Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-01-17

a ghcst? asks john
yields the point, as iMnry anew
would.
Day after day Hiram has present
ed himself at the gate to see if they
are yet ready to depart, and day af-
ter day his grin has grown wider and
his look of admiration deeper as he
hears Milly's spirited denial of any
thing like fear or even annoyance.
People are shy of entering the
"haunted house," and they have
made few acquaintances among their
neighbOrs, though they can well
guess at the buzz of wonder, conjec-
ture, admiration, or censure which
goes on around them. 1t troubles
them but little, this commotion of
which they are the half-unconscious
centres. They ignore the stares,
shy, or audaciOus, which are directed
at them, and laugh at the gossip
which Hiram reports to them in his
quantity humorous way. The life
is pleasant one in its perfect free
dom and unconstraint. If their
nights are disturbed, have they not
the whole day in which to make up
their lost slumbers? And running
through it all is Il vein of interest
and adventure which prevents the
mOnOtOny from palling upon them.
Really, said Milly, I half dread
the day when we shall solve the
mystery, and find some utterly pro-
sale explanation at the bottom of it
all. Our ghost will turn out an ar
rant imposter, and l shrink from the
knowledge. Yet it would be too
humiliating to go back and tell that
we have failed in our quest.
John does not answer. He has
risen and sauntered a few steps
from the porch, on which they have
been sitting. The west is all golden
with the setting sun, and the distant
murmur of the restless surf upon the
beach comes family to their ears.
Flocks of white doves wheel and
whirl, flashing through the golden
sunlight on their way to their home.
Last of all comes a belated wander
er, not swiftly and eagerly like the
rest, but laboring along YEARLY with
clumsy wing. Johns eye follows
him mechanically in his flight.
Suddenly he calls to MiIly: "Milly,
come here a moment.
Wonderingly Milly obeys his sum-
mons, and wonders still more as he
says:
Look at those pigeons flying home
for the night. Can you see one
which is slower and heavier than the
rest, which fingers behind, as if his
flight had been too long for him?
Milly shades her eyes with her
hand as she follows their flight. Ne,
she can see nothing of the kind.
The laggard has fallen out of the
ranks, that is plain, but where has
he gone? John says nothing but
scans thoughtfully the receding
flock. Then he goes up to the house
and examines the mass of vines
which maDtles its sides; shakes them
with a vigorous hand, but to no pur-
pose; walks round the house, and
scrutinizes it carefully, smoking Wig
orously the while, with never word
of reply to Milly's curious, eager ques
tiOns.
The noises are bad that night,
worse than they have been yet, Milly
declares; but to all that she says
John turns deaf ear, refusing posi- |
lively to get up and go off on his
usual tour of investigation. Thor. !
oughly perplexed and mystifed,
Milly gives up her efforts at last, and |
drops off to sleep herself, in spite of |
the groans and walls of the invisible |
sprite.
awake up, Milly! wake up!" says
John, in what to Milly's bewildered |
senses seems the middle of the night. |
The sun is shining into the eastern |
window, however, and John, already |
dressed, is standing beside her, hold |
ing IN his hands a soft mass of |
rutfied white feathers. Two red eyes
blink uneasily from the midst of the |
feathers; two pink feet kick and |
struggle; a hoarse, defiant note |
swells the throat of the captive, as
he pecks viciously at the confning
hands.
"Wake up, Milly, and be intro
duced to YOUR ghost" saws John, as
Milly stares up in sleepy wonder.
"Our quest has succeeded at last.
The ghost is brought to light, and |
here he Isl" and as he speaks he gives
the pigeon a little shake.
"But what? ?-where? how"
cries Milly. "What does it all mean? |
Where is the ghost, poor fellow? |
and what allied him? Oh, John! why
didn't you wait for me?"
"Where is the ghost?" says John.
"Why, here in my hands, the cap
tive of my bow and spear What
allied him? Well asthma, should
say, to Judge from his wheezy and
sepulchral crOakings. Why didn't
l wait for you? Only because
wanted to prove to you that | could
be trusted to deal gently with
spectre even if you were not by.
The fact is, however, says John,
hastily, as he meets the look of re-
proach in Milly's eyes-ths fact is
that | only had an inkling of an idea
on the subject last night, and
not want TO speak about i
was sure. You remember
ing the flight of those pigee
night, and thinking that
missed one which had specia,
ticed. Well, the more l thuuf
it, the more firmly l was conv
that he had disappeared some
among the mass of trumpet-crG
which coYers the wall belo'
window. l looked last even
could see no trace of anything
piClous, and it was too late to
very thoroughly. This morl
was up bright and early, f
ladder, and proceeded to investA
You may believe that was re