The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-04-26
MY GRANDPARENTS GHOST STORY.

MY GRANDPARENTS GHOST STORY.
| have frequently heard the following
marvellous story related by my grand.
father as an actual episode in his life.
] VIII give it, as nearly as / can remem-
Der, in his own words, leaving each
reader to form his own opinion upon
the Incidents, without any commentary
upon my part, farther than the state
ment that my grandfather was a man
whose veracity ! had never any reason
10 doubt
1t was during a summer vacation that
| met Karl Korner. was reading hard
for my degree; for having been some
what idle and dissipated during the
term, found it necessary to spend what
should have been my holiday among
my books. For this purpose ] pitched
my tent at Bucksleigh, an ancient and
romantic village in the New Forest.
was guided by several considerations in
my choice Of locality: first, it was a
reasonable distance, even in those days,
from London and Oxford secondly, !
was bitten about that time by an ento-
biological mania, and here was the spot
Of all others for rare moths and butter
flies thirdly, delightful and salubri-
Gus climate; and fourthly, not far away.
near Stony Cross, was the family seat of
some college chums, whittier, if books
and butterflies became too monotonous,
could flee for day or two's relaxation.
These friends had very much pressed
me to take up my abode wholly with
them; but had | done so, | might As
II IL, -, Ill,
me, for all the use | should have made
Of them there so prudently declined,
with the compromise have mentioned.
The house ! lodged in was at least as
OLD as the Tudor days-pointed roof,
overhanging stories, latticed windows,
painted beams, dark oak staircases, pan
eled rooms, carved fre-places, etc. 1t
belonged 30 family who had resided
abroad for several years, and was let.
during the summer months, in apart
ments tovisitors. | had but one fellow
iOdger when ! first came to Bucksleigh.
Karl korner, German, who, with his
servant and the old women VINO looked
after the house, was, besides myself, its
only inhabitant. From the first he
curiOusly impressed me. In appearance
ferrous German of romance Long fair
hair, blue eyes deeply sunhen. pale hol-
low cheeks, a moody demeanor, and tall
powerful fgure-he might have been
Charles Moor himself. In his habits he
was reserved to moroseness. He had a
weird way of talking to himself, and a
strange trick OF almost every moment
casting sharp fearful glances over his
shoulder, a. though he tancjed some I'M
pleasant object were behind him. No
one was suffered TO enter his apartments
save his own servant, dark satulnine-
looking man, rs mysterious as himself.
| questioned Mrs. Adams, the house
keeper, as 10 who he was. But she was
as much in the dark and far more curl
Gus than myself respecting him. About
two months before his arrival she had
received letter from her master, who
was then residing in Germany, to say
that foreign gentleman would, in the
course of few weeks, arrive at Bucks
leigh. The choice of apartments was
TO be given him; she was, in all respects,
to attend to his wishes, and, above all,
was 10 ask no questions. The time of
MS sojourn was uncertain; he might
leave at any moment. This was all the
information she possessed.
There was something about Korner
that attracted and yet repulsed me.
The mystery that excited my curiosity
may be ascribed TO the first feeling; the
dark sinister expression that sometimes
mingled with the gloom upon his face
to the second. / frequently saw him
Il Oh in, ha "a
my chronological rambles but both in
and out of the house he avoided an &C
tual meeting.
We had been acknowledges about 8
fortnight, when, without having pre-
yiously exchanged greeting, we became
suddenly acquainted. 1t happened in
this way: | had been out in the forest
all the morning butterhy-hunting, ano
having captured in my net a splendid
red admiral, two peacocks, and some
smaller fry, | was lying basking in the
shadow of a huge beech, gloatIng ovel
my prey, when, happening to look up
saw the German leaning against tree
with his arms folded, and ms eyes BEN
upon me. / had not heard his footfal
upon the soft turf, and his sudden ap
pearance quite startled me. Without ;
word of introduction he threw himsel
upon the grass and entered into con
yersation as freely as though we haC
been old acquaintance. He SPOKE
English fuentiy, although with strons
foreign accent. found him TO be
man of highly cultivated mind. Gu
topics were Greek, Latin, poetry, ento
mology, scenery; and upon all his re
marks were equally just and full o
knowledge. He grew warm and elo
quent, his cheeks flushed, his eye bright
ened, the whole man was transformed
Suddenly, without any warning, in tn
very midst of a speech, he stopped, Tia
color died out of his face, leaving
CHASTITY pallor in its place, while hi
eyes, full of horror, stared wildly upol
vacancy. The change was so instsnta
neous that for moment | was strucl
as speeches. as himself, my eyes in
stinctively following the direction o
his. ! could see nothing but the wavinj
branches OF the trees and the brigh