The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-04-03
MisorlIanp.


The Devll's IBre6Ay Ksxssoa 10
8Itisa great many years aes. but I hAvs etill
= most vivid recollsctiea of TIE taEriAa &SAt
that "ButterAees Ghost gapo Na'sJNe Snee
livinr At The period q the Avail Dvnt he 3o9y
ola. rambling ,use O. the eoDt q ;CQnvull.
TIE Mace had % altered ~ aAls1p ~ h
successive teua that il bore curioes 49,
blsace to one of those strange seg93dSeficuS Ct
chs insect world which incfsAssd " bSds AadI
ofshoofs, have promiscuously two hsada r. -
stomach, or two stomaehs 10 one Aea1.i aNd
whose heads and tails are intsrchanegahls, and
sdo duty in either capacity, Just g saay Is
found convenient, pleasant or prcdeAble.s antlsi
The whole building was masss q pesSaSss
and rooms with little or no apparens t<EAnss-
ment-steps up here, steps down there, passages
leading to rooms, and passages leAding 70
nowhere in particular; pantries ssad spsrlefs,
bedrooms and larders, kitchsns and osllars Ill
jumbled up together. But e was in pssssge1,
cellars and concealments o. ell sorts that NJ
ser, method IN be sselning confusion, tpr
had been the headquarters Of notorious
smuggler and wrscf /, AID vas admirably saited
fo- the concealmsnu % his contraband wAres,
and the plumber sQnirsd by wrecking and vari-i
Gus other not less villianous practices
At that time and in that part Of the country
every one had a nickname by which. and NJ
which only, he or she was recognised There
was always some reason for the s0ubrQuct-gsn-
orally q Ridiculous often disrep0tsble one !;
why, never understood, bat far and wide this
old IL cal wa called "ButterAy," - according
to the Cornis onunciation, sButteedee" His
real name W. city, but few knew him, and no
one e.er spo Of him by that AAme. It was tbs
universal b / that Gold BnttsrAee' had sold
himself to Evil One for . Thousand pounds
and mira ,us inexhaustibls keg of brandy.
Blu, sriie, .as been 1deaA for . score or two Of
years, .ne thousand pounds and many more
1.-The produce of smuggling and plunder, had
long ago been dissipated in riot and debauchery,
BY his heir bns the devils brandy kegr" had
never been seen since his death, and was atill
concealed, it was asserted, in some lnysterious
recess or corner in the old house. and over which
the ghost Of Butterfee had been condemned 20
keep watch and ward. 20 laAl batani sss'vs.s
II any one had pluck enough to face the ghost,
and luck enough to find the miraculous key, be
would become lawfully possessed of the wonder
full vessel, which would yield to him, rs it had
! done to ButterAee, continual supply of the
strongest aud most exquisitely favored brandy.
pc Whassver may be the case now. ut thst time
teetotal doctrines were utterly unknown, IN
ssthose parts" and total abstainers were indeed
few; ! doubt whether single live specimen
could have been found in . long days march.
Brandy was therefore in universal favor, and
many an adventurous and thirsty soul bad RUM
mayed the old house from top To- bottom in
search of the magic brandy none had found 1t,
but some rho had fortified their courage; before
procesdir On the adventure by goodly supply
of spiri aimed from more Legitimate source,
had n their discontinue and fright, en-
counter, ne vertable ghost of BstterHee him
self, wrapped in fiery sheet, snd glsring ON
them, not with. 'lacking lustre eyes,p but with
10 od fvvn ~ kSSs~
% indy. sgsvspg .seai.R sssla8
{ TO express disbelief in the ghost OF ButteAee
was. in the eyes of every man, woman and child
in the village, to be'worse than heather. g
/ had heard the story u Butterflies ghost
over and over again, and though I pretended to
laugh at what was pleased to'call the "unedu.
Gated ignorance Of the rustic mind" was in
heart muck more than half o believer sao.bA
On the eve, tful nighto of my ghostly enooun-
ter it was ulo ying n terrific gale; indeed, the
weather hid been 40, bad that it had kept us all
indoors the whole day Tea was Just over, and
The family party had settled down to their rsril
ous oocupations--my father TO- his pipe, my
msther and sister 10 their sewing, and I took
my book, which was Mrs. Groves ssllight4ide
of Nature"-an edifyiny production certainly,
but just then the @new book" The converse.
ton had taken ghostiy turn-my father relst.
ing may stories of the supsrssitiodss Of the
neighborhood, and Others which he had picked
up in his travels.
whistled through the crevices Of the shutters,
shaking every window in the old house, and
making the very tiles rattle again on the lofty
roof.
f., 'By George how it lblowsln said my father,
breaking off in the middle of his lecture ON the
supernatural. y"Go to the kitchen, Jack, and
tell Bsniamin to take soma of the lads. down
with him TO the cove and haul the boat further
up the beach; il she remains where we left her,
she will DO knocked into tsothpicks at high
water"
q rose from my seat to do asIa was hidden, and
: was taking a candle from the table, when my
father, whe was about to light his pipe with e
said. 'never mind the candle, Jack surely . fsl.
low who wants to be sailor can find his way in
the dark The gh much disconnected BY thia
remark, l made no reply, but put down the Light
and was going out of the room, when my sisres
said, somewhat maliciously, stake care OF But.
terfees ghost, Jack"
Now l may as well candidly confess that did
not feel at all comfortable. The passage leadins
to the kitchen happened to be Bntteraees favor,
!. lite cruising ground. It was q long. !. rambling
place, here bulgin into the size of q room. asd
there contracting 20 such narrow dimensions d
hardly to leave .nom for two people to pass
Various cross paasages branched fromfit. lead.
ing to oellsrs, aud disused lumber-holds Of ali
sorts and sizes. 10 keep out damp and cold the
passage was cut off from the parlor and divided
into compartments, by more than one door
'No man is wise at all tiines' says the proverb
and no man is brave ut all times, said I. Ia
tell the truth, / felt unususlly nervous, and
experienced very unpleasant sensation in ths
indefinite apprehension that might "see some.
thing" knew not what. l.a. a s, "a !. ~ 80 |
] had mind to turn back, but I dreaded my