Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-03-17

ing to such narrow dimensions as hardly
TO leave room for two people TO pass. Va
rious cross passages branched nom IL,
leading to cellars, and disused lumber
holds of all sorts and sizes. To keep out
damp and cold the passage was cut of
from the parlor and divided into
compartments, by more than one door.
s.No man is wise at all times, says the
proyerb, and no man is brave at all times,
saws l. To tell the truth, felt unusually
nervous, and experienced very unpleas-
ant sensation inthe indefinite apprehension
that might ''see something, l knew not
what.
| had mind to turn back, but dreaded
my fathers Jokes and my sisters laughter.
| well knew my mother, dear SOUL would
'stick up" for me, but that would not in-
Auence the other two so | screwed up my
courage and went on, carefully feeling my
way by the wall On reaching one Of the
doors lust mentioned, cautiously threw it
open. Heaven and earth, there stood But
teraee Yes, there was no mistake about 1t
this time there was the veritable, dreaded
Butteraee, in oil the awful horrors of
phostly majesty His whole body glowed
like a red-hot mass of iron; he appeared
to float in the air; his head, brighter and
more vivid than the rest of his body,
touched the ceiling; his feet were some
wav, but not far off, from the floor, his
ewes. oh dear oh dear their burning,
fiery expression was altogether too much
for me. | stood motionless, transtiXed
with terror and amazement, my soul we'll
nigh "harrowed up, and leach particular
hair" no doubt, standing on end
I had no sooner beheld the terrible ap-
narition than my ears were snluted with a
dull, screaming groan, which sounded
through the passage. There was a rnsh, as
Of a stormy wind, and the ghost of Butter
flee swung toward me, as if to clasp me in
his hideous embrace. | cried with loud
voice. and fed in frantic haste in the di-
rection of the parlor, into which / rushed,
exclaiming, as | fell into my mothers
arms, butterflies ghost Butterflies
ghost "
NV mother looked as frightened as1 was,
so did my sister, who showed signs OF
s,goine Off into real faint; but my faith
er as he snatched upa candle, and went
hastily out of the room into the passage,
merely said, "What an ass that boy is!
No doubt, good reader you quite agree
with my father; but allow me to ask, did
YOU ever see ghost Or (what is justthe
same thing, so far as the fright goes), did
YOU ever think you saw ghost? Did you
ever stand face to face with one, close on
board of you, hear his awful groan, and
see him advance, as You verify thought, to
seize you in his arms? If you never did,
then you know nothing at all about 1t, and
are not entitled to 'write me down an
ass" or even to give an opinion on SO i'm
portant subject.
The other phenomena were the joint pro-
duction of Thomasina (called Tammy for
shortness) the housemNid, our man Joseph,
and my own Imagination. Tammy and
Joe were loving couple, and if you Went
to look for one you were pretty sure to
find the other not far of, Their story
was that they had been to the cellar TO
draw some cider for supper--they had TAX
en- a candle with them, but some how or
other it had gone out-blown out by the
wind. as they said and every one
of course, believed them, The groan
was the complaint of the rusty hinges
of the cellar door--the rushing sound was
well, / don't think that was ever satisfac-
torily explained; but the dash of Butterhee
into my arms was occasioned by Miss Tam
my, who very cleverly contrved to fall over
Joseph, and, clutching at the great fish to
save herself, sent it swinging through the
darkness in the direction of myself.
have been east and west many n long
mile since then, and in many a far distant
country, and have seen many a sight, moi
only of wonder, but of horror, too; | have
faced perils by land, and perils by water,
but can safely say that none ever gave me
such an awful turn as the terrible appari,
ton of ButterAee's Ghost