St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-11-22

Here are some apples," she continued,
emerging from closet. 'Now my SOL
dier will have chance to appear. Do
say over anything to myself while /
eat the apple ?-any incarnation ?"
"No; you just eat and begin at the
at the first stroke of twelve"
"And l see somebody looking over
my shoulder. I'm afraid he'll have
horns, Lucy"
The one addressed uttered little
cry of terror.
"Oh, Bertha, Pm scared to death now
I'll never dare to go into the cellar.
Let's give it up and go to bed"
"What little coward Lucy, there's
no such thing as ghost. There's moth
ing in the cellar-Only it's dark"
Lucy only looked shudderingly down
the black stairway. 81 don't know
what makes me so nervous If | should
see any thing"
Suppose You go to the east parlor,
and let me go down there ?r
'GO through those halls into that
great ghostly room! Nevern
!'Well, us | said before, you're a lit
tie coward" remarked her sister, scorn-
fully. "Sit down here by the fire, then,
and wait for me-"
''Oh, Bertha, don't go! Suppose you
should see something terrible /" moaned
superstitious Lucy.
''Lucy, Pm surprised at you. There's
my future husband waiting under the
stairs. You heard him, you know.
He'll come out and follow me to the
east parlor, and | shall see how he
looks" And Bertha, who seemed pos
sessed by the very spirit of mischief,
laughed heartily, as her sister covered
heI face with Il cry. "Just let me see
the thing through. III be back soon.'
And shutting the door at the last word,
she commenced her pilgrimage through
the halls, feeling so completely indif-
ferent to the ghostly influence of the
time and occasion that she even hum
med tune as she went.
White squares of moonlight lay on
the floor and walls opposite the great
windows when she came into the main
hall, and passing along to the front,
paused moment at the entrance of
the east parlor. AS she stood there the
old hall clock gave the warning of
twelve; so she threw the door wide and
went in.
1t was as Lucy had said, a great,
ghostly room. Every thing in it was
black and massive; heavy curtains fell
before the lofty windows dim pictures
of ancestors and ancestresses started
out of the gloom like phantoms as the
candies tiickering rays penetrated the
gloom. Two great mirrors were set in
the wallis opposite each other. The
chill air of the room made the new
conner shiver as she walked round a
high black cabinet, set down her can
die on the slab before the nearest mir
rOr, and felt in her pocket for the apple.
81 wonder if any of
These knights and these danes
Come down from their frames
and walk the house at the witching
hour of midnight?" Bertha soliloouis
ed, surveying the portrait of bewigged
gentleman in Il floweTed silk doubet,
who seemed to be eyeing her from the
wall behind.
Ahealthy disbelief in the supernatural
is an excellent steadier of the nerves.
Not many young ladies would have
commenced eating as coolly as Bertha
did when the first stroke of twelve rang
through the house. She was rather
ashamed of the Stiffness of the proceed
ings, and laughed at her own reflection,
standing in modern turbelOwed dress.
apple in hand, beneath those ancient
pictures.
Three, four, five, six. Still no stir.
no appearance. Still her eyes vainly
explored the shadowy space behind her,
doubly reflected in the twin mirrors.
"LoOk over your right shoulder all the
time," Lucy had said. What was it
that at the stroke of seven suddenly
drew her gaze, as by magnetic attrac-
ton, to the left and gave her curious,
uneasy sensation as of some one watch
ing her, oil of another presence in the
room There was nothing in the par
lor. Alb! but in the glass behind her was
mirrored the door through which she
had come. 1t was hidden from her as
she stood by the bulky black cabinet
but in the mirrors depths she saw plain
ly crouching form appear for an in
stant in the gloom of that doorway.
and an ugly, sinister face look in. An
other instant and it was gone; and
Bertha's heart seemed to stop beating.
and the apple fell to the floor.
1t was wonder she did not scream
in her first surprise. She was not afraid
of the dead, but she certainly was of the
living, and the shock caused by that
mOmentary glance made her faint and
cold with terror. Mechanically she |
picked up the apple. No ghost could |
have been whittier than she as she faced
the mirror again.
"How much thinking can be done in
a second! 1t seemed to Bertha that an
age was compressed into the time occu-
pied by the last four strokes for twelve.
That first glance had shown her the |
whole peril of the situation. Two girls |
and helpless old man in a lonely |
house two miles from the village, and |
at least one from the nearest neighbor,
One Iobber already in the house, proba-
bly, another outside-for she leaped at
the conclusion that she had really seen
a figure lurking in the shrubbery. How
many more might be about she dared
not think, but that the one in the hall
had just followed her she had no doubt.
She shuddered at the remembrance of |
her own light words uttered not ten
minutes ago: ''He will follow me to
the east parlor, and l shall see how he |
looks"
What was to be done? There were
no firearms in the house but her faith
ers pistols, and she doubted if those
were In a condition to use, for Mr. Nor
rls's carelessness, improvident security
was too we'll known in his family. Her
father asleep above with unlocked
doors-scarcely an inner lock in the
mouse was in order-Lucy waiting for
her IN the kitchen (she would not dare
give her sister hint of her fearful dis
covery). What position Would
the burglars be satisfied with the silver
below stairs9 No, surely; there was
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