Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-06

distant. | could easily have returned
before nightfall, but, as it CHANGED, one
thing after another Kindred me, and be-
fore noticed how late it was, the gloo-
my clouds had darkened into gloomlsr
twilight. and night had fully set III
when, at last, | started for home.
'EI remember hesitating when reached
the first cross road. The nearest road,
which would take me straight home, was
a very lonely one, and led by an old |
churchyard. A very dismal place it was
too and many strange stories had gone
the rounds of the neighboring tiresides, |
of winter evening, about mysterious |
lights and ghostly shadows which had
been seen fitting around among the
tombs, and most of them, rumor said,
haunted the grave of man who had
come to his death by some foul play a
hundred years before. In fact, SO many
of these stories had been told, that no
fresh graves were made there any more;
from long neglect it had become over
grown with rank weeds and thistles, and
| in many places the walls had crumbled
and fallen away. Now, of course,
never believed any of these idle tales,
| and had always laughed at them in broad
| daylight; nevertheless, / had been eX-
ceedingly careful about passing there
| after dark. The night of my story,
however, / concluded to take the straight
| road home, for the wind was bitter cold,
| and the other road took me four miles
| out of my way. So | spurred up my
faithful horse, Brownie, and was soon
| oalloping over the hills, and down the
| valleys, through lonesome forests and
! past level fields, with here and there
| silent farm house, until at last we neared
| the haunted churchyard.
GAS | said before, twas dark night,
as dark as pocket, and | could barely
| discover the outlines of the low, ruinous
walls. All the ghostly stories | had
| ever heard of the place darted into my
| mind, and, in the black darkness, ! had
no power to resist them
drawing the cape of my great-coat
over my head, so that | could see neither
to the right nor left, was galloping
madly past when, suddenly, Brownie
reared back, nearly throwing me from
the saddle. I never shall forget the
chill of horror that crept over me as L
turned toward the church-yard and saw
what appeared to be-
"a ghost :" exclaimed Jack.
'What appeared to be, !" continued
grandfather, "a great fire; not a real,
blazing, Crimson-hearted fire, but pale
yellow sheet of flame, perhaps ten feet
high BY the light of the fire | could
discern something white, slowly moving
around it."
"Oh!" sighed Oracle, growing pale,
aud even mother let her work drop, for
gotten, into her lap.
$40 add to my terror, the air suddenly
grew full of meanings, and piteous wall
ings, which would die away into soft,
sObbing sound, and then return louder
than ever.
II spurred Brownie on with all my
might, thinking to hurry away from this
fearful scene, but it was of no use: the
poor animal plunged from side to side
and reared back, but would not stir a
step TO- ward. | saw plainly that | could
not go past the church yard that night !;
to 90 back to the crossroads with the
north wind in my face was not to be
thought of.
'In this strait it occurred to me that
was very foolish to be afraid of poor
ghost. who was only trying to make HIM
self comfortable this raw November
night. Besides, | delighted in adven-
lures. and with chattering teeth, boldly
resolved to 90 in and speak to his ghost
| shin. Jumping down, | fastened Brownie
to the nearest tree, and then very slowly
climbed over the church-yard wall.
''Summoning up all of my courage /
hurried bravely on, keeping my eyes fix
ed all the while upon the phantom lest
it should disappear. Sometimes / would
fancy it reckoning to me, and then such
mOurnful voices would sob and moan in
; all the willow trees as passed by. My
knees trembled, and fairly knocked to-
gether as I neared the fire, while the
voices grew louder and louder, until
they seemed to scream and shrek with
terror. Imagine my feelings when the
: ghost, raising his head, uttered a loud
/ piercing neigh.
''Mv!" cried Milly, nearly tumbing
out of her chair.
"Ha. ha. ha!" roared grandfather,
] laughing until his fat sides shook again.
''Ha me it was only neighbOr Williams
! old gray horse that had broken through a
gap in the wall
And the voices, grandpa said Ora
Gle
tThey were only the winds, my child.
wbistling dismally through the tree
: tops.
, But, grandpa, how can you account
: for the fire ?" asked Jack, who felt dis
appointed at this commonplace ending.
II believe I did shudder a little when
I touched the flames and found theywere
cold, F" said grandfather. "It was so an
/ natural, you know; but my fears soon
| vanished when | found the spectral fire
! to be an old stump had often seen in
broad daylight. 1t was covered with a
' species of phosphosescent fungi, which
in@the night gave out pale light. AS
] the stump was ten or twelve feet high
it appeared in the distance to be a great
y fire | have often seen and read of thi,
! fungi since In the coal mines near
] Dresden it covers the pillars, walls and
. roof, lighting up the whole place with
splendor, and giving it the air of an en-
r chanted castle. In Brazil it grows on
the decaying leaves of the dwarf palm.
At night the whole plant gives out a
: bright phosphorescent light, of a pale
greenlsh hue, similar to the light of the
larger tire-tiies. From this circumstance
j it is called by the inhabitants EsFlor do
Coco" I could not help laughing TO
myself, when ! thought of how many
: poor mortals had been frightened by
this innocent old stump. put several
+ morsels of the fire into my pockets and
. found, by experimenting afterward,
that the light given out by few of
, these fungi, in a dark room, is sufficient
! to read by.
''Now, dear children, you see spoiled
a very good ghost story by walking up
! to the ghost and you may all be assur-
ed that the most fearful hobgoblins you
ever met with will vanish into Just as
commonplace affairs, if you will only
turn and bravely face them"
'tDid you ever play ghost again p
| asked Jack, who was picking for another
, story
''No, Jack, returned grandfather, 81
never had any fancy for such tricks
, afterward. had found out how it felt
to be frightened half out of ones wits !;
/ and Jack, my lad, always remember
that it is but poor joke where the fun
is all on one side What Neat ?
"Reminiscences of the Late Emper-
, or Napoleon.