The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-09-30

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"What shall il bel I SIS ear to sati1f
you, Barbara $ ;za::...r~5: q ss.s vi
: III have = proposal to make, you
My plan requires skill Is we'll - cour
age.''j 49, = III S@4'f 7a1 90
"Tell me.' z.e -.' %>u.x =. :, !.
Swell. 10 this house is = man watch
ing BY corpse. He has sworn not /,
leave bis post until morning IF 70.
can make him do il. ! shall be osatis6et
that you are as smart and - brave as !
require . husband to bs.'"a ~. son
""Why, nothing is 80 easy" !" exclaim
ed Fritz. II can scare him away
Furnish me with . sheet, show me, fhe
room, and 60 to your rest, Barbara
You will find me atathe post in the
morning." I 'a@.s .t,@ -: @To !
! Barbara did as he required, and saw
tho tannes slip blitbely away to his task
1t was then nearly twelve o'clock,
and she sought her own chamber.
Barney had been sitting at bis vigil,
and SO far all had been. we'll. The
night seemed very long, for ho had no
means Of counting the time. AT times
a thrill went through him, for it seemed
to him as if he could hear low, sup
pressed breathing not far away, but he
persuaded himself that it was. the wind
blowing through the crevices Of the old
house. Still it was very lonely, and
not at all cheerful. .,,r:..u4
The face in the coffin cleaned whittier
through the dark ness *The!r.ts squeak
ed as if famine was upon them and
they smell'e'd !l''!, flesh: The thought made
him shadder. ro He sgQt up: and .valked
about, but something made ight
noise, as if somebody was behind him,
and he put = his chair with the Sack
against the : wall aaadd' a 81 ,d9vne again i
he. had been at hard work, call day,
and in spite If II everything he grew
sleepy ) Finally he nodded and snorea.
10 -, Suddenly, it seemed Is II somebody
had touched him. He saxoke with. .
start'b but saw nobody near1 though in
the centre Of the room stood4 4 white
figure. "Curse you get out Of this ~
be exclaimed in fright, using the
very first words that came to his
tongue The figure held up its Ri ght
hand aud slowly approached him. He
started to his feet. The spectre came
nearer, pressing him into coroer.
':The devil take you r cried Barney in
his great extremity. ::
1nvolantarily he stepped back. Still
the figure advanced, coming nearer and
nearer, and extending both arms. The
hair started on Barney's head he grew
desperate, and as the cleaning T arms
would have touched him he fell upon
tie ghost like a whirlwind, tearing off
the shest, humping aud pounding,
beating and kicking, more and more
enraged as the resistance he met which
told him the truth. ~.
As the reader knows, he was big and
Fritz was little, aud while he was pun
melting the little tanner numerically,
and Fritz was trying to luage at Bar:
ney's stomach, to take the wind oat Of
him, both plungipg and kicking like
horses, they were petrifed by bearing a
voice cry:
"Take one Of your size, big Barnayw
Looking around, they saw the corpse
setting 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 haste, painting like stays, ii
Itwas Barbara herself who came and
opened the door upon Earnest the next
morning. "'. >. -.;.s: f.. ~.
otis very early; one more little nap"
said he, turning over 10 his coffin. ,s42
So she married him, and though she
sent Fritz aud Barney invitations to the
Wedding, they did not appear. # they
discovered the trick, they kept the
knowledge to themselves, and g never yer
Willingly faced Barbara's laughing eyes
again. --- ---> .<... .~,- --. -------.--
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