St. Landry democrat., 1882-12-30
stairs and in the halls. and after supper
there is to be a dance in the great din

stairs and in the halls, and after supper
there is to be a dance in the great din
ing-room.
7.Elsie looks paler n soberer n ever
tonight, don't she?'' asks one OF the
possips in the corner of her crony.
: Eyes, she duz. / was hopin' that
She quit thinkin' or John Norton, n
give Tom Rollins, that s worn to a
shadder waitin' fur her, some encour
agement. They did say, jest before
John went away, that she was ruther
turnin' the cold shoulder on him, N
favorin' Tom; but, lor'. there wartime
truth in it, fur see she and John part
the day lie went away, N though they |
was both quiet ernuff, there warn, t no
GOODNESS between 'em, I kin tell We.
s.Did you hear heoW John Norton's
ghost he'd been seen raoand here by
four or five different persons?' SAYS an
other gossip in mysterious whisper.
.Elsie's heerd on it, and she s terribly
out about it. !"
.sFor gracious sakes. no! When9
Whop Wall, kneowed suthin' wuz a
goin' tew happen. / told Siah SO this
very night, fur there's bin tew lookin'-
glasses broke here tew the squire's
within the past month-all shivered to
pieces. Phebe Ann, the help, told me
So
..Mis' Lemuel Blagg, she was SO took
aback by seem or him, tibet she went
intew faint, m it took tew glasses or
sperit to bring her tew agin.
.""Y on don t say so! / never heerd tell
| O. such thing. Where wuz she? n
hoaw did he look?--like corpse. or
like a live man, ez heern some deW?''
| t.Wall, she was so fustered when she
see him, tibet she dropped her lantern.
m carn't tell fur s kneow jest haow
| he did look. Hiram Pratt n Mis-, Job
/ johnson n her sister kez seen him tew,
m they say he looks dretful material,
only some older m he did when he
died. They re a settlin' up the old
Norton estate in a putty queer way,
them Norton wimmen over tew the
Z. Port, n. that s why his ghost is a lurkin'
4 around these parts. s pose. =
..Speakin' o. GHOSTS says Captain
Riley, an old sailor who had had more
strange experiences, known more
mysterious happenings, than any
other man in the town. and
that was saying a good deal; i saw a
| dretful strange apparition out teW sea
abeout twenty years ago.
.sDo tell us about it, said several OF
the young people in the same breath,
leaving their games and joining the
circle around the fire, for Captain
Riley's stories were famous in the
town.
..Wall, naow. s'pose I've told the
: story hundred times over at one time
N another in this place, but if you are
anxious to hear it / can tell it again..
# Nearly all the people in the room
were anxious to hear it, and after tilt
, ING to and fro in his chair severa
times, and clearing his throat with
J great deal of ,yigor, he commenced te
relate the thrilling tale of ghost which
appeared on shipboard during one OF hi:
: foreign voyages-the ghost OF sailor
, who had been wronged by the forme1
: master OF the vessel, and was mysteri
ouslv murdered on shore after the shll
} reached port.
, Elsie, her large, dark eyes dilatins!
. with interest OF emotion, joined tht
/ listening circle. though she usual,
t either laughed or frowned at the Cap
9 tain weird recitals.
| ..Let us take the lamps out OF tn
room, the story will seem ever SO mncl
more real,n says one OF the laughin!
; girls. who enjoy nothing 50 much as tn
, blood which arises from tn
Q contemplation of the supernatural.
i So the lamps are removed, and in
glory of the scarlet Goals and tlickerlns
). freight only half illumine the larg
: room. with its dark Wainscotings AM
deep window embrasures. As the tai
: goes on the fire grows lower and lower
Shadows gather in the corners an
), creep in among the silent group G
L listeners. The old mans voice has
: strange. weird quality in it, like that
the sea when it whispers to sand
a where there are graves, or aroun
v rocks where there have been wrecks
g like that of the wind when 1T means
J the chimneys of haunted houses, OF,
ghostly woods where some murder ha
. been committed in years gone by.
= Perfect silence reigns. But Just 9
y the interest of the tale is at its heigh
= and the young people are clinging
J; each other with awe stricken looks, til
. fire flashing into sudden life shines 9
Z face framed in one of the window
q panes, the face Of one who has bee
!, buried in the old graveyard behind tn
! church nearly eight years. The eye
J. are fixed upon Elsie with an eagel
. searching glance for moment, an
= then the flame and it vanish togethe
: into the darkness. s II
Y Elsie, who has met the glance Wi
. her own eyes, utters wild, scared cry
. and falls fainting into the arms OF h 3!
companions. Shrieks sound from eli
ferent portions of the room.