Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-12-30
81 GRACE GREENWOOD.

! VS.
1 .As: :: - n'.l'1.-
Il BY GRACE GREENWOOD.
Il On ! Christmas night, some Nifty OF
dxty years ego. there were gathered
around the wide fireplace of large New
i England kitchen, happy family circle,
j oonsisting OF . well-to do farmer, who
was : maeistrats-known far and wide
q esquire Psrcivar-his comely wife,
two fair daughters, niece, and last, but
not least, son just home from Yale for
tho holidays. .
| The night without was seasonably cold,
and brilliant with moonlight and star.
light. The large stone farmhouse stood
on the brow of hill behind protecting
line of pine trees-the only green in the
wide landscape. The steep hillside and
wide valley beneath were heavily blank
eted with snow.
passed merrily with games, jests. aud
song. But for an hour or two the con-
versation had taken drift in the realm
Of the supernatural. One ghost had >uc-
ceeded another, till, as the ''witchiDg time
Of night" approached, and the fire burned
low, the circle instinctively drew closer
together, with thrills and shudders Of
strange spiritual dread, which is yet akin
to the keenest pleasure-an awesome Joy,
an exquisite terror. The solemn souyh-
ing of the winds among the pines. heard
in the pauses of ghostly recitala, added
its wondrous, weird effect to the theme.
just as young John Percival had con-
cluded wild German legend, which he
declared splendid stuff for Dreams" the
outside door was heard to open suddenly.
AL looked around more or less fearful, to
see standing on the threshold the slight
form of fair young woman. clad all in
white, and looking strangely pure. and
cold, and luminous, like incarnated moon
light.
with the glide of spirit" she came
forward. Her feet were quite bare, and
her arms were dropping wearily.
Masses of fair hair fell over her shout
ders, but her eyes were dark and fixed
with melancholy stare. Her lips were
slightly parted and almost colorless. She
came into the circle about the hearth and
there paused. standing utterly mo,ionless
"a beautiful, appalling figure.
For moment all the startled group re-
manned as silent. as that strange visitor
then one young girl caught her breath in
a hysterical scream, which was instantly
answered by a cry from the pale lips of
"the woman in white" into whose bleak
eyes rushed wild keen light She gazed
about her in terror and bewilderment.
then glanced down upon herself, and sank
covering upon the floor, covering her
face with her hands, and giving way to
childish paroxysms of weeping.
The farmers wife, q woman of rare
sense and presence of mind at once di.
vined the truth.
"She is q sleep-walker !" she said "She
must be half dead with the cold Girls,
bring some wrappingsw
Immediately all was hustle. The far
mer and his son discreetly vanished from
the scene, and the kind mother, daug hters
and niece, devoted themselves to their be-
wildered charge, who, still wept and
sobbed under their kinds ministrations, but
declared she felt no cold, no pain, though
her delicate feet were actually bleeding
from her long walk up the icy hillside
and over the crusted snow.
After having been tenderly put to bed,
however, she became.sufiiciently composed
to reply to the few questions put to her
She said she was Lucy Elicit, the niece of
the village ply sieian that she had lately
been taken from school, on account OF
nervousness, and sent to him for medical
treatment, but that homesickness and
loneliness had made her worse. She had
occasionally walked in her sleep before,
but only about the house and grounds at
home, and ON summer nights.
II think the moon bewitches me-" she
said, smiling Though her tears
That night she had, before going to
bed, looked across tho little vall.y to the
pleasant house on the hill. watched the
cheerful Christmas lights cleaning
through thepine trees, and longed to be /
one of that happy party there, though she
was q stranger to all.
She cried herself TO sleep, she mid, and
that was all she knew Of her mysterious
midnight tramp over snow and stones and
ice. Not a memory, not thought could
she recall till the moment when she found
herself on that hearth, in her night
dress, with SO many wondering eyes upon
her.
"Oh, dear what do you think Of me
What can. you think of me now" she
moaned.
"Never mind what we think of you, my
poor child" said good motherly Mrs. Per,
cival, 1--WE love you already, 30 just drink
this nice ginger tea and go to sleep
The "poor child" got little natural
sleep, and in tho morniug appeared some
what less ghostly than the apparation of
Christmas night. But che was still very
pale, with p!ayfully shy, grieved look
She was suffering less than was expected
from the exposure, but more from the
nervous shock of the night before, and by
the advice Of her uncle, who bad been
consented to remain with her
new friends for u few days.
Young John Percival WAS Hospitality
kind to the invalid guest, not seeming t,
perceive that she shrank from his atten-
tions in sensitive, di-quieted way. Yet
when his eye was not ON her, she was OBJ
served to study his face with peculiar
expression. She could not re-
having seen that face ut the fear.
full moment of her awakening, aud she
hoped he had not been u witness Of that
walking trance, which she regarded with
absolute horror.
Finally. on the last day Of her visit,
finding herself alone with him for a mo-
ment. under u desperate impulse, she
asked:
did you, too, see me that night, Mr.. ),
Percival ?"
He was touched by the tremble in her
voice and the wistfui Look in the dark
eyes but he answered honestly s
Il cannot deny that did see you" |
80, sir ! what must GU have thought ~
Thought why thought if ghosts
would always come in such shapes,
would never fear them more"
The shy smile and roay blush that his
playful answer called forth, seemed first Z
to reveal to the young coliegian that the /,
pale, sad vision Of the night was u lovely
waking flesh and blood r atty.
never herd of Lucy Elicit revisi,ing
The glimpses Of the moon as somnam. I
bulist after this, but did hear that Oh I
another c ristmns night she stood on the ,
hearth of the old farm house, dressed all
in white in the m ii - If tho an mo fa nilv