Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-02-01

WIFI CQo GOuUS auu OIooScSi SPOno
great part of the day. in the sacred edi-
Ice. One cold winters afternoon / re-
member having peculiarly dismal TIT.
had been indoors for two or three days
n consequence of heavy fall of snow,
md when, late in the afternoon, the
weather. began to clear, felt that Unjust
70 out, if only for an hour. Aunt Anne,
lifting peacefully knitting by the side
If the fire, expressed mild establishment
It my restlessness but as usual got
nv own way and issued forth cloaked
and muffled to obtain the "breath of
air" for which had petitioned. Having
once got out thought I would make
the most of my liberty and try just one
chant on that dear old organ. The
church would hardly be colder than out
doors, and was warmly mufaed up
Calling at the vlcarage for the key of
the church went on my willful way,
little thinking how soon my longing for
an adventure" was to be satisfied. 1t
was growing dusk as unlocked the
heavy door and stepped inside the
church, so dusk, indeed, that I missed
my footing at the step inside and slip
ped, falling against the door in my eff
fort to save myself. The door slammed
to, leaving the key IN the lock outside.
So here was a prisoner. sat down
on the step and felt excessively foolish.
Here was pretty state of things. How
on earth was to get out? The door,
like everything else, was out of repair,
and depended on the key for opening it;
there was no latch within. I tried to
turn the key through the keyhole, but
only succeeded in breaking my nails
Then I remembered reading in my
childhood how similar misadventure
befell the famous Goody Two Shoes, and
how she made her case known by ring
ing the bells. But, alas, our belfry was
approached by flight of turret steps,
terminated by door, which found
locked. Old Saunders, the sexton, was
a careful man, and had, doubtless, the
key safe in his pocket at home. Goody
Two Shoes experiences were therefore
of no service to me.
The church was about ten minutes
walk from any habitation, and no one
! was likely to pass 1t, so might have
shouted forever without attracting at
| tention, even could my voice have pene
trated through the stout oaken door. l
once thought of'escaping by the win
dows, but they were all too high from
/ u,
| I should have hesitated at breaking a
pane of the rare old glass. My only
hope that Aunt Anne would become
alarmed and miss me, although as she
had no idea had gone to the church she
might send in every wrong direction be-
| for seeking me in the right one. l had
promised to return the key at the vicar
age as I went home, but it was doubtful
l Z hot n n
| would excite SURPRISE Mr.. Scott, oul
old bachelor vicar, was one of the most
absent of men, and, if he was immersed
| in his books, had probably forgotten the
key and myself by this time. My only
hope of rescue lay in Aunt Anne. AS
rose from the step where L had been sit
ting, rejecting on the situation, began
to feel that adventures" after all, were
not without alloy. I thought so still
more some hours later. Despite my
wraps I began to feel very cold, and, as
some hours might yet elapse before
was set free, began to make myself as
comfortable as I could under the cir
cumstances. Fortunately for me Dull
lerton folks were chilly people. and ev-
cry seat had loose scrap of drugget OF
carpet. I recollected these and the has
socks, and arranged myself q snug nes1
by the chancel, where I could command
a full view of the west door in case any
| one came to look for ne. There [ lay
down among the dusty carpets. and fell
| warm again. IT was not cheerful posi-
ton, however. sad [ would gladly have
| exchanged it for Aunt Anne's snug par
| lor with all its dizziness. was neither
a nervous nor superstitious girl, out lhe
church looked so weird and "eerie" in
the waning light, the dim aisles fading
away into darkness, strange grotesqut
shadows falling in the nave, all around
so very still. I felt such uncomfortably
'creepy" sensations coming over me
that shut my eyes to exclude outside
| objects, and, as people often do in such
| cases, soon fell asleep.
| [ must have slept some hours, for on
| waking I found the moon shining.
now began to feel very uneasy. How
was it that I had not vet been missed
| Was to be condemned TO s'make 6
| night of it" in the church ? It was 8
blessing that the next day was Sunday
[ thought, ruefully; at any rate l was
sure to be found when Saunders came te
open the doors. But this was small com
| fort for the present moment, when be-
gan to feel not only cold, but hungry. 1 lay
looking down the long vista Of the nave
at all the familiar tombs knew so well
the knights and ladies lying stiff and
still, with solemn-faced rows of children
kneeling of their sides, and strange ami
mails, like nothing in nature, lying al
| their feet. The white figures looked
CHASTITY enough in the uncertain light,
| flor clouds were obscuring the moon
ever and anon,) and began to think,
by way of cheerful and appropriate
| meditation. of all the strange stories
| had heard in my childhood; OF white
robed figures seen fitting down dusky
aisles, of spectral banquets spread in
church-yards, and last, but not least, OF
| the world German ghost stories-Lenore
and her midnight ride with her spectre
lover, Goethe's horrible poem of the
Lost Shroud," and similar pleasant
tales. I sat up and tried to shake of
the uncomfortable sensations creeping
over me, and told myself how absurd
was to think of such rubbish. AS l
| raised myself my glance fell on large
square tomb nearly opposite, standing
back in the side aisle. / knew every
stone in the church, and that special
tomb was an old eyes sore to me; for
though it was clearly intended to bear a
recumbent effigy, the figure was now
wanting, probably having been remov-
ed at the time of the civil wars, when
Cromwell's soldiers had been quartered
in the church, to its great injury. Some
stone effigies, much dilapidated, had long
been lying in the vaults of the church,
and Mr.. Scott had often talked of put
ting one on this tomb but, like every
thing in the way ofrepairs or alterations,
the work ended in talk Yet as look
ed across now I distinctly saw a figure
lying on the slab. ''Mr. Scott has ac-
tually filled up that blank tomb at last, u
thought, as I strained my eyes to dis
tinguish what kind of figure he had
selected for the post. ut is a great
chance if he has found the original ef-
figy" I reflected, livery probably he
has put some crusading knight over the
grave of bishop, or an Elizabethan
lawyer over a medieval lady. I knew
the tomb had no name or date on it, and
1 believe the efhgies were all more or
less battered about-well, at any rate,
the figure will have to be satisfied, for it
cannot get up and walk back to the
vault" and thought of Don Giovanni
and the scene where the statue of the
commodore stalks in. I was sorry / had
Iora or, q ftorwarIS for kant Ulancinr