The Van Buren press., 1869-04-13
VAN BUREN, ARK, APRIL 49, 1869.


yon do areally brave thing"
What shall il beS swear to satisfy
you, Barbara" F."
q" have a proposal to make 10 YOU.
My plsn requires skill As we'll us courage.
| +" Tell me"
"Well, In this house Is aman watching
by corpse lie has sworn not to leave
his post until morning II YOU can make
him do il, shall be satisfied that you are
smart, and brave, as | require husband
to be-"
why, nothing is 50 easy" exclaimed
Fritz can scare him away. Furnish
me with q sheet, show me the room, and
go to your rest, Barbara You will find
me at my post in the morning"
Barbara did as he requested, and saw
the tanner step blightely away to his task
| 1t was then nearly twelve clock and she
sought her own chamber, Bans .t. 80
Barney had been sitting at his vigil,
and so far all had been well. The night
seemed very long. for bo bod no means
of counting time At times thrill went
through him, for il seemed as ii he could
hear low suppressed breathing not far
away but he persuaded himself that it
wss ,he wind blowing through the
CT, vices of the old house Still il was
very lonely and not at all cheerful
The face in the coffin CLEANED whittier
in the darkness, The rats slueaked a. ii
famine was upon them, and they smellcd
flesh The thought him shudder He
got up and walked about but something
made slight noise, rs if somebody was
behind him, and he pat his chair with the
back against the wall, and 80. down again
He had been bard al work all day, and in
spite Of everything, grew sleepy. Final
ly, he nodded and snored. .'
Suddenly i. seemed as if something
touched him. He awoke with start
bat saw nobody near, though in the ecu,
ter Of the room stood white figure
q Curse you, get out of this" he exclsim-
ed, in fright, using the very first words
that came 20 his tongue, The figure held
up its right arm and slowly approached
him lie started TO his feet, The spectre
came nearer, pressing him into . corner.
" The deevil take you"' cried Barney, in
his extremity @
Involuntarily he stepped back. Still
the figure advanced, coming nearer, aud
extended both arms, as if to take him in
a shastly embrace The bair started on
Barney's head; he grew desperate, and as
the cleaning arms would have touched
him, he fell upon the ghost like a whiri,
wind, tearing off the sheet, humping,
pounding, beating aud kicking, more aud
more outraged at the resistance he met,
which told him the truth. s.. .r-..
As the reader knows, he was big and
Fritz little, and while pummeling the little
tanner numerically, and Fritz was trying
to lunge at Barney's stomach to take the
wind out OF him, both plunging and kick
ing like horses, they were petritied by
herrius ,'o;oe ory out
Take one ofyour own size, big Bar
new" la#t' ...I
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 pair of stays,
1t was Barbara herself who came and
opened the door upon Ernest the next
morning.
It's very early; one 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 Iftbey dis
covered the trick, they kept the knowl,
edge to themselves and never willingly
faced Barbaras laughing eyes again