Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-04-25
MY GRANDFATHER,s GHOST STORY

MY GRANDFATHER'S GHOST STORY.
| have frequently heard the following
marvellous story related by my grand
father as an actual episode in his life
| will give it, as nearly as I 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 man
whose veracity l had never any reason
to doubt:
1t was during a summer vacation that
| met Karl Korner. was reading hard
Tor 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 ehums, whittier, if books
and butterflies became too monotonous,
| could flee for a day or two's relaxation.
These friends had very much pressed
me to take up my abode wholly with
them; but had I done so, | might as
well have left Greek and Latin behind
me, for all the use / should have made
of them there; so l 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 to family who had resided
abroad for several years, and was let.
during the summer months, in apart
ments to visitors I had but one fellow
lodger when | first came to Bucksleigh.
Karl Korner, German, who, with his
servant and the old woman who looked
after the house, was, besides myself. its
only inhabitant. From the first he
curiously impressed me. In appearance
he was the very beau-ideal of the mys-
ferrous German of romance. Long fair
hair, blue eyes deeply sunken, pale hol-
low cheeks, a moody demeanor, and tall
powerful fgure-he might have been
Charles Moor himself In bis 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, as though he fancied some un-
pleasant object were behind him. No
one was suffered to enter his apartments
save his own servant, dark saturnine-
looking man, as mysterious as himself.
| questioned Mrs. Adams, the house
keeper, as to 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 wa.
to be given him she was, in all respects
to attend to his wishes, and, above all
was to ask no questions. The time o
his sojourn was uncertain /; he nigh
leave at any moment. This was all tn,
information she possessed.
There was something about Korne
that attracted and yet repulsed me
The mystery that excited my curiosit
may be ascribed to the first feeling; tn
dark sinister expression that sometime
mingled with the gloom upon his fac
to the second. l frequently saw hir
wandering about in the forest durin
my chronological rambles; but both i
and out of the house he avoided an a,
tual meeting.
We had been fellow-lodgers about
fortnight, when, without having pr,
viously exchanged greeting, we becam
suddenly acquainted. 1t happened
this way: | had been out in the fore.
all the morning butterfly hunting, an
having captured in my net splendi
red admiral, two peacocks, and som
smaller fry, was lying basking in til
shadow of huge beech, gloating ov.
my prey, when, happening to look u
saw the German leaning against tire
with his arms folded, and his eyes bel
upon me. / had not heard his footfa
upon the soft turf, and his sudden a
pearsnce quite startled me. Without
word of introduction he threw himse
upon the grass and entered into CO
versation as freely as though we hs
been old acquaintance. He spoil
English fiuently, although with a stro,
foreign accent. found him to be
man of highly cultivated mind. o
topics were Greek, Latin, poetry, emf
mology, scenery; and upon all his !
marks were equally just and full
knowledge. He grew warm and e.
quent, his cheeks flushed, his eye brigl
fAa rhal
Suddenly, without any warning, in t
very midst of speech, he stopped, t
color died out of his face, leaving
CHASTITY pallor in its place, while
eyes, full of horror, stared wildly up
vacancy. The change was so instan
neous that for moment was stru
as speeches. as himself, my eyes
stinctively following the direction
his. could see nothing but the wavi
branches OF the trees and the brig