Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-05-11
GHOST STORIES UNVEILED.
How the Supernatural Disappears On Inves
tisation.

The following arc related in the con-
versational style in which they were told
to a contributor to Chambers Journal:
II am sure none Of you were ever so
terrified by ghost as | was" said my
Aunt Mabel. 1T was an American
ghost, which perhaps accounts for its hay
ing been more wild and weird and alto
gcther e!ectrifying than any thing ever
met with in the old country. You know
that | went to America when l was
young, and that | spent many Of my
early years in a lonely farmhouse in the
backwoods."
''And without servants, Aunt Mabcl!"
.Quitc true, dear. Servants would not
stay ir such an out-of- the-way place
withou. higher wages than we could give
them. and indeed the helps we tried
were often more deserving Of the name
of hindercrs But We were all young
and strong, and we never had happier
days than when we all kept house togcth-
CT, and did the work with our own hands;
Capital training it was, though at first Of
course We made many mistakes, every
thing was so new and strange to us.
1T was soon after our arrival at this
lonely place that I met with a terrible
fright. My sister Isabel and 1 shared the
same room, and one night was awak-
ened by hearing her crying by my side
"'What is the matter, Isabel?"
so, q toothache, most dreadful tooth
ache, and have nothing to relieve it. If
| could only get some brandy; little
burnt brandy would cure it in mo-
ment'
My DEAR" Isaid, jumping out of bed,
Il will get you some directly. l know
where it is-in the parlor cupboard and
| have got the key
"'But you have no light
SO, can grOpc my way to the loom,
and then can easily light my candle at
the stove
"No sooner said than done Wrapped
shaw round me, went swiftly end qui-
city down stairs, felt my way through the
clark and deserted room, and succeeded in
lighting my candle at the stove But no
sooner did hold up the lighted candle
to make my way to the cupboard than a
most unearthly shrek rang through the
room. At the same moment the light
was suddenly cxtinguishcd. l was left
an tota' darkness. and all was still and
silent as before.
"Chillcd with horror, and trembling in
every limb, [ cropped my way back as we'll
as | could md told my story to Isabel; but
she was IN such pain that it did not make
the impression on her that 1 expected.
got bat little sympathy.
cit must have been the wind, or a wild
cat outside that scrcamcd,' she said; 'and
as to the light being put out, that of
course was sheer accident. Candles often
go out when they arc just lighted. Of
course she added, We arc not such fools
as to believe in ghosts
''Thi> -athcr put me on my mettlc, and
moved. ',csidc, by her means of intense
pain, az last braccd myself up to sec
ond attempt. | went with great deter
mlnation, resolving that nothing should
now hinder me from bringing the remedy
to my sister
''Proceeding down stairs again, all
went we'll till turned from the stove with
my lighted candle in my hand. Instant
ly the same yell rcsondcd in my ears,
while something, l could not tell what,
swept past me, and dashed out the light !
"Iow reached my room mover knew,
but | crawled into bed more dead than
alive, and rs soon as l conld speak I told
Isabel that, no matter what happened,
nothing could induce me to make the ven
ture again.
"Morning came at last, and with it the
solution of the mystery. My brothers
had come home late, bringing with them
a scrccch-owl which they had caught.
and had put into the parlor for safety till
the morning. The Ii ht had of course
disturbed it, and it had flown against the
candle and extinguishcd it while uttering
its peculiar and sinyularly 'hideous
cry. Ny terror at the midnight ghost
was Joke at my expense for long after
Il think you were very brave to 90 in
to the room second time, Aunt Mabel
''Well, I think | was, I must admit.
But l would have bravcd almost any
thing for Isabel, and I was strong,
courageous girl, who hardly knew what
fear was. Still, I can assure you that
even to this day when recall the scene,
| seem still to feel the thrill Of terror that
shook NE at the sound Of that uncarthly
shrek. Heard for the first time in the
dead OF night and so close to my ear, it
was truly startling and dreadful. It was
great relief when the mystery was so
simply explained. But only imagine if
it had never been explained! If the owl
had got in unperceived, and had escaped
by the chimney or an open window
How that ghostly shrek must have
haunted me ever after! It would have
been as frightful a 'ghost-story as you ever
heard. But see! at the touch of the lit
tie wand of truth the ghost vanishes, and
only apoor screech-owl remains!"
''Now let me tell the story of our fam
ny ghost, said Miss B. ''Such a use
ful, faithful, devoted spirit as it was An
Irish ghost; but not a banshec-morc like
delicate Ariel or household fairy. I
only fear its race is extinct now, as we'll
as that of the invaluable servants who
used to identify themselves with their
masters family. Our ghost was before
my time; but often and often have heard
my grandmother talk of it, and what a.
mystery it was. The household was large
and varied, consisting of the old couple,
some grown up ones, one of them married,
an orphan niece, and two or three Young
children in the nursery. There were no
railways in those days, and when any of
the family intended going to the country
town, they had to be up at dawn of day,
take2a solitary breakfast, and set out on
what was then formidable expedition.
Of course the affair used to be discussed
in the family the evening before, commits