Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-12-28
AN ECCENTRIC GHOST.
\ slight Sketch, Appropriate to the Sea.
SON.
Written for the Free Press.l

"Of course said Jack Oldham, as the
Askew's breakfast table, "Of course YOU
all know that l don't take the slightest
stock in anything of the kind, but after
all | can't account for it on any other the
ory than that it was ghost"
"a what !" exclaimed Mr.. Askew, drop.
ping soft-boiled egg into his lap in his
astonishment :; "a ghost in my house ?"
"Why, Jack Oldham" demonstrated
stately Mrs. Ashew.
"a ghost ! O-h-h-h screamed in con-
cert Misses Anne and Dolly Askew and
their friend and guest Amy Ashton.
ooh, crackey," exclaimed the thirteen
years-old heir-apparent of the house of
Askew.
"a ghothtl' lisped the Askew cherubs,
projecting their big round eyes percept-
ible distance out Of their infantile heads.
eyes, ghost, emphatically responded
Jack to the chorus.
ooh, do tell us about it," urged the
young ladies.
"Don't give it to us too stiff" suggest
ed the somewhat skeptical heir-apparent,
for which hideous piece of slang he was
peremptorily frowned down by Mrs.
Askew.
"Well, said Jack, as the request was
made general, 'it was, I should say,
about the witching hour OF night when
cnuicny yarus .yawn and graves give up
their dead. That's the proper phrase,
isn't it ? was suddenly awakened from
a sound sleep, by what can not tell l
only know that all of sudden was as
wide awake as l am at this moment. l
had an indefinite feeling that something
wrong was going on, and looked around =;
and there, at the side of the bed, between
it and the windJw, and plainly visible in
the bright moonlight, was the most sin-
gular form ever beheld."
"What was it like ?" interrupted Mr..
Askew :--"The spectre of the Brocken-
n headless horseman-a witch from Mac
beth'-Tam O'Shanter's female friend?"
| "No, none of these. 1t was a aueerly
dressed squat little Dutchman-you
know my primeval ancestor, Won Olden
Hamm, was of that persuasion-with a
paunch of aldermanic proportions, a
broad and very rubicund face-he was no
Good Templar, apparently-and tre-
mendous beak-like nose, cherry-red in
color"
"What ridiculous ghost" said Anne
Askew ; 81 don't believe q word you
say"
Its true, though" replied Jack,
"every bit of it. Bring on the big diction-
ary and I'll swear to it. Well, l wasn't
much frightened, for the ghost wasn't
clothed i'll terror to any remarkable ex-
tent, but it was awfully queer, you know.
The old duiier-excuse me, my visitor
was sitting on footstool aud smoking q
long stemmt pipe as big us his head.
As caught his eye he looked at me fixed.
ly and sternly, at the same time giving a
tremendous pull at his pipe. Then he
slowly and solemnly blew out such q
cloud Of smoke as fairly filled the room,
and said in loud, harsh voice--I can
never forget the words-'Sie sind ein
esel.' Then before the cloud of smoke
had cleared away my visitor was gone"
g Sic sind Elm esel" repeated Mr.
Askew, "What IN the name of the Tower
of Babel does that mean?"
'That is Just what / would like tc
know" was Jacks reply.
"How do you spell the words ?"
81 haven't the least idea"
"What language is it q
'Heavcn only knows | suppose it.
Dutch, or German, or Choctaw, or some
thing"
The conundrum was one that none O
the party could answer and the cnsuin,
search through lexicons and dictionarie
, did not materially add to the stock o
knowledge. Even that inexhaustibl
mine of wealth the back part of Web
stsrs dictionary failed for once to respon,
to the yearnings of the scarchers after in
e formation.
"By Heaven" said Jack to himself
"Ill find ont what that old Dutchmal
meant or perish in the attempt" !" Thi
heroic resolve led, after much cogitation
to happy thought For Jack to brus
his hair, dust his clothes, put on his arc
tics, overcoat and hat, was, in the Ian
guage of romance, the work of but min
ute, and mt the Expiration of that limite
period of time he was under full head G
steam for the residence of that Professo
the almost superhuman extent of who's
learning was fixed article in the cree
of all Burlingtonians. The distance wa
long, and Jack had ample time to thin
of several things that had of late create
no slight disturbance in his susceptibl
mind. First and foremost was Mistre.
Anne Askew. He had only the week b,
fore confded the secret OF his affectio
for Anne to his friend Henry Field.
"Oh, pshaw," the prosaic Henry ha
then replied, "ouly three months ago 20
told me that you once loved a girl whoi
picture you showed me, madly, wildl,
passionately A; and | afterwards discove
ed that the photograph was fancy on
taken from cake of scented soap Kee
refrigerated, Jack, and allow the hirsu
H. covering of your Uranium to develop"
"Thats all right, Hal" said Jack, "bl
I'm serious this time and l do really 10,
!, thnt oirl IN distraction And oh 'Jaa