The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-12-18

irom the fact that Barbara had sent
i "Have YouT changed ayour mind,
/ Bsrbara21 laskedsitl sIssnsA. /. Il E.fI
fs.No; and q shall mott until 4 know
that You can do afeaily brave thing .
+ What. shall yit. be?' / swear To
satisfy you; Barbara f'5ts q:
uhave,ca proposal to make you.
My plan requires skill as well as cou-
rage" !" ~ |'e'-s., : = <, y -
"Tell me-" JheG oy
ssWell, in this house is man
Watching by a corpse. He has sworn
not to leave his post until morning.
If you can make him do it, I shall be
satisfied that you are as smart and
as brave as I require a husband to
be."e ,41
s.whyy,, nothing is so easyl" ex-
claimed Fritz, "I can scare him
away. Furnish me with a sheet,
show me the room, and go to your
rest, Barbara. You shall find me at
the post in the morning"
Barbara did as required, and saw
the tanner step blithely away to his
task. 1t was then nearly 12 o'clock,
and she sought her own chamber,
quickly.
Barney was sitting at his vigil,
and, SO far, all had been well. The
night seemed very long, for he had
no means of counting the time. AT
times thrill went through him, for
it seemed as if he he could hear low,
suppressed breathing not far away;
but he persuaded himself that it was
the wind, blowing through the Gre
vices of the old house. Still, it was
very lonely, and not at all cheerful.
The face in the coffin cleaned
winter through the darkness. The
rats squeaked rs if O famine were
upon them and they smelled dead
flesh. The thought made him shud-
der. He got up and walked about,
but something made slight noise,
as If somebody was behind him, and
he put his chair with its back against
the wall, and sat down again. He
had been hard at work all day, and
at last, in spite of everything, he
grew sleepy. Finally, he nodded and
snored.
Suddenly, it seemed as if somebody
had touched him. He awoke with
start, and saw nobody near, though
in the centre of the room, stood O
white figure.
Course you, get out of this'' he
exclaimed, in fright, using the first
words that came to his tongue.
The figure held up its right arm
and slowly approached him. He
started to his feet. The spectre came
nearer, nearer, pressing him into the
corner.
"The ID take your cried Bar
ney, in his extremity.
Involuntarily he stepped back; still
the figure advanced, coming nearer
and nearer, and extending both arms,
as If to take him in ghastly en-
brace. The hair started up on Bar
ney's head; he grew desperate, and
just as the cleaning arms would have
touched him, he fell upon the ghost
like q whirlwind, tearing off the
sheet, humping, pounding, beating
and kicking, more and more enraged
at the resistance lie met, which told
him the truth.
AS the reader knows, he was big,
and Fritz was little; and while he
was pummeling the little tanner un-
mercifully, and Fritz was trying in
vain to get lunge at Barney's sto-
mach, to take the wind out of him,
both plunging and kicking like
horses, they were petrified by hear
ing voice cry:
Take one of your size, Big Bar
ney"
Looking: around, they saw the
corpse sitting up in his coffin. This
was too much. They released each
other and sprang for the door. They
never knew how they got out; but
they ran home in hot haste, painting
like stays.
It was Barbara herself who came
and opened the door upon Earnest
the next morning.
"1t's very early; ono more little
nap" said he, turning over in the
coffin.
So she married him; and though
she sent Fritz and Barney invitations
to the wedding, they did not appear.
Ii they discovered the trick, they
kept the knowledge to themselves,
and never willingly faced Barbara's
laughing eyes again.