Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-12-22

he'd a. died. ltS them KIND o chaps
what dow turn up, not starlin' good
fellers like John john, he wus q dret-
full loss.n
"Oh there's no possibility OF Johns
being alive,n said the Squire, nervous
ly. al saw him buried myself, poor
fellow. He was engaged TO my daugh-
ter Elsie, and she, poor girl, has done
nothing but mourn for linn all these
years. objected to the match Mt first,
hut before he went away ON his last
voyage, became fully alive TO his good
qualities He was brovc manly fell
low ,f.
Enter Mrs. Blagg the wife of n fish
erman, quite out of breath, and look
ing very wild.
What is il, Mary Janep You look
as il you'd seed u ghost, too,n said her
husband, who was one OF the circle by
the fire.
$50 | have, Lcmucl, true cz You are
alive. / come right face TO face with
John Norton comm through the field
from our house TO the main road. | see
linn Just rs plain cz | see you folks
meow, but didn't wait TO sec him long,
ken tell We, but just scud by him like
lightnin', m run intew the Squirc's, m
told Miss Elsie all aboutit | wuz dretfIl
scarf, but thought she'd orter kncow
about it. so | KEEP till got there, m
then | went OF intew n kinder faint
Bein' sortcr weak after fit er phthisic,
| couldn't stan H."
"Haow did ho lookPh inquired one
man under his breath.
g "Drctful material, only kinder white
SIP peaked, m he kinder halted m
looked straight at me kinder wild m
s'prised. They say ghosts don't never
like to beovertook, m don't 8 pose he
spectcd to meet nobody in that lone
some field. ri ~ uA;at' Hian
(. "But how could you see his face so
distinctly on so dark n nightp" said the
Squire, seeming considerably disturbed.
Good grashus, YOU don't s'pose. l
went through that there field without
no lanternP Still, after giving him one
rood look, wuz so tiustered that l
dropped the lantern on the spot, n run
screechin' along US fast as ] could.
You'll hev to git that there lantern,
Lemuel, fur It wouldn't dew to lose it,
nohaow; we can't afford tew git a moo
one"
well. good people" said the
Squire g we mustn't let ghosts inter-
fere- with our New Year festivities. 1t
is time that aalinvited guests should be
at my House, and here am /, the host,
away from home. '''n.h a.l iV
| And the Squire hurried out of the
store, and n 'ong the dusky wood until
he came to abrilliantly-lighted old man
! sion on the hill. -7.r.ga9
1t had long been his custom TO give u
house warming, as he called it, on New
Years Eve. Nearly all the town We're
.bidden TO these festivities, and they
Iiwere. enjoyed hugely by young and old,
+rich and vpoor.> Some of the old families
Thought the squire somewhat democratic
in his way of giving entertainments, and
rather turned up their noses ut the
small sailors and fishermen's families;
but neither the sailors nor the fisher
men took it to heart aud everything
went merry as "a marriage bell, as n
general thing. Z n hs
The squire entered the house, greeted
a few guests who had already arrived,
ITand then sought Elsie, his daughter,
who was standing by the window at the
end OF the long hall, looking pale and
distressed = -s-s--s '
,Don't he troubled by Mary Jane
Blagg's nonsense, DEAR he said, ''she
is n foolish woman, and is always imag-
ining all sorts of mysterious things
But, father; Eve had such strange
dreams of.late. don't believe in such
/ things. OF course, but they say several
other people have seen the-appari-
K tion.'i H if-,H ..f '
Nonsense, it is all imagination
: May be one Of the Port Nortons is about
( here just now. There is 4 strong family
sresemoiance between them all, you
know. n The mystery will lie explained
in few days, am sure
Elsie cleared her brow, and entering
the parlor, greeted the coming guests
with her usual quiet cordiality. She
! was n tall, handsome girl of twenty
7 seven, with the brow of Il madonna, and
smiles, are intensely sad, though filled
with a warm. kind glow, which
i-cheered one like fire on frosty
night.
C The large, square rooms are soon
filed. ,Heartsome fires leap on the wide
hearthstones. There is gossip in The
4 corners, playing of games by the young
4 people; there are quiet tlirtations on tho
stairs and in the halls, and after supper
there is to be Il dance in the great din
! ing-room. 80
''Elsie looks paer n soberer N evel
Tonight, don't she?n asks one OF thu
'eossips in the corner of her cronrs
''Yes, she duz was n hopin' tina
shefd quit thinkin' or John Norton, n
Ilgixo Tom Rollins, that s worn to ;
fshadder waitin' fur her, some encour
-fagement. They did say, jest before
John, went away, that she was ruthe
tul.nin' the cold shoulder on him, N
favorin' Tom; but, lols, there warn M
: truth in ii, fur see she and John par
the day he went away, n though they
i was both quiet ernuff, there warn't NJ
eoltlness between EN-. kin tell ye."
''Did you hear heow John Norton
( ghost he'd been seen rao.md here b,
. four or five different personsT says,an
other gossip in n mysterious whisper
"Elsic's hcerd on ii, and She s terribl,
out about it,
-" For gracious sakcs. no! When
Il Whop Walk / kneowcd suthin' wuz
goin' few happen. told Siah so thi
very night, fur there S bin tew lookin'
glasses broke here tcw the squire
II within the past month-all shivered +
pieces. Phebe Ann, the help, told m
2 Soa'
4 mis- Lemuel Blaeg, she was so too
aback by seeil' or him, thet she wen
Fintew ~ faint, m it took tew glasses o
, sperft 10 bring her tew agin.''
80 You don't saysoinl never heerd te
. o such arthing. Where wuz. shep u
/. fhoaw did he looka---,bke a corpse, O
, like Il live man, ez heern some dew?'
wall, she was so clustered when sh
, see him, thet she dropped her lantern
: m carn't tell fur S ] kneow Jest hao,
t he did look. Hiram Pratt m Mis- 10
i Jobnson'n' her sister hel seen him tew
/ m they say he looks dretful natera
, only some older m he did when h
died. They re n settlin' mp the col
, Norton estate in putty queer way
/, them Norton wimmen over tew tn
/ Port, N that why his ghost is n lurkir
y tlng.. Il a. . .