Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-10-10
have given up jackstraws and mumblety-

oeNAAo eAS A<ONSCy 0bo ooAAt hhu ANeoAS
to have a little grateful sentiment to-
wards it, since it has enabled us to be
married sooner han it would have been
possible, If yoa had not gone there to
live. But, Herbert, how could any living
creature grow sentimental over a house
that is called Deaths Lodges"
made 40 effort to answer the question.
My thoughts were dwelling tenderly
upon the future Jour future) that would
open to us the morrow. took her in my
arms, and reminded her that it was the
last time l would say good-by to Ethel
Hartley. Tomorrow she would be Mrs.
Herbert Grant, When l left her it was
nearly midnight, and the moonlight was
as brilliant as if November had arrived
instead Of September.
l took a short cut through the cemetery
and my way lay through the part that be-
longed to the Hollanders. 1t occurred to
me that the hour was near when they
were said to appear. l smiled at the
thought, and trudged bravely on through
the rank, overgrown grass that was heavy
with dew. I compared myself to the
plowman in Gray's "Elegy in a Country
Churchyard," "who homeward plods his
weary way" and 1 mentally repeated an
appropriate stanza or two from that re-
markable poem.
Continuing on my way, l noticed that |
was approaching a new-made grave, and
! wondered who had been buried there.
While | was wondering l witnessed a
sight that almost caused my heart to
cease beating. / saw a head rise slowly
out Of the grave and stop above it. l
stood motionless for a moment, while my
eyes were fixed upon this object. l could
see that a CHASTITY face was turned toward
me. Then | forgot that | was not super
stitious- l forgot hat / had ridiculed my
fathers spiritualistic doctrines, my moth
er's d~isembodied spirit, and my nurses
stories of wraiths. | forgot that had
laughed at Ethel's fears. l forgot that
I had been willing to face any ghost Of
my size that could be produced. | forgot
everything but the staring countenance
that arose from that new-made grave. l
had always been counted a strong man
and courageous, but l confess that on this
occasion | was very weak. did not wait
to int rview the apparition. l turned
like 4 coward, and al from it with all
the blind fleetness OF fear.
| had not run far when l was brought
to a full and sudden stop. | had run
against a tombstone with such violence
that l was thrown backward upon the
ground. l sprang 10 my feet, al.
though / was bruised from my
fall, and looked back to see what
had become of the apparition. 1t WAS
not in sight. could see the newly filed
grave distinctly in the moonlight, and it
appeared undisturbed. No dishelved head
prOtruded from it, and no haggard face
contemplated me from its CHASTITY
depths.
For some minutes | stood thinking OF
what | had seen, and was undecided
whether to advance or to retrace my steps.
| confess that / was tempted TO leave the
graveyard to sleep that night ut the vii
lage inn. But upon reflection | decided
that this would lie u foolish proceeding.
| had some effects at the Lodge which |
would have to pack and carry with me on
the morrow.
| thought of making n wide detOur
around the new grave. but did not like
TO be driven III Of my path by an intan-
gible thing that / did not understand. |
began to have Il suspicion that was the
victim of a practical joke, or of an optical
delusion. resolved to continue in my
former path, and to force myself TO pass
very close by the new grave. | further
resolved that | would never tell Ethel
that her prophecies concerning my super
stition had come true.
| fixed my eyes upon the grave, and
went slowly towards it. Even after all
this deliberatiOu my heart beat furlously,
and my head swan until | could scarcely
control my movements. Ny nerves were
most painfully ali We to my melancholy
surroundings. But | went forward unit!
! was within twenty PAGES of the grave.
Then ! stopped, for slowly and mystcrl-
ously rose up that horrible head that had
driven me back before. 1t came, as be.
fore, out Of the grave. saw its ashen
COuntenanCe, Its suukcn eyes, It's Will,
dishevelcd hair, and | could not face it. |
turned and ran again, over graves ana
stones and hedges, until again | fell. This
time / stumbled over a spade that the
sexton had doubtless dropped and for
gotten. When | rcgained my feet. |
looked back and saw the moonlight, the
rank, wet grass, and the new
grave: but the ghost, or man,
or devil-whichever he might be
was invisible. lie had doubt
less gone down into his grave again, in
the same silent and weird like manner in
which he had risen from it.
Should | turn my back forever on this
uncanny place? Should | go to the inn
and send for my goods at deaths
Lodge" trusting that the sections good
wife would pack them? Should | leave
everything here, and encourage n fear
that had twice already mastered meS
After a time | thought | would 90 for
ward.
"If | do" thought, a may yet find an
explanation Of this mystery. III turn
back, | will always believe that | have
seen n ghost"
There was q carriage track through the
cemetery that ran very close TO the grave
from which the npparitiOn had appeared,
and l resolved now 10 take this in prefer
ence to walking ovsr the grass, as had
previously done. had lost confidence in
myself, and thought it possible that
would run away once more, If the appar-
ition again appeared. realized that the
carriage road would afford me less peril
GUS lOOlllB. IL ran i NOulA bO Ah
ger of striking against gravestones.
l took another precaution against
danger. l picked up a stone and carried
it with me. 1t did not appear to me then
that it would be a curious weapon to use
against u d~isembodied spirit.
had approached the grave before ut
it5 side, but my new course brought me
close TO its foot. As anne very near, |
saw, what | had not imagined before, that
a man was lying on the ground beside the
grave. He was on the opposite side from
that on which | had made my former APP
proach. AS he heard my footsteps he
arose to n sitting posture, his head resting
a little above the grave. / realized the
situation at once. From my former APP
proach, | had been deceived into supDos.
ing that his head arose from the grave,
when in reality it appeared from the side
opposite TO which ! had been standing.
When | had run away, the man had re-
sumed his former reclining position. l
decided that he was not a ghost, but some
tramp who had wandered into the grave
yard in quest of a quiet place to sleep.
would have left him TO resume his