The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1874-12-25

Hu1tO GooGn On Tue Otnor S1Qo OF the
table.
elm undoubted ghosts, Monsieur
Rigolot, and this one has frightened
several persons to death. I'm sure it
makes ones flesh creep to think of it.
Don't yot believe in ghosts ?''
Rigolot'g handsome face at once be-
came serious.
=" Zere are more zings in heaven and
earth zan we dream of, as your Shake
spirie says, Mademoiselle cannot
deny vat know nozing about but I
care not for ghosts-I mock myself of
zem-for vat can zey do to me?"
The answer of sensible and brave
man. Mossheer Rigolot," +" exclaimed Mr..
Cumleigh with approval, and the other
city men, their wives and mobile in
cumbrances, concurred. But Ruth
calculated, smilingly, as if skeptical
'' Well, would you dare to go and
stand in Gravehin Churchyard alone at
midnight, Monsieur Rigolot ?"
My friend made one of his inimitable
French bows, and asked whether Miss
Ruth would favor him with her COM
pany; but she answered that the test
of POGO caGr0nteism in these eases con-
sisted in being quite solitary. Accord
ingly it was understood that the French
man should set out for GravehiQ unat-
tended at half-past II and am bound
to own that the prospect of this eNcur
sion did not interfere in the least with
Rigolot's good humor or appetite. He
ate, chatted and joked as usual, took
rather less wine if anything than his
wont, and at the appointed time, not
withstanding the discussions of Mr..
Cumleigh, who begged him not to con-
slider the whims of spoiled child, he
n 1l1 h 20 hot a& SaI
forth. It was especially noticed that
he did not take q stick or umbrella.
AS soon as he was gone Ruth has
tened to her room, and in ten minutes
reappeared, having changed her dress
and put on thick shawl and bonnet.
L was in waiting to give her my arm,
and together we walked out, going at a
fast pace to reach the churchyard be-
fore midnight.
It was about five minutes to u when
we arrived, and, looking through a
crevice in the low wall that surrounded
the churchyard, we eperceived the French
man sitting unconcernedly astride a
tombstone. There was no rain, no
moon was beaming, and tall, very
funereal, shadows were cast into the
depths of the buttresses and on one
side of the spire. which rose straight
and high in the clear air, Rigolot's face
stood full in the moonlight, and we could
see that his Indifference was perfect.
Humming tune, he drew a cigar case
from his pocket, and struck fusee on
the tombstone.
"Manly, but prefane," whispered
Ruth, clinging to my arm.
It was at that very moment when
midnight changed from the steeple !;
and, precisely to the hour, a towering
white apparition gided from the gloom
of the church-porch and walked straight
toward Rigolot. Not to alarm anybody,
it may be stated that this apparition
was nothing but gardeners boy, who
was great ally of Ruth in these ad-
ventures, and who played his part by
the customary means of a sheet and a
pole with phosphorized mangel-warzel
at the top. This gardeners boy then
advanced but the instant he began to
be seen stalking among the tomb, Rigo-
lot raised a bright, joyous laugh-with-
out a quaver in it-jumped from his
grave, and walked to meet him. The
ghost was not prepared for this move,
and receded; Rigolot followed. The
ghost, thoroughly mystified, broke
ground then, seeing the Frenchman
continue to approach, turned tail and
ran. Hereupon Rigolot's merry voice
rang out in reiterated peals, and he
called out, with wonderful intrepidity
and archness
"Conle, don't be afraid of me, my
good ghost I am only a man. Accept
a ceegarre y
Ruth was abashed as we made our
way home. There was no doubt Rig
olot had got the best of this first bout,
and I suggested the propriety of dis
pensing him from the burglar ordeal.
But arrangements had already been
made. That gardeners boy, a young
city gentleman, named Tuttle, who had
been sworn into the conspiracy, and
myself had all rehearsed for climbing
into Rigolot's balcony with Grape masks
on our faces and both Ruth and Tut
tie anticipated too much good fun from
this performance to be banked of it.
Well, it was not such good fun after all,
especially for Tuttle. I pass over the
congratulations which Rigolot received
on his return from the ghost expedition,
and come at once to the small hour OF
3 in the morning, when the gardener,
Tuttle, and found ourselves climbing
ladder under Rigolot's balcony, and
each with a horse-p pistol in his hands.
Tuttle led the way, and, being provided
with glaciers instrument for cutting
glass, cooily removed pane, passed his
hand through the aperture, opened the
window, and walked in. He had some
difficulty in suppressing grins, but he
did not grin long.
I have never heard for certain what
actually ensued but 1t seems that Rig
olot was awoke by the noise, faint as il
was, and seeing burglar-there was 8
n ght-hght on the chimney piece
leaped out of bed, few to q drawer, and
extracting revolver, thence let fly the
whole six barrels at Tuttle without q
word of warning. In saying six barrels,
| however, it is fair to mention that Tut
tie did not wait for any barrels after the
| first, for in one bound he was on the
balcony and in second he had dropped
headlong on to the fower-bed, twenty
| feet below, without SO much as touch
ing the ladder. The gardener and ]
followed in a state of emotion which you
may be left to imagine, for we heard the
bullets crushing with fearful bangs
through one pane after another but
possibly Rigolot did not really aim al
any of us, for noticed afterwards that
the bullets went through the upper
panes.
Well, Rigolot had triumphed in two
| trials, but the worst was set him just be.
fore luncheon that day. ALI the morn
inn there had been Danic-strickeD taIk