The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-08-30
a True GHOST STORY


Did you ever hear" said 4 friend
once to me, "a real true ghost story, one
you might depend upon"
There are not many such 10 be
heard" I replied, and l am afraid 1t
has never been my good fortune 10 meet
with those who were really able 10 give
me genuine, well-authenticated story"
We'll, you shall never have cause 10
say 50 again; and as it was an adventure
that happened to myself you can scarcely
think it other than well authenticated.
/ know you to be no coward, or l might
hesitate before l told it to you. You
need not stir the fire; there is plenty Of
light by which you can hear it. And
now 10 begin. / had been riding hard
one day in the autumn for nearly five or
six hours, through some of the most
tempestuous weather 10 which it had
ever been my i'll luck to be exposed. 1t
was lust about the time of the Equinox,
ana perfect hurricanes swept over the
hills, as if every wind in heaven had
broken loose, and had gone mad, and on
every hill the rain and driving sheet
poured down in one unbroken shower.
When / reached the head of Went
ford valley-you know the place, a mar
row ravine with rocks on one side, and
these rich full woods mot that they
were very full then, for the winds had
shaken them till there was scarcely
leaf on their bare rustling branches) on
the other, with a clear little stream
winding through the hollow dell-when
j came to the entrance of this valley,
weather-beaten veteran as / was, |
scarcely knew how to hold on my way:
the wind, as it were, held in between
the two high banks, rushed like river
Just broken loose into new course,
CARRYING Whit perfect sheet of ruin,
against which my poor horse and /
struggled with considerable difficulty;
still ! went on, for the village lay at the
other end, and / had a patient TO see
there. who had sent a very urgent mes
sage, entreatinS me TO come TO him as
soon as possible. We are slaves TO
message, we poor medical men, and l.
urged on my poor jaded brute with a
keen relish for the warm fire and good
dinner that awaited me as soon as |
could see my unfortunate patient, and
get back 10 a home doubly valued on
such day as that in which | was then
OFT. II was indeed dreary riding in
such weather, and the scene altogether,
through which | ncssed was certainly
"a
mans spirits; but | positively half
wished myself out in it ali again. rather
than sit the half hour ] was Obli-c, to
spend by the sick bed of the wretched
man | had been summoned 10 visit.
tie had met with an accident the day
before, and as he had been drinking up
TO the time, and the people had DELAYED
sending for Inc, found him in fright
FIJI state of fever, and it was really an
awful thing either 10 look at or to hear
him. He WAS delirious, and perfectly
furious; and his face, swelled with pas
son, and crimson with the fever that
vas burning him up, was sight TO
lri"%''tten children, and not one calculated
To add 10 the tranquility even Of full
grown men. l dare say you think me
very weak, and that l ought to have
been Injured to such things, minding mis-
rawlings no more than the dash of the
rain against the window; but, during
the whole of my practice, l had never
cen man or woman, in health or in
fever in so frightful state of furious
frenzy, with the impress of every bad
passion stamped so broadly and fearfully
upon the face, and in the miserable
hovel that then held me with his old
witch-like mother standing by, the babel
ofthe wind and rain outside added to the
rawlings Of the wretched creature within.
] began TO feel neither in happy nor
an enviable frame of mind. There is
Iothing so frightful as where the reason
able spirit seems TO abandon mans body,
and leave it to fiend instead.
after an hour or more waiting pa
tientlv bv ihe bedside, not liking TO
leave the helpless old woman alone with
so dangerous a companion for / could
not answer for any thing he might do in
his frenzy, thought that the remedies
by which / hoped in some measure to
subdue the fever, seemed beginning to
take effect, and that | might leave him,
promising TO send all that was necessary,
though fearing much that he had gone
bevond my power 10 restore him and
desiring that I might Immediately be
called back again, should he get worse
instead of better, which l felt almost
certain would be the case, ! fastened
homeward, glad enough to be leaving
wretched huts and raving men, driving
rain and windy hills, for u comfortable
house, dry clothes. a warm fire, and a
yood dinner. / think never saw such
a FIRE in my life as the one that blazed
mn NV chimney it looked so wonder
T1lIv warm and bright, and there seemed
an Undesirable air of comfort about
tbe room which / had never noticed
before. One would have thought
shonld have enjoyed itall intensely after
-, got ride lint throughout the whole