The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1875-12-23

Tc-tac, tic-tac, and now there is q |
whir. The clock is ready to strike. |
This i the proper moment. As one
stroke drops into the air, Mr.. Guilfoil
takes one step. He walks slowly-the
table is bat small. As he walks he
chants and casts hempseed:
"Hempseed SOW,
Hempseed SOW,
She who is my love to be,
Come after me and mow.'s
He has passed around the table once,
and four strokes have sounded from the
clock. Nothing has as yet appeared.
Again he begins:
"sHmpseed SOW,
Hempseed sow,
She who ID my love to be,
Come after me and now"
A little track Of hempseed lies under
his feet, and he crunches it into the car
pet as he walks.
Five, six, seven, eight, counts the
voice Of the clock. Still never wrath
appears.
foil. s
sssHenpseed SOW
!" What's that something blewp
zfst1l I s j
She Who i my lOve to be.
Como after me and-' M ~
"What's-thatP''
The clock having struck its nine, ten,
eleven, ends with twelve, and before
Mr.. GuilfOib bright against the clear
moonlight on the wall, stands figure,
. hideous old woman, with nut-cracker
jaws, q short, red skirt, q blue coat, q
yellow cap, and hearth brush in her
hand. As he stares amazed, she shakes
the hearth brush at him, wags her head
threateringiy, and vanishes.
"I've gone mad!n cries Mr.. Guilfoil,
shaking from head to foot; 'sthat's it
I'm mad!n
But At that instant the hag appears
again.
ssI'n see what it isl cries Mr.. Gull
foil. ssn it's trick, I'll--''
But his threat Is unuttered. He has
rushed forward and grasped the figure,
or tried to, and overset the table; all he
touches is empty air; that and the cold,
hard finished wall; the figure has no
substance, and it is gone again.
| /" Heaven help mel" cries Mr.. Gull
foil. "The Halloween stories are all
true. I've seen my fate. That-old
woman, that virago, sitting up for me
| with q hearth brush; and I cAn't avoid
it. It's written down it's planned out
for me predestined, and ali that! Oh,
why was I such . fool as to SOW hemp.
seed 10y
Then, with the horrible cold chills
creeping up his back, and his hair or
end all over his head, Mr.. Guilfoil rush
ed into his bedroom and plunged, hall
| dressed. into bed.
The next morning one Of his nephew
called. He found Mr.. Guilfoil in bed
the floor covered with hemp-seed and
the table overturned.
NI'm very poorly, Fred, my boy, =
| SAYS Uncle Guflfoil. .sCome in, Fred
come in. Shakespeare never said true
thing than when he remarked that Their
i were
"sNess tAings tn hsaysn and earth, Horatio.
4 I10 - dseAns ef n yoar phtlosophy.
No, no. Fred. who did Mslyssee,
i "Wheu?u asked Fred, slyly feelinl
his uncle's pulse. ~
i "Hemp seed SOW, you know" salt
/ Uncle Guihoil, slowly waving his hana
| outside the bed-clothes. sSThe trick
lyon know. I hope it wasn't that nm
| pleasant young Spriggins. .
i You're not feverish, Uncle ?'' aske,
i Fred, now quite alarmed.
i "Yes, . little,' - said Uncle Guilfoil
"but I'm mot mad amy more tha
Hamlet was when he saw his father
ghost I've had . warning, that's all.
"A.warning Of death p's asked Fred
Il "No, Of marriage, - cried Uncle Guil
foil, with q groan. g / sowed hemp-see
last night, Fred, and I ownI expecte
| to see nothing, or else fine young VIC
man; but, my boy, Isaw the most fiend
ish, hideous virago shaking . hearth