The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-06-26


Gregory Hutchinson raised himself
from his seat for moment, and look
ed through the open house-door.
Know him know who? There
amt no one" he said
| There was some one just now; L
saw him. she answered.
| " Well, he's vanished then" and
Gregory laughed. - Ye're fond o.
seein ghosts, Pris. I remember, year
after yer mother died, We set up
screechin one night in yer bed, and
when L went to zee to shake We up
Lord, save us!" he suddenly cried,
arting from his seat.
There was man standing In the
doorway, with a grin upon his face,
| looking in He was man about five
and-forty, dressed stability, almost
raggedly, with a cunning, dissipated,
reckless face. He stood composedly
gazing in, and only grinned the more
broadly when Gregory started to his
feet at sight Of him, and cried, Lord
save us" The next moment
Well, he has saved you,' the new
| conner said. in thin, whining voice,
| : and given You a pretty tidy berth,
I too. What more d you want? You re
snug enough, here. friend Gregory"
He stepped 1nto the house as he
spoke. and Gregory Hutchinson came
forward also step or two He was
entirely shaken out of his ordinary
surly indifference py this apparition,
and his face mad become the color of
ashes, to his lips.
We, are talkin' o ghosts just now,
and We come as If yer was one, he
said. 81 thought ye was dead years
ago AA q -. -
! Much obliged to you," the other
answered with sneer. Dare say
you grieved for me, too, didn't you?
I'd have come back to you sooner, if
I'd known" He went forward to the
table where the drinking things were
standing. What's this you've got?
brandy?"she said, and he took up the
bottle.
We think could afford
to drink brandy p Gregory cried, with
a hypocritical whine.
The other raised the bottle to his
lips and took draught from il before
he answered. Then, as he replaced
why shouldn't you afford it ?" he
asked, cody. 1T don't take you long
to earn your money. H
Dan, hush i-for-for God sake I"
the old man cried.
He stood, with all his face livid,
pointing towards his daughter. She
had risen up and was standing erect,
not with any look of fear, but collect
cd and alert. The stranger had hith-
erto stood with his back to her, but at
the sight of Gregory's eager panto-
mime he turned around and faced her.
A moment after he had broken into
an expression of coarse admiration
that brought the blood to her cheek
She made step forward, and said
quickly
Who is this man. father?''
The stranger answered her before
Gregory could speak.
: A friend of the family, my dear,
he said, Familiarity. My names
Dan Skeeton, and you ought to have
heard of me before now, for my friend
Gregory must have forgotten day or
two in his life that's past if he's for.
gotten me, and he looked at Hutch
inson, and chuckled as he saw him
vince.
Yer needn't talk afore the CELL"
the old man said hurried!y, in husky
voice; 8 If we've been-been wild, it |
amt for her to know"
why not? She's blood of your
blood, amt she?" Skeeton said rough
ly. - Your daughter wouldn't need |
to have delicate ears, or you've |
changed from what I've known YOU"
He turned away, and going back to |
the table, took up the bottle of spir-
its again. After few minutes the
two sat down and began to drink.
Priscilla had gone back in silence to
her seat and her work ia the window,
interfering with W hat went on, neither
by word or sign. Presently Skeeton
began to- lead the talk to his and
Hutchinson's doings in their former
days. The conversation was all |
on his hands at first, for Greg
DRY more than once. by nudgings /
and pointings at his daughter, tried to
silence him; but by degrees he began
to give way in his reserve; excited by
Skeletons talk, as the spirits that he
drank mounted to his brain, he gradu-
ally forgot his first. reluctance, aud,
by the time that half an hour had
passed, with drunken recklessness he
had entered heart and soul into his
companions humor. From that time.
with hideous merriment, they recalled
together one scandalous adventure.
after another Of their past life, they
exulted over their old villanies, they
-cheered one. another In their iniquity
as they went on drinking, each, in
horrible denial and mockery of his
humanity, trying more and more to 7
paint himself lower than the beasts.
And Priscilla sat still and heard it