National Republican., 1885-10-31
MYBA's wELI.-A TALE OF ALL
UALIOw-E'EN.
ny cEonoY IN ,Ncis DAw5oS.


ny GEongH FntNCis DAwsoS.
II isthe night OF all nights OF the yeas
When ghosts AMI warlOcks haunt tbs tao t)l5l
Garth,
spirits Of good and evil from the deal.
Fresh from the angel hosts AMI from the
damned,
Aud from the vast profound beiw;x. the two
Spirits from living bodies, disenthrdled
By blessed sleep, or yearnings most intents.
Orb more subtle agencies beyond out Ken
Bearing purientous messages to those
Who in full faith the iu'ure would behold.
The clesrcut radiance Off frosty moon
Lights up, and darkcns all the gro WITH HrOun |.
The great trees stand out black against the
stars.
The wind in gusts bestirs the autumn leaves
Whose late October tints are lost In gloom,
or nrc grown pallid with their shiverlng
Whose fitful rustlings are the only sounds
Which break the dead cold silence of tne night
Yet hist faint eerie tones are sometimes
Which blanch the check and palsy all the
limbs
Like to the moaning of departed souls
within the farm house Is large high room
Cncciled. but studded thick with rlters Oil
Grown black with age or smoke; arounl It's
walls
stG hams and bncon.nitches dimly seen;
And here and there the dm.uuceftain iOrml
of ki;chen-warc aud chairs and metal mugs;
From the low windows, half acr0ss the nlor.
stretch bands OF moonlight ilecked with sh I'd.
dowed leaves
Which irtmblc till the moonlight seems TO
dance:
Beside the fireplace stands some piled.up
wood,
But re great hcOrihstOnc opens cold and
Beneath the inner door, chink cf light
Seems but to made the dimness darker yet;
The only sound the tcktuckint the clock,
Which serves to make the silence audible.
High on the hill lordly pile looks down
From It's proud emincnce aud grand domain
Upon the farm house in the vale below.
Buildcd of marble, lofty, turreted
II looms beneath the moonlight DER the trees
| Like some ctherial castle IN the skies,
| Llmned In white alabnster, gliSteniug, grand,
| Unreal, weird not made by mortal hands.
| But sudden as ones wrapt gaze takes 1t in,
1t turns TO grny then vanishesl
'Tls but sudden cloud athwart the moon.
| Within the castle, in n sumptuous room,
| Sits young Sir Bertram Morven, all alone.
| He had been reading that sweet Persian tale
| OF him who knocked at the beloved ones
| door
And cried otis 1, who loveth theel" To
She, answering, i said; "Thou canst not enter
And how, twelvemonth past, he knocked
And the beloved one asking "who art thoug"
Replicd " II is thyself" and entered ill.,
| And lights and shadows sweep pacross his brow,
Like thoughts OF heaven and he'll across the
| soul.
Back in Holts farmhouse what a change is
there!
The raiiered room is filed with light and
From blackened hearth the joyful flames leap
And roar roar and crncklc through the piled.up
on either side the old Holts sit and smile!
| EetwlNt them, circ ed sit the younger ones,
Who laugh and chat until the old man cries:
DE silent, children Let us not forget
The ancient usage of our family:
The feast of sah'm has come The sacred
The Fire Of Peacc--ls kindlcd on the hearth
All llallowed one, whose warmth is like this
| FIRE,
Which giveth Joy and comfort to us all,
| Pe present with us in the coming storms,
| Bless us and keep us IL the coming year,
| Whcrcat the others, joining in 30 Thou,
| And all Thy Saints. protect us ull the year,
Willie the flames leap and crackle all the
And roar joyous answer to the prayer.
Aner q silence of little space.
When thoughts are busy with the by-gonc
| days,
The farmer speaks again Good wife," says
1--WE know the Past, with all It's ills and Joys,
| We need not rake its ashes o Ter again.
| The Present finds us hale and hearty yet,
|
lie who would solve the Future in advance
| Hath yet to learn the lessons of content.
But feasting on contentment Is poor fare.
What say you to some bread and cheese and
And, Ada, daughter, bring my long.stemmed
And, Hettlc niece the apples and the nuts;
And, John, my son, pile up more blazing logs
chilly tremor through my bones Just ran,
AS If some enemy walked o'cr my grave"
A shadowy form. shroudcd and hooded, bent
With weight of years, and wickcdness per-
creeps slowly toward the glowing window.
panes,
And peers within. She sees the empiicd mugs
And pTIResi the scattered ha1elhusks' which
A tale of floye.diyning: in their chairs
The old folks doing. John and Hettie sit
Most strangely near together on the floor
Stands Ada, beaueous maiden, all alone,
SwayiDg most gracefully from side to sdo
With uplilt hand and circlng apple rlnd,
Which sudden drops ana forms doubtful b..
With blushing face and closc.claspt hands,
soitcncd with yearning hope, are raised to
where
The moonlight strives to enter.
What is 1t alls the terror.stricEen maldP
She saw a face glued to the window pane
A hideous face" she said (Which gibed, and
TO mock, and threaten dire calamity
And waving crulch, which beckoned her out
side ~
"Tush, tush my girl" the 'wakened farmer
| cries;
"Twas but n fancy Ho, John, go outside,
And, but to satisfy her look around ~
John goes, aud soon returns he mas "wel
| searched
Yet searched In vain no mortal Is in sight"
SO, reassured, the old mans mug Is filled;
His pipe re-lit more wood piled on the fire
And, as he Graves it, Ada sings song:
| AnAiG GnNn