Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-07-09
Scotch Ghosts.

School. masters gives an instance
from his childhood which seems to
rank him amongst veritable ghost
seers. He gives Renaissance from
his earliest childhood of that night
when, in the wild and fatal tempest, his
father went down 0t sea. His mother
had Just received cheerful letter
from the father, SO that there were no
forcbodings in the dwelling. She was
sitting, plying her cheerful needle by
the household fire; the door had been
left unfastened. and she sent little
Hugh to shut it; it was in the twilight.
"a gray haze" he says, was spread
ing neutral tint of dimness over dis
tant objects. but left the near ones
comparatively distinct. when 1 saw at
the open door, within less than 3 yard
of my breast, as plainly as ever saw
stretched toward me--hand and arm
were apparently those Of female;
they bore u livid and sodden appear
ance, and directly fronting, me, where
the body ought to have been. there was
only blank Transparent. space, through
which l could see the dim forms of
the objects beyond. was fearfully
startled and ran shrieking to my
mother, telling what l had seen; and
the house.girl, whom she next sent to
shut the door, apparently affected by
my terror, also returned frightened,
and said that she, too, had seen the
woman's hand.
In the university of st. Andrews "a
custom obtains that Oh the death of u
professor intimation of the event is
conveyed by messenger to the other
members of the institution. In 1912
an aged professor was very ill, and his
decease was expected daily. One OF
his colleagues sat down to his usual
evening devotlons with his household.
His wife was reading portion of the
scripture, when, watch in hand, the
professor asked her whether it was not
precisely half-past nine. TAe lady,
taking out her watch, answered that it
was. Whom the service was concluded
the professor explained that at the time
he interrupted the reading he had seen
his ailing colleague, who had signaled
him an adieu. He felt satisfied his
friend had then expired. Not long af
ter messenger arrived, reporting that
DIR. II. had died that evening at half
past nine.
There is singular story connected
with the death of Mungo Park on his
second great African expedition. His
sister, Mrs. Thompson, lived with her
husband on their farm of Myreton,
among the Ochils. She had received a
letter from her brother, expressing
his hope that he would shortly return
home, and saying that she would not
be likely to hear from him again until
she saw him on his return. Shortly
| after this she was in bed; she fancied
she heard horses feet on the road
before her window. Sitting up in bed,
she instantly saw her brother, the
| great traveller, open the door and walk
toward her in his usual attire. She
Expressed her delight, sprang up from
| led, stretched out her arms to embrace
him, and only folded them over her
own breast. BY the dim light she
coald still only believe that he had
stepped aside, that he was, perhaps,
Joking with her; and while abe was up
braidlng him for retreating from her,
her husband came into the room and
assured her of her delusion. This was
tAc last that was heard of Mungo
Ink; tue date of his death was un-
kAcwn. Mrs. Thompson is described
as shrewd, Intelligent woman, not at
ali Inclined to superstition, but she al
ways believed that his death took place
at the time when she imagined he had
returned to her at Myreton.
Some of the specters or visions Of
the Highlands of the old time seem
almost like allegories.
A farmer, whose high character gave
him great influence in his elevated
hamlet, lost his children one after
another; at last he lost little child
who had taken great hold on his faith
ers affections; the fathers grief was
Incorporate and quite unbounded.
The death took place in the spring,
when, although the sheep were abroad
in the more inhabited Lowlands, they
had to be preserved from the blasts
of that high and stormy region in the
cote. In a dismal, snowy evening the
man, unable to stitle his anguish, went
out lamenting aloud; he went to the
door of his sheep-cote to take lamb
he needed, and he found stranger at
the door. He was astonished to find,
in such night, any person in so un-
frequented u place. He was plainly at
tired, but with countenance singu-
larry expressive of nildness and benefit
cence. The stranger, very singularly,
asked the farmer what he did there
amid the tempest of such night. The
man was filled with awe, which he
| could not account for, but said he came
| there for lamb.
"What kind of lamb do you mean
to take p said the stranger.
"The very best can tind," answered
the farmer; but come into the house
and share our evening meal"
Do your sheep make any resistance
when you take away the lamb, or any
disturbance afterward ?"
Never said the farmer.
"How differently am I treated"
said the traveller; "when l come to
visit my sheep-fold, take. as l am
we'll entitled to take, the best lamb to
myself, aud my ears are filed with the
| clamor Of discomfort by those migrate
full sheep whom have fed and watched
and projected. "-Leisure Hours.