The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-03-12
Srlrttro ,llistrIIanB.
TnE pEyIL,S brandy KEG.

luE DLNtIIN bItANDt hEhs
II is q great many years ago. but / have
still 4 most vivid recollection ofthe terrible
fright that BUTTERFLIES Gnost gave me-
We were living at the period Of the awful
event in n very old, rambling house on
the coast of Cornwall. The place had
been 20 altered and added TO by successive
tenants that IL bore q curious resemblance
10 ono OF those strange organizations of
the insect world which increased by buds
and o~hshoots, have promisouously two
heads to one stomach, or two stomachs 10
10 one head, and whose heads and tails are
interchangeable, and do duty" in either
capacity, Just as may be found convenient,
pleasant or profitable.
The whole building was a mass of pas
- sages and rooms with little or no apparent
arrongement-steps up here, steps down
there, passages leading 10 rooms, and pas
sages leading to nowhere in particular;
pantries and parlors, bedrooms andnrders,
kitchens and cellars, all jumbled up to-
gether. But 1t was in passages, cellars
an | co~ncealments Of ali sorts that the
house was most remarkable. There was,
however, n method in oil the seeming con-
fusion, ion il had been the headquarters Of
u notorious smuggler and wrecker, and was
admirably suited for the concealment of
his contraband wares, and the plumber nc.
quired by wrecking, and various other not
less villainous practices.
At that time and in that part of the coun-
uNt every one nhu n nickname by which,
and by which only, he or she was recog-
nized. There was always some reason for
tn SObriqid -CenoInlly n ridiculous, often
a disreputable one; why, L never under
stood, but far and wide this old rascal was
called Butterfly, " or, according 10 the
Cornish pronunciation, "Butterlee." His
real name was Lefty, but few knew him. and
no one ever spoke of him by that name. 1t
WAS the universal belief that ''old Butter
hee' had sold himself to the Evil One for a
thousand pounds aud a miraculously mex
haushble keg of brandy.
Butterilee has been dead for q score or
two of years, and the thousand pounds and
many more-tho produce ofsmuggling and
piunder' had long ago been dissIpated in
riot and debauchery, by this heir; but the
devils brandy keg" had never been seen
SINCE his death, aud was still concealed, 40
II was asserted, in some mysterious recess
or corner Of the old house, and over which
the ghost of ButterAee had been condemn
cd to keep watch and ward.
II any one had pluck enough 10 face the
ghost, and luck enough to find the mircu-
lous keg, he would become lawfully pos
sessed Of the wonderful vessel, which
.. wonld yield to him, as 1t had done to But
tertiee, a continual supply of the strongest
and most exquisitely favored brandy.
Whatever may be the case now, at that
time teetoth doctrines were utterly un-
known in "those parts" and total abstain
ers were indeed few; | doubt whether n
~ Nv Nhlhl Nbhll llNNt Dttn IOuiu
in II long days march. Brandy was there
lore IN universal favor, and many an ad-
ventnrous and thirsty soul had rummaged
the old house from top 10 bottom in search
..... OF the M 'gie brandy; none had found il,
but some who had fortified their courage,
before proceeding on the adventure, by a
H... goodly supply OF spirits obtained from a
more legitimate source, had much to their
discontinue and fright, encountered the
yertable ghost of Butterhee himself, wrap-
ned IN IA hlpW Ehalt aud lawsa. -. A.
not with 'lacking-lustTe eyes" but with
orbs which resembled two saucers of burn
ing brandy.
10 express n disbelief in the ghost of
Buttertiee was, in the eyes of every man.
woman and child in the village, to be worse
than n heather.
l had heard the story of Butterflies
Ghost over and over again, and though !
pretended to laugh at what l was pleased TO
call the 'uneducated ignorance of the rus
TIC mind, | was in heart much more than
half q believer.
On the eyentful night Of my ghostly en-
counter It WIS blowing n terrific gale; in
T deed, the weather had been 80 bad that il
had kept us all indoors the whole day. Tea
was Just over, and the family party had
% settled down 10 their various occupations
my father to his pipe, my mother and
sister TO their sewing, and / 10 my book,
H which was Mrs. Groves 'Night-side of
Nature'-an edifying production certainly,
pNN Jtn Ahoi II htW bOOks Inc con-
versation had taken a ghOstly turn-my
father relating many stories of the super
stitions of the neighborhood, and others
which no had picked up in his travels.
r The southwestern roared in the chimneys,
and whistled through the crevices of the
shutters, shaking every window in the old
house, and making the very tiles rattle
o.. again on tho lofty roof
as-FI "By George how it blows - said my ia
Their, breaking off in the middle of his lee.
ture on the supernatural. 500 TO the
.fU kitchen, Jack, and tell BENJAMIN 30 take
some OF the lads down with him to the
.TEf cove, and haul the boat further up the
beach, II she remains where we left her,
she viii be Knocked into toothpicks at high
y-l water" E
rose from my seat to do as | was bid
den, and was taking q candle from the Ia
, BILE, when my father, who was about 10
light his pipe at il, said, never mind the
lGR candle, Jack; surely a fellow who wants to
be a sailor can find his way in the dark. .
Though much disconnected by this remark,
Tlu 1 made no reply, but put down the light
and was going out of the room, when INV
sister said, somewhat maliciously. Take |
l.1 care of Butterfiee's ghost, Jack"
Now may as well candidly confess that
did not feel ut all comfortable. The pas
sage leading 90 the Kitchen happened 10 be
'nI1 Butterflies favOrite cruising ground II
was q long, rambling place, here bullying
into the size OF a room, and there contract