The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-03-25
was-so badly that he could hardly

me- painted Grimes, rattlin' a chain
and shroikin.' Try if thee can stop
him, for the love of heaven. can
notr
"Sure enough, at that very moment
l heard sound of pattering feet APP
preaching, mingled with the clanking
of chain; and through the darkness 1
could just make out something white
coming swiftly toward us. Grimes,
who seemed too much scared even to
run away, got behind me as if had been
wall, while the ghost came on.
"And when the terrible hobgoblin
got right up to us, what do you think it
turned out to bep Why, neither more
nor less than the miller's own white
donkey, which, having been carelessly
tethered, had managed to break loose,
and was enjoying a moonlight run by
itself, dragging its chain along with it!
81 took care to keep the secret, but
the story leaked out somehow, and you
may fancy what a hard time of it the
poor miller had in the village for good
while after, although many who laughed
at him would have been no Drawer them
selves in his place.
Nov it happened that the hardest
of all upon him was Sam Barton, the
butcher-a great, brawny fellow, with
large, red whiskers, and hand like one
of his own shoulders of mutton--who
was fond of Boosting that he feared
nothing above ground or under it.
Zone night, when a lot of them were
having sort of holiday-supper at the
little inn, yonder Barton made fun of
the miller so numerically that at last
the poor fellow got quite angry.
49, All, any mon can talk big when
there be no dangern cried he; but if
thee'd been i my place. the'd ha' done
jist as / did!'
Would /, thought? shouted the
butcher, fiefcely. Thee nun get up
early to catch Sam Barton playin' Grad
dint Coward | be'nt afeared O. nought
above ground nor under it, neitherr
"'Well, then said Grimes, looking
him full in the face, will thee go
through the church-yard nowP'
"'Aye, that will cried the butcher,
jumping up at once; and we may a
COON with me if We loike, and see that
l do it fairn
Jewell, bark We to me, lads put in
the landlord, Use tell we how We'll do
it. Sam shall tax these three knives,
and stick one i the ground by the stile
where he II go into the choorch-yard, and
another by Squire Hawker's monument
i the middle, and the third at the gate
on t'ootherside. Then we'll 90 round
to the gate and meet him, and see that
as fair
"The plan was at once agreedto and
off started the valiant butcher, whistlipg
defiantly, and blinking the three long
knives in his brawny hand. /
"But as he began to leave the village
lights behind him, and to approach the
dark, dreary church-yard, his whistle
grew fainter and his step less brisk. 1t
was chill, gloomy night, and the wind
moaned dismally through the leafless
trees, while the distant roar of the tor
rent that ran through Dead Mans Gully
sounded unnaturally loud in the grim
silence.
Every ghost story he had ever
heard in his life seemed to crowd into
the unfortunate butchers memory at
once, and by the time he reached the
stile he would gladly have given all the
money in his pocket to be well out of
the whole business But it would never
do to give in now, so over the stile he
scrambled, planted his first knife, and
went on.
1.-The church-yard was dark as pitch,
and he got more than one tumble over
the graves, which made his nerves none
the steadier.
'Just as he was sticking the second
knife beside the 'Squires monument
(Which loomed white and ghostly.
through the darkness), the church-clock
struck twelve.
"The dese, hollow sound, amid that
dead silence, started him from walk
into a run. On he went, scratching
himself against projecting boughs and
brusing his shins upon the tombstones,
till at last he came down on his hands
and knees, close to the white gate. just
then an old owl overhead gave such a
scream that Sam, too scared even to
look round, stuck the third knife at
random behind him, and tired to rush
off. But 10! something seized and held
him fast, and poor Sam, frightened out
of his wits, howled shrieked, kicked,
struggled, and finally tainted outright
" Meanwhile, his comrades, who were
waiting outside, heard his cries, and fear
ing that something had gone wrong,
ventured in, keeping very close to-
gether. And what do you think they
foundp Why, that he had stuck the
knife through the skirt of his OWn coat,
and pinned himself to the ground! And
that was all the ghost there was about
the matter. Golden Days.