more things IN heav-
and earth than are dreamed Of IN the
a44Sophy Of mortals Above all is this the
5reti0n Of the young, it was the convlc-
] at least, of him who writes this page
-5 @ long gone years when he read with
n Tenor If the nerves, the woDdrous mar
ives Of wing, "Phe Mysterious Picture"
lie Devil = I'd Tom WALKER" and all the
.!erful repe. .,t0rie Of that prince of story
4 54at was better than reading ghost
:.es, however, was hearing them. In
I'd house on the Ot1equan ne received
l. portion of his educa non. by the " IN
Ire, or in the Summer nights, he lis
q with more or less credulity, as ais
=: were few or many, to those singular
atiyes which escape from the Ups OF
4 ,ged in the midst of a circle OF awe
TX listeners and, though since that
many real persons and events have
into oblivion which awaits all human
g. those narratives, falling upon the
'essible mind of youth, struck 50 deep
l.: they remain rooteo in his memory.
he Of these tales of diablerie is here
aelted. 1t is not the product Of the i'm
E-Aton, a fable feigned for the enter,
llent of the reader, but the offspring OF
-0Ty. 1t was told me in the old house
ave mentioned, the lonely mansion, with
haunted chambers" its dusty corridors,
-lge oaks without, those boughs, as
>Eaed, brushed against the windows or
1>=d around the gables with weird
Mysterious effect, which made the au-
-'e star: at times and hold their breath.
+s story was called The CHARIOT WITH
1 nEADLEss HoRsEs, and was as follows:
any IN the present century, there come
: small village On the Potomac, in
'Iia, young gentlemen named Shlr-
II ls not necessary to say that the
f'tsnce of a youthful stranger in any
see OF the known world is an occur
% u breathless interest to the fraternity
,1ssips, VITO have their representatives
where and young Shirley at once
4lIfated upon himself hundred eyes
"ag1es. All that anybody knew of
was that he came from Lower Virginia,
Eened to design remaining at the vii