The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-12-21

any of us, and in what proportion
or pouring hot lead into water, to
find cradles and rings, or purses and
collins or breaking the whites Of
eggs into tumblers half full of water
and then drawing up the white into
pictures of the future-the prettiest
experiment of all. remember Lu-
cy could only make recumbent
figure of hers, like a marble monu-
ment in miniature and /. a maze
of masks and skulls, and things
that looked like dancing apes OF
imps, and vapory lines that did not
require much imagination to fash
ion into ghosts or spirits I; for they
were clearly human in the outline,
but thin and vapory. And we all
laughed a great deal, and teased one
another, and were as full of fun and
mischief, and innocence and
thoughtlessness, as nest of young
birds.
There was certain room at the
other end of our rambling old man.
or-house, which was said to be
haunted, and which my father had
therefore discontinued as a dwell
ing-room, so that we children might
not be frightened by foolish servants;
and he had made it into a lumber
place-a kind of q ground-hoor gra-
nery-where no one had any busi-
ness. Well, it was proposed that
one of US should 60 into this room
alone. lock the door, stand before
the glass, pare and eat an apple
very deliberately, looking fixedly in
the glass all the time and then, if
the mind never once wandered, the
future husband would be clearly
shown in the glass. As / was al
ways The fool-hardy girl of every
party, and was. moreover, very de-
sirous of seeing that apocryphal in
dividual, my future husband, Whose
non-appearance l used to wonder at
and bewail in secret | was glad
enough to make the trial, notwith.
standing the entreaties of some of
the more timid. Lucy, above all,
clung to me, and besought me earn
estly not to goat last, almost with
tears. But my pride of courage,
and my curiosity. and a certain
feeling of attraction, were
too strong for me. laughed Lucy
and her abettors into silence utter
ed half-a-dozen bravadoes and TAX
ing up a bed room candle, passed
through the long silent passages, to
the cold, dark. deserted room-my
heart beating with excitement, my
foolish head dizzy with hope and
faith. The church-clock chimed a
quarter-past twelve Us | opened. the
door
1t was an awful night. The win
dows shook, as if every insta 1T they
would burst in with some strong
mans hand on the bars, and his
against the frames and
the trees how ed and shrieked, as if
each branca were setient and in
pain. The ivy beat against the win
dow, sometimes with fury, and
sometimes with leaves slowly scrap
ing again the glass, and drawing cut
long shrill sounds, like spirits cry
ing to each other. In the room it
self it was worse. Rats had made it
their refuge for many years, and
they rushed behind the wainscot
and down inside the walls, bringing
with them showers of lime and dust,
which ratified like chains. or sound
ed like mems feet hurrying to and
fro; and every now and then, cry
broke through the room, one could
not tell from where or from what,
but cry, distinct and human :;
heavy blows seemed to be struck on
the floor, which cracked like part
ing ice beneath my feet, and loud
shook the walls. Yet in
his tumult, i was not afraid. /
on each new sound very
calmly-and said, "those are rats"
Or "those are leaves" and birds in
.he chimney" or "owls in the IVY"
IS each new howl or scream struck
my ear. And l was not in the least
frightened or disturbed it all seem.
I'd natural and familiar. l placed
the candle on table in the midst
Of the room, where an old broken
mirror stood and, looking steadily
INTO the glass, having first wiped off
he dust, began TO eat Ewes for
Didden fruit, wishing intentlv. as !
had been bidden, for the apparition
Of my future husband.
In about ten minutes heard q
lull, vague, unearthly sound /; felt
not heard. 1t was as if countless
wings rushed by. and small low
voices whispering too as if a crowd,
| multitude of life was about me );
~ if shadowy faces crushed up
against me, and eyes and hands,
md sneering lips, all mocked me.
was suffocated. The air was so
heavy, so filled with life, that /
could hardly breathe. was press
I'd on from all sides, and could not
urn nor move without parting thick
vapors. heard my own name /
an swear to that to-day +! l heard it
through the room and
then bursts of laughter followed. and
he wings rustled and fluttered, and
tne whispering voices Knocked and
and the heavy air, SO fill
ID with life, hung heavier and thick
sr. and the things pressed up to me
closer, and checked the breath on
nv lips with the clammy breath
rom theirs.
| was not alarmed l was not ex-
cited but / was fascinated and
spell bound yet with every sense
to possess ten times it natur-
Il power. I still went on locking in
he glass, still earnestly desiring an
,pparition, when suddenly / saw n
mans face peering over my should
II in the glass. Girls, l could draw
hat face to this hour I! The low
orehead, with the short curling
hair, black as jet, growing down in
/ sharp point the dark eyes, be-
heath Tick eyebrows, burning with
, peculiar light I; the nose and the
liiatinp nostrils the thin lips. curl