St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1885-03-21

them crOuched an object that froze me
with terror. There are some moments
in which the events of lifetime pass in
review; there are some glances in which
an infinity of detail can be taken in
quicker than eye can close. This was
one of them. do not suppose that my
eve rested on the terror for more than
a second: but in that brief space l saw
what seemed like the upper part of a
distorted hupan body. hunchbacked
and without legs, with face that
glowed with the red light of fire! l can
laugh now when think of my fright;
but at the moment l remember getting
the pony into motion somehow with
stick, bride and voice, and speeding
across the bridge like thunderbolt,
crouching down, Tam O'Shanter-like,
and momentarily expecting to feel the
grip of clammy hand on my neck!
Hard, hard we galloped through the
hamlet l have mentioned; nor did
slacken the pace until the lights of my
abode had cleaned through the planta-
ton and we were safe and sound in the
stable-yard-
To make . really good ghost-story
my narrative should 60 no further; but
the sequel has still to be told. | in
vented an excuse to appease the
curiosity of my friends, who naturally
were anxious to know what had sent us
home in such a fashion-the pony in a
lather and myself with a scared, unin-
tclligible expression. [ did not want to
tell the real story until / had made
some effort to unravel it. With this end
in view l started on foot soon after
breakfast for the house had dined at,
intending to make thorough examine
ton of the bridge and the course of the
stream on my way, and to question
some of the cottagers in the hamlet. |
was saved the trouble, however. l had
not gone much more than a mile when
/ perceived coming along the road
toward me a sturdy peddler. with fur
cap on his head, and pack of very
large dimensions fastened on his broad
shoulders. Such fellows are very COM
monty met with in the outlying dis
tricts of the Highlands, where they do
a roaring trade in ribbons, sham jew
elry and small wares, besides carrying q
fund of gossip from place to place. In
the specimen of the class now before
me was not long in recognizing the
ghost of the haunted brig. and on
hailing him was soon in possession OF
the whole story. ''Yes; he was the man
that was sitting on the bridge about
eleven o'clock; and was l the gentleman
that rode past as if all the witches in
the countryside were at his heels9
Faith. it was proper fright l had given
him."
..But tell me-" I asked, "what on
earth were you doing there at such time
of night?"
..Weel, sir, I was very late of gettin'
across the ferry; and it was LANCER
step than had thocht doom to the
village; and had guild walk the day
already, and was tired-like. The brig
was kind O. handy for rest; so l just
sat down on the dixie and had bit
smoke O. the pipe. Losh, sir, when you
cam scourin' past, thocht it was the
dell himsel but then just thocht it
was myself sittin' in the shadow that
had frighted your beastie, and it had
run ava wi you like. And when |
cam the length O. the village, l just
had to creep into bit shed; and wi
my pack and some straw soon made q
bed
So here was the whole story. The
deep shadow on the brid ge had pre-
vented me from seeing the sitter's legs;
the heavy knap-sack had given him a
hump back; the fur cap and the glow of
the pipe accounted for the fiery counte-
nance. With mutual explanations we
parted-he to push his sales in the
villages beyond; l, to hurry on to the
house in the glen, whose inmates at first
evinced the liveliest interest in the over
night episode-an interest. however.
which waned to disappointment as l
proceeded to explain how the ghost was
laid. may mention that l omitted the
'scourin' past portion of the adven-
ture. How they will chaff me when
they read Chambers Journal.