Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-06-18

y
He had given up the world, and the world
in turn nearly forgot him.
Lester removed into bis new residence
and set about making extensive repairs
Notwithstanding this evidence OF his iuten'
tion to retain bis purchase, Courtois again
came to him With proposition to buy, Of
fering a still larger advance on the cost
but Lester proved inexorable. Some who
had given Courtois credit for kind heart
began TO suspect that his efforts had been
prompted by sel6shness, particularly as he
had given to jean not even a word Of sym
pathy. Yet no one could penetrate his
motives for Offering 30 large a sum for the
I Turgot plantation, when others as good
could be had at much lower price. IL was
even iusinuated that he was out Of his head.
A short time after Courtois's last visit
a strange thing happened. II was a sultry
night il July. Lester, unable to sleep in.
doors, was lying in a hammock swung in
the gallery. Awoke by rising thunder.
storm, he started up 10 60 TO his room be-
fore the rain fell He had scarcely set foo;
to the floor when fash Of lightning reveal
ed the figure Of a man at the other end Of
the gallery. Startled, he rubbed his eyes
to assure himself that he was not dreaming.
Another flash, aud he saw distinctly the
form Of Jacques Turgot sitting in his great
chair, his flowing beard upon his breast,
and his long, white locks confined by the
skull-cap that he used 10 wear inlife. lie
imagined that be saw even the smoke curl
ing up from bis pipe. A third flash, and all
had faded away. Lester was brave man,
but this was a great shock to bis nerves.
lie tried to persuade himselftha it was de-
lusion but, treat the matter as he would, he
could notrub out from his memory the awful
reality Of the scene. His mind was yet more
troubled by the discovery that the figure
bad been seen by others on the plantation.
He found that his negroes were in chron-
ic state Of terror, scarcely daring to step
out-oi-doors at nightiall. When question
ed closely, they told pitiful stories Of
ghosts they had seen, and OF unnatural dis
turbances to which they had been subjected.
Stones had been thrown against their doors
and shutters at night, and missiles of va
rious kinds had come down their chimneys.
They complained, too, of hearing strange
noises, and of seeing ghostly lights; aud
one old woman declared that she bad "done
seen de whole buryln'- -groun' a-foler-in' ole
Mass Jacques up iroo de cotton field an
roun' about de house
Lester tried in vain TO hush up these re-
ports. They spread, with many exaggera-
tions, from plantation to plantation, until
] . ba n nh nd
osity. jacques Turgot's spirit created as
much talk as he had done in the flesh Old
men shook their heads, and told of the time
when he came home richer than any half
dozen other mon in the parish put together
Some thought that there was a curse on
the house he had built, because he had new
er devoted any Of his wealth to sacred pur-
poses, and for proof pointed to the sudden
deaths Of almost all who had lived in it !;
and one good man. who had the welfare Of
his neighbor at heart, suggested to Lester
that be was impcrlling his souls salvation
by remaining longer in place so obvious
ly under the dominion OF Satan.
The disturbances became so notorious
that DO one would visit the house f; and
travellers obliged to pass the plantation at
night rode fast until out of the haunted at
mosrhere. The negroes became so worth
less from fear that the overseer could do
nothing with them, and many ran away
into the swamps to escape " ole Mass Jac.
ques." Lester, wholly isolated, and seeing
every thing going wrong around him, was
at bis wits end. He had invested too much
money 10 the plantation to abandon it, and
no one would care TO buy it with the repu.
tation it had acquired. He cursed his luck
and wished that the Turgot family had been
in heayen-or worse place-before he had
met with them. While in this frame Of
mind, Courtois approached him, for tie
third time, with an offer to take the place
of his hands. For o moment Lester was
almost induced to stihe bis pride but,
when he reflected on the course that Cour.
tots had pursued, be swore that he would
burn the house to the ground before he
should set foot in it.
A few days after this interview, Lester
was awoke in the night by strange noise.
proceeding, as he thought, from the ground
floor Of the house. lie bad once caught a
negro stealing from the store-room below,
and it occurred to him that something Of a
similar nature was now going on. He arose
quietly and, with candle in one hand, and
his revolver in the other went down the
stairs A door at the foot opened into a
large, square hall, or rather room, paved
with octagonal bricks, running through the
center Of the house. From this room other
\ A.