The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-01-23


broke down in the midst of songs, all of
which he sung to the tune of I" Bonnie
Doom" Their eyes began to glaze, and
their tongues to trip. They were not at
all surprised at seeing duplicates of all
the objects In the room ; nor at finding
themselves stopping short in the midst
of their stammering sentences. In short,
grieve to relate 1t, they were getting
very drunk.
Isay-doctor, " stammered the major,
won't you take another glass-of-
ghost -
"D+n the-ghost ~ hiccoughed the
doctor " do be-believe you're dr-drunkl
1 should like to see the gh-ghost that
would face me n-now."
"Suppose- -you-see, whether
the doors-drunk - said the majOr--''it
loogs id tottering to me !"
The doctor laid his course for the door,
and, after few judcious tacks, succeed
ed in making it. II was slightly ajar, SO
he shut and locked it meandered back
to his chair saying:
You'll have to c-come through the
k-key hole, tonight, m-my friend-A
| you e-come at all"
Having with great generalship re-
covered his seat, they attempted to re-
sumo their rational enjoyment" and
improving conversation. But nature
was too strong for them; and it was not
many minutes before they were both fast
asleep in their chairs. / am sorry to say
that such scenes were not so rare, or so
discreditable in those three-bottle days,
as they have happily since become; and
| the sight of two middle-aged gentlemen
drunk on either side of a fire place would
have been no astonishing sight one hun
dred years agol
How long it was after this point of
their adventures, 1 cannot exactly tell
but it was not long before the men who
were keeping guard were alarmed by
loud and most startling noise in the
haunted chamber. They all nnshed in
continently to the door, and heard with
in the sounds of clamorous struggle.
The ghost was evidently caught at last.
But it was also plain that he was fight
ing for his life. He was game to the
last He was apparently almost a match
for his two adversaries, for loud cries re-
sounded through the house.
"Here he is, d-n himl'' "I've got
him |" BY, he's choking me P'
"Murderl murder ~ "Help help!"
"Where are you, you scOundrelsp" All
attended by running accompaniment
of furniture breaking, and chairs tumb-
ling into chaotic heaps. The men tried in
vain to open the door, when Ingram
rushed up stairs in hot haste, having
been summoned, by his own direction ,at
the first alarm.
"Where are your muskets, men ?" he
cried, in strong excitement. "The
bloody rebels are numbering them Dash
open the door with the butt-eAds ~
Seizing a musket he suited the action
to the word, and the door was soon bro
ken down-though not without Difficult
ty, as doors were then. The scene was
frightful. The furniture was overturned.
Inc llSnJS were oul, UNIV iJihS- oh aic
floor, either mortally wounded or ex-
hausted by fruitless struggle, lay the
watchmen of the night.
"Where is the villaiA w cried Ingram
rushing into the room.
Here's the scoundrel !" cried thedOc
tor, laying hold of the major.
"This is the infeanal rascal ~ below
ed the major, seizing the unhappy Hol-
combe by the throat
And as they shook each other, they
vainly endeavosed to rise from among
the wreck of things that surrounded
them. eN
1t needed NO conjurer 10 tell how the
matter stood Ingram sank into chair
which, fortunately, had survived the
fray, and made the whole house ring
with interminable peals of laughter. His
followers could not resist the cOntagion,
which was made the more irresistible by
the drunken gravity of the two heroes,
who sat like many tipsy Mariuses amid
, the ruins Of another Carthage. You
would have thought that legion oi
laughing imps had taken possession Of
/ the mansion, and were consecrating 1t tc
/ their service.
/ AS soon as Ingram could command
t his voice, he gave directions to the mer
to separate the unlucky ghostseers, ant