Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-01-14
Tom Legget's Ghost.

eccentric individual who formerly lived
in the town of Greenfield, Vermont.
His eccentricity was not of that kind
which made him unpopular by either
word or act. Indeed. Tom would not have
willingly injured the meanest insect, that
ever crawled. Still, he had his errors
grave errors-and excessive drinking
was one of them.
In Square Deans store, on stormy
night in winter, after inviting all hands
to drink, Tom would launch into the
greatest maze of yarns about this, that
and the other. ever heard of. 1t was
acknowledged by all that. when about
half tipsy. he could invent more lies
than any other men in town.
On the night when the following
story of his was told-which | give as
near virbatim as | remember-the
squares store was pretty we'll filled with
a motley assemblage of neighbors. Some
were seated in chairs around the stove,
others on top of barrels, and some on
the lower end of the counter. Custom
ers were scarce, and the company pres
ent were mainly bent upon the enjoy
ment of their pipes. with nip now and
then at the squares cider, which con-
tanned something a little stronger than
apple juice. A few feeble jokes had
been cotton off at somebody's expense
in the company, which were not relished
any too well, when Tom opened with the
following interrogatory
81 say. square, did ye ever hear tell
of a genuine ghost about these parts-a
real, downright, out-and-out ghost q
"No, Tom, | never did /; unless that
lame mule of Farmer Jones'. which the
boys whitewashed and tied to the church
bell. was one"
Mary time, square!" said the un-
lucky owner of that piece of mule flesh.
who occupied one of the barrel heads.
"Those boys got their deserts, and
that'ere mule is jest as pretty an animal
as ever ye laid eyes on. now !"
Then Tom had better give US his
story, for have never heard that one
about the mule beaten yet What say
the company ?"
1.-The story! The stOryl" they all
exclaimed.
Tom cleared his throat. adjusted him.
self to a more comfortable position in
his chair before the glowing fire. and
commenced -
'.Ye all remember the cold, bluster
ing, disagreeable weather of last twenti
eth of November. | suppose? 1t wa.
the night Jeff Knox's brindled steer
died, and all the ponds hereabout froz,
up solid. Well. on that night, as som,
of you well know, for l see 'em her,
now, l was seated with you around thi
stove engaged in about the same divar
tisement We got rather noisy as tn,
hours wore on. and at last the squir,
here turned US all out of doors. Didn'
ye, squire ?"
"lt was about the hour ofclosing,
think" mildly answered the squire.
"Yes, and as we stood shiverln,
around the doorstep, the midnight ex
press came laundering through the towl
and ye asked us all in again for night
cap. Well, when | reached home tha
night, some one had left light on tn
sitting-room table, with a mate to it il
the fireplace. l thought it strange tha
such big, roaring fire should hav
been left for me to go to bed by-quit
an unusual thing. "Tho old peopl
have set up later than common,
thought, never once thinking of tn
boys. | sat down Ill the big arm.chai
in front of the fireplace, took off m
boots and put them beside the fender
and then lay back and watched the hug
back log blaze.
This is solid comfort" thought
Here l am, having nice time of il
and outside the weather is cold a
blazes 7
81 decided to have little smoke
and then retire so blew out the ligh
and put my feet upon the fender. Yer
soon after | fell asleep i'll the chair
with the pipe in my mouth. l had
distinct remembrance of hearing th
bell ring one, and ofcomparing the tim
with our old clock in the corner.
was just two minutes behind. When
awoke, the hand pointed to three.
had slept two hours. Relighting m
pipe, turned my attention toward th
fire which had got down to ember
Fuel was added. and l soon had th
pleasure of feeling myself CROWN
warmer. for the room had cooled off ra,
idly during my sleep.
''It was half past three o'clock whe
| concluded to retire. rose to get I'll
lamp. when my eye fell upon the we
window, which looks out into an ol
cornfeld back of the house. Was
fancy? Did my eyes deceive me ?
thought as | looked mans face drol
ped down out of sight. The curtal
movad if oopao oDo bol 49,,