The Placer herald., 1869-09-25
MOST A GHOST STORY.
A Real cident.
BY GRACE GREENWOOD.

wide fireplace Of a large Nav England kitch.
en- happy family circle. consisting Of a well.
to'do farmer, who WAS exc a magistrate
known far and wide as Squire Percvsl"-
his comely wife, two fair daughters, a niece,
and last, but not least, son, just home from
Yale for the holidays.
The night without was seasonably cold, and
brilliant With moonligh. and starlight. The
large. stone farmhouse stood on the brow Of
q bill, behind protecting line Of tall pine
,rees-,he only green in the wide landscape
The steep hillside and wide valley beneath
were besviIy bIsnketed with snow.
The esrly part of the evening had passed
msrrily with games, jests, and songs. But
for an hour or two the conversation had Ia
ken drift into the realm of the supernatu-
rs One ghost story bad succeeded to an-
other, ill, as the "witchng time of night"
approached, and the FIRE burned low, the
circle iustinctvay draw closer together, with
thrills aud shudisrs OF strange spiritual dread
which is yet akin to the kesnest pleasure
an a~esome j)y, an exquisite terror The
solemn soughing of the winds among the
pines heard in the pauses OF ghosty recitas
added its wondrous, wierJ effect to the
theme.
just as young John Percival bad conclu-
ded wild Germ IN legend, which he declar-
ed "splendd stuff for dreams" the outside
door was heard to open sudenly. Al look
ed round, more or less fesrfully, to see stan
ding on the threshold the slight form of
fair young woman, clad all in white, and
looking strangely pure, and cold and lumin-
ous, like incarnaied moonlight
With the glide Of spirit she came for
ward. Her feet we're quite bare, aud her
arms were dropping wesrly. Masses Of fair
hair fell over her shoulders, but her eyes
were dark aud fixed with melancholy stare.
Her lips were slightly parted aud almost
colorless She came into the circle about
he hearth, and there paused, standing utter
y motonless-a beautiful, appalling figure.
For moment, all the startled group res
NAMED as silent as the strange vistor-tben
one young girl caught her breath in a hys'
teIica scream, which was instantly answer
ed by cry from the pale lips Of the "wo-
man in white, into whose blank eyes rushed
a wild keen light. Shs gazsd about her in
terror and bewilderment, then glanced down
upon herself, aud then sunk covering upon
the floor, covering her face with her hands,
and giving way to childish paroXyms of
weeping.
The farmers wife, a woman of rare sense
and presence Of mind a, once devned the
truth.
'Sbe is a sleep walker!'' she said. "She
must be half dead with the cold Girls
bring some wrappings."
mmediatey all was bus The farmer
and his son discretely vanished from the
scene. and the kind mother, daughters and
neice devoted themselves to their bewildered
charge, who still wept and sobbed under
their kind nlnlstratloDs, but declared that
she felt no cold and no pain, though her
delicate feet we're actually bleeding from her
long walk up the icy hillside and over the
cru.ied snow.
After having been tenderly put to bed, 4,
however, she became sufficiently composed
to reply to the lew questions put to her
She said she was Lucy Eilet, niece OF the
village physician-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 bad occasionally walked
in her sleep before. but only about the house
and grounds at home on summer moonlight
nights. 81 think the moon bewilches me-"
she said, smiling through her tears. That
night she had, before going 10 bed, looked
across The llttIe valley, 10 the pleasant house
ou the bill watched the cheerful Christmas
lights cleaning through the pine trees, and
longed to be one of the happy party there,
though she was a stranger t. all.
She had cried herself TO sleep she said,
and tha. was all she knew about her mystic
rlous midnight tramp over snow and stones
and ice. Not memory, not thought
could she recall ill the moment, when she
found herself standing on that hearth, in her
night-dress with SO many wondering eyes
fixed upon her.
%! dear what did 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. Perc-
val, we lore you already. go jus! drink this
nice glngsr'tea, and 60 to sleep
The 'poor child got little natural sleep,
and in the morning appeared somewhat less
ghostly, iban the appsrition of Christmas
night But she was still very pale, with
painfully shy, grieved look She was suffer.
lng less than was expected from the expos.
ure, but more from the nervous shock of the
night before, and by the advice OF her uncle,
who had been summoned, consented to re-
main with her new friends for \ few days.
Young John Percivsl was Hospitality kind
to the invalid guest, not seeming 10 perceive
that she shrank from bis attention 10 a sen
siii'e dsqust way. Yet when his eye was
not on her, she was observed TO study bis
face with peculiar iuquriug expression.
She coald not remember having ssen that
face at the fearful moment of her awakening.
and she hoped he had not been a witness OF
that waking trance, which she regarded with
absolute horror.
Finally, on the last day Of her visit, find