The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1879-03-06
VAN TASSEL'S GHOST.
CHAPTER /.

at is real y too bad In you, Mr.. Van
Tassel, to think OF marrying that
pretty young niece OF yours to that
clown, your soni And although, like
the owl, YOU may, with blinked eyes
look upon him as the perfection Of
every manly grace aud beauty, let me
tell you, you are entirely alone in
your opinion. Just raise your head,
II you please, from that paper, over
which you have been doing for an
hour or more, and look upon dear lit
tie Lena-now turn your head to the
left, and view your stupid son, Ioha-
bod-now 10 your inner man. and de-
mand il you are not insisting upon a
decd for which already your con
science pricks you'll" But not wish
ing the reader to see with the eyes OF
the artial father. will endeavor to
linn this youthful pair, destined to
Become man and wife Cupid willing
-ay, there's the rubiD by the arbi-
trary decision of Diedrich Van Tassel.
The cheeks OF Lena were like the
blush OF a sunset cloud Ger beds of
lilies-the complexion OF Ichabod like
a withered sun flower. Lena's lips
were as twin rose buds-his like mul.
berries. Her eyebrows like the young
crescent moon oerarcbiug star-his
an incipient whisker placed longitu-
dinaliy over eyes OF that whitish gray
usually considered more becoming to
fslines than humans. The beautiful
golden hair Of Lena, parted over q
brow whittier than alabaster. fell be-
low her waist In luxuriant ringlets-
his. in colLr n dingy red. at ood uI
like quilts upon the fretted porcu.
pinc," around a low forehead, scanned
in the middle by the constant eleva
ten OF the eyebrows-aping wisdom
Aad to think Of uniting such a pai
the complaisant reader will agre,
with me, was, to say the least OF 1t
very absurd in old Diedrich Van Tas
sci.
Upon this particular evening |
bright wood fire was blazing ant
cracking up the broad open fire. plac'
OF large room, half kitchen, half sit
. ting room, in an old-fashioned ston
, house, nestled amid the verdant Cats
; kills, a genuine Kuickerbocker, bot
. within and without. 1t was very old
! too, and, like many other such ancien
domicils, had the reputation OF own
|, ing a ghostl which. in these degener
ate days. when houses are bull
ghost proof, and wisdom has vote
that respectable corpse all to tn
shades, must certainly be considere
greatly in its favor. The story wen
that a spirited damsel OF the race {
Van Tassel, having been forced int
q marriage, by an avaricious fathe
with person whom she did not Low,
In ft OF passion committed murde
D upon the body OF the unfortunai
, bridegroom, and then proceeded d.
liberately to hang herself upon
branch Of the same old willow, whicl
though Topped and shattered by tim
n still bends over the merry streal
which now. as then. leaps singing an
: laughing from rock to rock, until
joins the placid river below. A
i, though buried deep in the groun
they were too airy spirits to be kel
cramped within such narrow LODI
iRgs, and had often been seen /
(, some late stroller from the neighbo
/: ing ale-house sitting, upon their ow
u graves at midnight playing chucl
farthing; nor did they coniine then
selves within the precincts OF Il
=. church-yard. but whisked, all
> white. through the shady lanes. al
2; 2; went rumbling and groaning abo
IS. the walls 0f the old mansion, ofte
" times cutting many strange capers
n. the cellar and larder.
T. But 1 had forgotten left such
good fire blazing upon the heart
Drawn up in front OF this cheerf