The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1870-01-26
5tIa far tie Taaiss.
.ALM0sT}A GHOST STORY,
AsREAL INCIDENT.
By 6 RAoE @ REENw ooD,.

On o Christmas night, some so or
60 years ago, there were gathered
about the wide fireplace Of a large
New England kitchen. n happy
family circle, consisting of y we'll
to-do farmer, who was a magistrate
known far and wide as ESQUIRE
Percival n--his comely wife, two
fair daughters, a niece, and last,
bnt not least, ason, Just home from
Yale, for the holidays.
The night without was season.
ably cold, and BRILLIANT with moon.
light and starlight. The large
stone farmhouse stood on the
brow Of q hill behind projecting
line of tell pine trees, the only
green in the wide landscape. The
steep hillside and the valley be
meath We're heavily blanketed with
snow. go. s-
The early part Of the evening
had passed merrily with games,
jests and song. But for an hour
or two the conversation had taken
a drift into the realm of the super.
natural. One ghost had succeed
ed another till, as the witching
time of night" approached, and
the fire burned low, the circle in.
stinctly drew closer together, with
thrills and shudders of strange
spiritual dread, which is yet akin
to the keenest pleasure-an awe
some JOY, an d exquisite terror.
The solemn sighing of winds
among the trees, heard in the pauses
OF ghostly recitals, added it's won.
derous, weird effect to tho theme.
just as young Perciyal had con.
clnded a wild German legend,
which he declared "splendid stuff
for Dreams" the outside door was
heard to open suddenly. All
looked around more or less fear
fully, to see standing on the thresh-
hold the slight form of O fair young
woman, clad in white, and looking
strangely pure. and cold, and In.
ninous, like incarnated moonlight.
"With the glide. of spirit !"
she came forward. Her feet were
quite bare, and her arms were
dropping wearily. Masses of fair
hair fell over her shoulders, but
her eyes were dark and fixed with
a melancholy stare. Her lips
were slightly parted and almost
colorless. She came into the cir.
Gle about the h earth and then
paused, standing utterly motion.
less-a beautiful appalling figure.
For a moment all the startled
group remained as silent as that
strange visitor-tben one young
girl caught her breath in hysteri.
cal scream, which was instantly
answered by cry from the pale
lips of "the woman in white" in
to whose blank eyes rushed a wild,
keen light. She gazed abont her
in terror and rbcwilderment, then
glanced down upon herself, and
sank covering upon the floor, COW
ering her face with her hands, and
giving way to childish paroxysms
Of weeping. -.
The farmers wife, a woman of
rare sense and presence of mind,
at once OWNED the truth.
"She is a sleep.walker.n q h a
said. "Shc must be half dead
with the cold. Girls, bring some
wrappingsI'
Immediately all was bustle.-
The farmer and his son discreetly
vanished from the scene, and the
kind mother, daughter and niece
devoted themselves to their bewild.
cred charge, who still wept and
sobbed under their kind ministra.
tit ms, but declared that she felt no
cold and no pain, though her deli.
cate feet were actually bleeding
from the long walk up in the icy
hillside and over the crusted snow.
After having been tenderly put
70 bed, however, she became snffi-
ciently composed to reply to the
few questions which had been put
to her. She said that she was
Lucy Elicit, the niece of the vii.
iage physician; that she had late.
ly been taken from school on ac.
count OF nervousness, and sent to
him for medical treatment, but
that home-sickness and loneliness
had made her worse. She had oc.
'casionaily walked in her sleep be.
fore, but only about the house and
grounds at home, and on summer
moonlight nights. aI think the
moon bewitches me-" Q h o said,
smiling through her tears. That |
night she had, before going to bed, |
looked across tho valIcy 10 the
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