Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-04-21


destroyed; IL was was once paper, now II
is so much timer, so much vapor. You
will understand before have finished my
address, that what once has been, always
will be; and that what is, always has been
under some shape or other. Perhaps at
the present moment" he took sip
of water-''I am imbibing portion of {.
love-letter written one hundred years ago. ,
Mr.. Soper allowed the professor to con-
clude his discourse without further inter.
ruption, leaning back to his chair thought
fully, and paying no heed to the words of
knowledge. He complained of not being
very we'll; and when the first part of the
entertainment-the scientific part--came
to q close, and the dancing and feasting
was about to begin, he excused himself
from further attendance. He was an old
man now. he said, and would leave that
sort of thing to the young people; so he
wei round to the "Black Lion" and or
de- I'd them to put his horse to, while he
titled himself with strong glass of
Drandy-and- water, the night being parti-
cularly nasty one; and on top of that he
had another glass, still stronger, and then.
pulling his coat we'll up about his ears, and
his hat well down over his nose, he got
into his gig, and went rafting down the
street
There was no mistake about the rain; it
was that logged, downright rain that evil
IDENTITY means to make night of it, and yet
was not of that steady description that may
be circumvented by an umbrella, or parti-
cular inclination of the body. No! it WAS
in league with the wind, WHICH was howl
ing with the force of forty lunatic asylums
let loose, and blown hither and thither in
wild, disorderly manner there was no
guarding against: and then the horse, in
stead of running straight ahead, as a horse
should do in the experienced hands of Mr..
Soper, insisted on a zig-zag course, as
though with the idea that, if he could but
make flank march, he would get behind
the wind and be all right.
There! it was decided at last. 1t had
been a matter of contention, all along, be-
tween Mr.. Soper and the wind, as to which
should have his hat; he naturally thought
that he had a right to his own property,
but the wind seemed to be of a different
mind, and the wind got its way. MIR. Soper
had put down his whip, and clapped his
hand upon this coveted property, and had
he kept it there the victory had been his;
but the wind was not to be baffled like that;
it made feigned attack on the apron,
which was well buttoned down, and would
have resisted all efforts at dislodgement,
but Mr.. Soper, forgetting this, fell into the
snare, and left his hat unguarded for mo.
ment only for one moment, but that was
enough. With scream of triumph, the
wind caught it, and whisked it of into the
darkness, and there he sat, bareheaded to
the beating of the pitiless rain. There was
no help for it, that he knew at once, for the
hat must be miles away by this time, so he
tied his handkerchief over his head, though
it was very soon wet through, and drove
doggedly on. The rain got down his neck,
and through the handkerchief, and under
the handkerchief, and his eyes, 80 that he
could scarcely see. and into his ears, so
that it sent cold SILVER all through him
there was one particular cold and penetrat-
ing drop that made him shake bis head, as
it went on its voyage Of discovery into the
inner cavities of his ear and all this time
that brute of horse was lodging, first on
side and then on the other, and the very
hedgegrows as well as he could see them
in the darkness, seemed, blown as they
were with the wind, to be setting to one
another in a ghostly fashion; and it was
altogether the most uncomfortable drive
that MIR. Soper had ever had. But the
only thing to be done was to whip his horse
and keep him in rs straight line as pos
sible.
Tom Soper!'
He pulled up suddenly, all in tremble,
and looked over his shoulder, expecting to
find some one in the spare seat of his gig,
for the voice that called him seemed close
to his ear, but no one was there; and then
he peered into the darkness, right and left,
and then, with an angry shake of his
shoulders, muttered, bah! twas only fan.
cy. What fool ami Get on, old horse. d
And, with a lash OF his whip away he went
again, splashing through the mud.
Tom Soper"
There was no mistake this time, yet,
though he turned round very sharply, he
could see no one; and then his hair fairly
stood on end, except that portion that was
held down by the handkerchief.
who's that?' said he,
'fou can't see me-" said the mysterious
voice, $50 it's no use looking
"Who are your" asked Tom Soper
"The Ghost Of the Last Will and Tesla
ment of Lady Dudgeon.
Good Lord" exclaimed the unhappy
man, and sat plump down on the wet cush-
ion; for he had stood up, you must under
stand, when he looked around
Eyes, Tom, tbs all true what the Profess
sor said; you can't destroy anything. You
thought you had destroyed ne, didn't you,
when you threw me on the fire, and watch
ed the smoke go curling up the chimney?
But you didn't destroy me, you only killed
me. My body, the black cinder, was bur-
led in the dust-bin; my spirit, that smoke
you watched, went up the chimney and
Joined the clouds, Rather mixed company
up there, Tom, | can assure you-all sorts
OF low iorgeries and Ges-so that am glad
to get down again; and now, at this pres
ent moment, Tom, / am snugly ensconed,
III the shape Of a drop Of water in your
right ear-no! it's no use, you can't get at
me with your finger and there mean to
remain until eyaporlse.
"Shall you be long eyaporising, sir?" ask