The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-04-26
BEHIND MINERVA'S SHIELD.

Homer Ashton one autumn evening
listened to stories OF witches and ghosts
told around him, and Joined in them,
until he felt an occasional shiver creep
iLg down his back. Not that he be-
lieved in the supernatural, but the fire
light into which he sat looking grew
pleasan'er to him than the corners of the
great room, for lamps had been banished
to accord with the subject under DIS
cussion, and it seemed that the shadows
fiickering behind the young people
grouped about the CRATE of blazing coal
were massiN and weird, and that when
one glanced at them sideways suddenly,
there was something about them like
ghostly visitors. When he faced them
to be sure, they were only ordinary
shadows. Homer was ashamed of him
self, he was afraid his nerves were un-
steady, and resolved to test them. He
knew sway to do it.
Near the place ut which he was stay
ing, au English country house, we're
the ruins OF the older part of castle
said to have been built in the time of
the Crusades. The whole castle was at
present uninhabited, but the part
which had been allowed to fall into
hopeless decay was the width of the
courtyard away from the rest of the
house. Probably it had once been con-
nected with it by buildings which had
formed three sides of hollow square,
but if so il had been left out in the
changes made at different times. and
now it was roohess, the walls were
crumbled, and the underground portion
was all that made any pretense to a
habitation, and offered suitable home
to the unearthly beings who were said
to roam in it, for a dampness covered
all the stones and the air had deadly
clusions from the nature of things
rather than the results OF observation
for Homer could not find anybody who
had explored it.
Ghosts ought really to be forgiven 9
good many faults, because they are il
general SO unsel6sh about selecting
homes nobody else wants.
That evening, as Ashton connected
the reports of the place itself with sto
ries of sights and sounds around it, ht
found himself yielding so much to thu
influence OF gossip that he determined
to shake off the weakness and to tr,
what stuff he was made of. He woulC
stand in those haunted halls and sum
mon the ghosts and see what woulC
happen. He knew well enough that
would be nothing.
But he did not tell his plan to tn
others; he said merely that he was go
ing for a walk to blow away this ghostl.
atmosphere by little fresh air. No
body volunteered to accompany him
night had never seemed more distaste
full to'them all. They only looked a
each other significantly as he left them
and said:
"Another Americanism."
There is an unreasoning element i
human nature which assumes every in
dividuality of a foreigner to be a ns
tional characteristic. DIR. Ashton
whom the son of the house had becom
ACQUAINTED with in London and brough
home with him for a visit, was to hi
entertainers an epitome OF Americf
and 1t must be confessed that at th
end of week they had come to have
good opinion of that country.
AS Homer walked on rapidly he sa
an occasional star in the sky, but
seemed as if he never could get out
the shadow of the trees, there were
many If them. j..
He soon came to the ruin, mi
away, opened the heavy gate and bega
to descend the long flight of steps lea'
ing into the corridors and rooms nnde
ground. What could the old plai
have been used forP Did monks con
here for prayers and penanees, or we