Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1878-12-11

clalm tute " 10 poNS''o
for people in the clarvoyant state
to read with the pit Of the stomach ;
at all events, n dead man may be
prossessed of faculties that we do
not understand: for a man becomes
considerable altered when he Is
dead"
"He does. admit"
"And IL Won allow that q dead
man can drive ut all, the small
matter of head, more or less, is OF
very little importance"
"Just 80"
"You know that when man dies
be becomes spirit"
"That's rum" said Joe.
mo, sir; us not rnm or whisky
either. AMI if yon cannot listen to
NV story without endeavoring to
turn il into Ii'iirule, | had better
leave off, replied uncle Ben, who
was rs peppery as his ancestor.
"Oh pray go on uncle" exrlaim-
ell all the listeners. "Weli try
To keep Joe in order"
"Wen, as was saving, this
apparition made it, appearance
once II year as the clock was sti1ck-
ing twelve. Many of the villagers
hal heard the tramp Of horses and
the rafting Of wheels as the ghost
" cortece went bv. Now and
then some favored individual wit
messed the headless driver, rs he
whipped his horses OH toward,
London. But, in all eases, the
coach passed too quickly for any
one to see whether the old gentle
man was really inside or not
"Aud did no one ever see him !"
asked one Of the party.
"You shall hear. | will confess
that. until the night when the
incident which am about To relate
took place, was as great an unhe-
lever as any of you, and always
treated the whole account rs an old
woman's tale, only fit to brighten
children. But. one evening, as
sat smoking with some old friends.
one of them, devoted believer in
everything supernatural. began to
talk about the family legend. l,
as usual, threw r'hicule upon the
affair. / horrible some of the
company 10y stating my intention
of venturing ont TO wander down
the road to see if / could meet the
the phantom cavalcade. | swore
that if I did, would ask the old
gentleman to give me a lift, and
offered to het fl00 that the whole
legend was n pack Of lies"
"And did YOU go|
"Yes; although some Of the more
superstitious of the party tried to
prevent me, persevercd and
wandered out into the night ready
to meet with ghost or goblin"
"And did Won meet them Z"
"Jnst as / emerged from the lane
the village clock chimed the three
quarters, and / sat down an moss
covered milestone to wait and
watch for the phantoms that come
like shadows-so depart The
night was chilly, and, as I wrspped
my clock around me, i began to
shudder. as l wondered u, by any
possibility, there could have been
any truth in the strange story !
had heard. / gradually felt, like
the man in the play, that all my
courage was oozing out at my
fingers ends"
"Oh, uncle, afraid! !" cried one o
the hoys.
"Yes, my boy. / must confess il
for the moment / began to wish
was back in the comfortable dining
room.
.Suddeuly the clock struck til,
hour of midnight.
"As the hast echoes died away.
T heard In the distance a sound lik
the noise Of carriage and horse
rapidly approaching. My bloo'
Z began to eruddle in my veins;
!. came nearer aud nearer: and a
4 last, saw n curious. old-fashione
vehicle coming toward me at
4 furious pace.
"For moment was speeches
Il Int. mastering, all my courage,
y cried out to the coachman To stol
He did So. and then, TO my iuten'
n surprise. | saw that his head ha
70 been severed from the trunk. TT
q, CHASTITY head lay hy his side {
m the coarh-hox. which perhaps, a
n counted for his being able to hei
ne nv cries
NJ "As the carriage stopped
" sprang to the ground, flung OPP
an the door, let down the step al
g. signed me to- enter. BY this til
ne my nerves were well hracrd u
70. aud I jumped in without any fe'
ne upon entering the coach a
Ise taking my seat i found mys
MS opposite an old gentleman W
le- was dressed in the costume Of
commencement Of the reign
,re George III. Upon his head v
VS. an old-fashion tie-wig. aud in
ION hand was naked sword which v
wv, still covered with blood. His f
,ad was of an uneartbly pallor, 4
had upon it a soured. scared 10
ar Which did not make him n v
the pleasant looking travelling CO
az paDioD.
"For some time We sat face