Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-11-15

all to be off at half-past nine, and it will
take an hour to get you to bed."
Rather testify the old gentleman
agreed to be wheeled back to his cham
ber.
"Hallow-eve parties are foolery," he
grumbled, "Well, well, Bertha, let
the servants see that everything is fast,
and bring you the keys. Goodnight,
goodnight, my dears. III ring il I
want anything. Now thas deuced wind
has gone down, ] expect quiet night. I"
At half-past ten the house was still.
And the two young ladies sat by their
dressing-room fire ready to begin what
Bertha called conjurations.
Bertha, il we had some pieces of
lead, we might try melting them. It's
an hour and half before twelve, and we
must keep awake somehow"
"I don't know that / have any lead,
There's the shot in my riding skirt, but
it would take too long to melt that"
Lucy mused. "We might scrape off
little from the outside. Anything for
fun. Where is the skirt9"
I'm the closet. All |"
"What is it?" and Lucy faced round
in surprise on her way to the wardrobe.
"Nothing. fancied / saw some one
moving down there in the shadows. 1t
was only fancy" she finished, turning
away.
Chow do you know it was fancy ?
Suppose
"Lucy, for the second time beg you
not to be a goose could imagine I
saw fifty people if 1 stared into the dark
long enough. Rip the shot out of the
skirt, and we'll go down to the kitchen. "
To the kitchen they forthwith repair
ed, each carrying lighted candle, and
each with ball of lead in her pocket
nor had Lucy forgotten her and-glass.
Halfway down the great staircase Bertha
paused to laugh at the righteousness of
their proceedings. Not 30 Lucy. Hur-
rying through the dark halls with cheeks
as white as the shawl she wore, she
rushed into the kitchen and hastily
lighted the gas.
Her sister laughed again as she ex-
hnguished the candles and examined
the fire in the range.
Lucy presently forgot everything in
her interest in the lead experiment.
After tedious scrapings she managed to
melt the mineral in a spoon, and dropped
it into water, where it Immediately
hardened into incomprehensible shapes.
Again and again she tried with no bet
ter success. But when Bertha, in her
turn, dropped the lead, there was cry
of surprise from both girls. The rude
semblance OF musket lay in the water.
Bertha fished it out with a laug1a,.
''Fate speaks. I'm to marry the son
of gum"
"Try again, Bertha. Let's see if it
comes again..
Bertha complied. This time it was
certainly no musket. 1t was a monde
script appearance, three-cornered and
pointed.
ga soldiers cap |" cried Lucy, with a
little scream Of delight. GA soldiers
cap with a plume What makes your
cheeks SO red, Bertha ?"
"The fire, I suppose" was the cool
answer, as Bertha arose and shook out
her silken skirts.
"And not the thought OF our friend
Colonel Dudley"
Lucy, you're positively ridiculous;"
but this time there was no doubt about
her blushing. "See," she went on, hasti-
ly, "it's getting near twelve. Are you
going down cellar ?"
Lucy's cheeks grew q shade paler.
The speaker had walked over to door
in dim corner and thrown it wide open.
"Are you going in the east parlor p
"I suppose am. I must find an ap.
pie somewhere"
"You've forgotten the key. It's up
stairs"
"Thats true; but the lock on the
east parlor door is broken. I spoke to
papa, but he said it was no matter.
Here are some apples, she continued,
emerging from closet. ''Nowimy soldier
will have chance to appear. Do I say
ever anything to myself while I eat the
apple p-any incarnation ?"
"No; you just eat. and begin at the
first stroke of twelve"
"And I see somebody looking over
my shoulder. I'm afraid he'll have
horns, Lucy"
Lucy looked shudderingly down the
black stairway ST don't know whai
makes me so nervous. If / should SEE
anything
"Suppose you go to the east parlor
and let me go down there?"
$50 through those halls into thai
great ghostly room Never
"Well, you're little coward" re
marked her sister, scornfully. Isl
down here by the fire, then, and wal
for me-"
ooh, Bertha, don't go ! Suppose yor
should see something terrible |"
"Lucy, I'm surprised at you. There
my future husband waiting under th,
stairs. He'll come out and follow me {,
the east parlor, and I shall see how h,
looks" And Bertha, who seemed pos
sessed by the very spirit of mischief
laughed heartily, as her sister covered
her face with cry. "Just let me sc,
the thing through. I'll be back soon.
And shutting the door at the last word
she commenced her pilgrimage through
the halls, feeling SO completely indiffer
ent to the ghostly influences of the tim
and occasion that she even hummed
tune as she went.
White squares of moonlight lay on tn
floor and walls opposite the great win
dows when she came into the main hall
and passing along to the front, pause,
for moment at the entrance of the eas
parlor. As she stood there the old hal
clock gave warning of twelve; so sh
threw the door wide open and went in.
1t was, as Lucy had said, great
ghostly room. Everything in it wa
black and massive heavy curtains fel
before the lofty windows dim picture
of ancestors and ancestresses started on
of the gloom like phantoms as the can
dies Pickering rays penetrated th