The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-07-23

| l. uO uhBoiy Ou HIS pdTb, dppodCeu "
be ill at ease. He cast an oblique
glance at the winding sheet that GOV.
cred the dead, and did not appear
anxious to make closer examination.
Holding the torch in his hand, Wences.
las Stroobant, thus transformed into
an angel, appeared to make a great eff.
fort to seat himself at the foot of the
tomb, and if the dead had not been in
such state of perturbation, he would
have noticed that the angel was trem.
bling with cold, or something else.
Wenceslas seemed to have contracted q
very bad cold, which was manifested by
q severe fit of coughing and sneezing,
and being unable to hold his handker-
chief, he was obliged to use one of his
wings to wipe the moisture from his
nose and mantle.
That is not an angel, certainly" "
thought the dead Z" it must be sor.
cerer. Who knows if he be not master
of ceremonies He is there with his
torch to call the others, and shall find
myself in the midst of their revels, ard
if the devil presides over them, what
shall I do ?"
While making these disagreeable re-
Elections he was struck by the sudden
agitation of the angel of the torch, who
appeared to behold fearful object. 1t
was the third parsonage approaching.
This latter Oambert Won Mol) was
disguised as a spectre of darkness. As
he drew near, the light of the torch,
which beamed upon him at intervals,
gave him q fearful appearance. He
did not appear greatly terrified, but
probably from motives of prudence he
approached in a zigzag line, pausing
now and then, as though he saw some:
thing he did not expect. The silvery
robe of the angel glittered in the torch
light, and Lambert could not account
to himself for this singular costume.
AS the angel, whose trembling re.
fused to support him, remained fixed
in his place, Lambert decided to make
| flank movement, and accordingly he
passed arennd the other end Of the
tomb.
His disguise was frightful he was
muffied in an OK hide, which was
adorned with the long horns and ears
his face was blackened, and the lower
part of it concealed by an immense red
beard. In his hand he carried one OF
those wooden forks which are used to
spread new mown hay. Wenceslas, whs
had never lost sight of the demon, now
signalized himself by the greatest
effort of courage he had ever made in
his life. He suddenly advanced, with
the torch at arms-length before him,
and the spectre recoiled. But the
flame touched Lambert's great beard,
and in an instant it was in blaze. He
quickly tore it off and sprang on the
angel, whose torch fell and was ex-
tinguished.
They seized each other by the hair,
mutually astonished, perhaps, at find
ing each other palpable.
The corpse who had seen all, and had
begun to question whether it was really
a scene among the witches, now took
Wenceslas and Lambert for good and
bad angel who were >disputing pos
session of him, and overcome by ter
rible fear, he suddenly sprang out of
his tomb with his winding sheet around
him, and took flight across the fields.
The two companions, seeing the dead
rush forth, were seized with the same
terror, and letting go of each other by
common consent, they fled as though
pursued by all the witches.
The three lovers returned to their re-
spective lodgings, utterly overcome by
what they had seen and passed through;
and the next day none of them were
able to leave their beds. To finish
their adventures, Gertrude sent word
to them that they must have very little
esteem for her, since, instead of fulfill
ing their promises, they had run away
in such ridiculous manner. And she
married Sigismund.