Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-12-26
CHRISTMAS EVE.

Talbot, old fellow, you will lose the yerv
cream of the hunting. Nice open wealth.
er, with the scent breast-high, and the
horses in their best form. We draw
Appley Gorse on Wednesdays sure
lind and splendid county. l want
you to show these Melton dandies at
Lord Whipham's the way over Billings
ley Brook. 1t is pity to leave us Just
now" Thus spoke our veteran M. F.
H., thorough sportsman, and genial.
warm-hearted gentleman of the old
school, with whom had been favorite
ever since he first rated me, at the ripe
age Of ten, for riding my shaggy pony
too close to the leading hounds.
|, Talbot Carew, whose name figured
in the Landed Gentry as second son of
Francis Carew, ESQ, of Harbledown
Court, and in the Army List Lieuten-
ant in light cavalry regiment, looked
rueful enough, l dare say, as l assured
the good old master of hounds that
there was no help for it, and that with
all my desire to stay until the frost
should put stop to our sylvan enjoy
ments go l must. The fact was that NV
regiment was under orders for India,
and that before we sailed my father had
urged me to accept an invitation tospend
the Christmas with an uncle and an
aunt of mine, certain Sir Charles and
Lady Treherne, who lived long way
of, in the West of England, and whom
it SO happened that had not seen since
my schoolboy days. l had no particular
desire to devote my last days
in England to a visit at Bramshaw Hall.
where had never before been guest,
and 1t was especially unpleasing to 1ne
to leave home just then.
was very kindly received by the
baronet and by my aunt-it was Lady
1reherne, by the bye, to whom | was
related--and found myself welcomed by
number of guests of different ages,
ranging, so far as | could guess, from
seven to seventy years, most of them
Blankshlre people, or from the adjacent
counties. was the only late arrival,
for all the others had been for several
days at Bramshaw: so that, as [ did not
possess the slightest local knowledge,
was glad to get what Frenchmen call
parte du pays from those who were better
informed than l was. There was ayoung
fellow there whom | sid know, one Tol.
lemache-Lionel Tollemache-a full
cornet IN the Lancer regiment quartered
at Slochester, and whose relations had
got, him an introduction to Sir Charles
as to one OF the magnates of the country
side.
" Awfully jolly old place, you know,
and all that said Cornet Toliemache
TO me aside, and with an air of mystic
rious importance. "And as regards your
-,
were more ofthe same sort, for kinder
people never knew. Capital house,
good cook, decent cover shooting, and
pretty girls staying here; but You
don't believe in ghosts, Carew, of
eourse?"
"Of course not" said l, wondering.
"Nor do l. Awful stuff" said my
friend, and went off to firt with a Miss
Porter, who came from Slochester too.
A lady whose acquaintance l present
ly made, and who liked, apparently, to
hear the sound of her own voice, was
more explicit than the enigmatical
subaltern had been. 1t was thus that
Mrs. Methven explained matters
=" Why, you see, Mr.. Carew, we are
rather celebrated for haunted houses in
this part of the country, and the wonder
was rather that Braplshaw, old as it is
ard with ali the dreadful things done
here that must have been done OF course
you men are sad wicked creatures, Mr..
Carew, though of course YOU won't agree
had a ghost of its own before. But
really, what with the rustlings, and
what with the light tread that Passes by
our bedroom doors at the strangest hours
Of the night, and what with vague
movements, and creaking of the old oak
stairs, and things being disturbed or
thrown down in way no servant can
account for-why, one does not know
what to think and excepting your good
aunt and uncle, to whom no one likes
to speak on the subject, l assure you we
are all exceedingly uneasy and uncom-
Portable"
And indeed, on further inquiry, SO l
found it. A vague feeling of discoIn-
fort, almost Of alarm, was abroad among
the que sits. Dinner, however, so far as
I could sec, dispelled all these dismal
day-drea ans as to haunted houses and
creakipg stairs; and indeed l have not
often known people who enjoyed them
selves so heartily as these Blankshire
gentry around my uncle's hospitable
board. They all knew each other, and
had at their fingers ends, SO to speak,
the names and circumstances of every
married daughter, and of every son at
Sandhurst or the University.
I think the liveliest OF the young girls
there, The quickest guesser of charade
or conundrum, the deftest at post or
sspuss in. the corner" the smartest com
petltor at forfeits, was my young cousin,
Blanche, the. only child of Sir Charles
and Lady : Treherne;, delicate pale
slip of. a girl, with fine eyes and long
fair nair. but by no, means SO pretty as
several of the little rich-eomplexioned
West-of.England pixies who frolicked
around her. Blanche,s health, as ] con-