Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-10-10
A MIDNIGHT SPECTRE.

eIluly DCAlONON NhNI no "GE9 IA III ~ VIII
munication with several individuals who
for many years had been in the place
| of departed spirits. My mother dreamed
one night that her soul left her body and
wandered through heaven and earth and
space without physical iucumbrance.
She was positive that this was not a
dream, but an actual reality, and she
never wearie1 of describing the peculiar
sensations she experienced while she was
a disembodied spirit. My nurse was a
woman who impartially bell eyed in the
| existence of every horrible and superna-
tural conception. She had a mind that
was rife with stories of imps, ghosts,
witches and hobgoblins, and she had a
passion for pouring these unwholesome
/ fables into my ears. Certainly my train
ing was an unfortunate one, but until L
; was &c years old l was never aware that
it had made any impression upon my
mind.
At the age I have mentioned l went to
live in a graveyard, and l offer this cir
cumstance as proof that l was not a ner-
vous or superstitious person. Had l been
either, l would have selected less grue-
some dwelling place.
knew the sexton of the village church.
This man and his good wife lived in a
/ cottage in the cemetery, and they sug-
gested that / should have my board and
lodgings under their roof. / was a young
barrister then, without much practice or
income, and l was obliged to economic.
| | owned a very large library and required
more room than the hall bedroom that Is
the usual habitation of the Single gentle
man" in lodging houSes. The sexton or
fered me two roomy apartments and my
board at so low a figure that | was glad 10
accept his terms.
had an almost overwhelming desire to
save money. Not that | was naturally
penurious, but l had a strong incentive In
Miss Ethel Hartley. had been engaged
to Miss Hartley for many months, but
had not yet been able to offer her a home.
! All my energies were devoted TO one OBJ
ject-i. O., to earn a home for the woman
that was to be my wife. ] reflected That
my cheap lodgings would help me accom-
plish this object, and | would cheerlully
have consented to live in a cha~rnel-houSe
if by so doing l could have fastened my
wedding-day.
had a suspicion that Ethel would
~disapproye Of my removal to
the sections cottage, so | did not
mention the matter to her until all my ar
rangement had been made. | did not wish
to be persuaded to abandon it.
The sexton had assured me that would
find his ~ nice, quiet place." where !
could read and study without being dis;
turbed by any noise or any visits from my
ueirhbors. lie made an effort to be Jo'
cose, and assured me that | would lind
'em a bean less troublesome thar any
other ~neighbors."
| was iudisposSd to be critical Of my
new quarters. My rooms were large
clean and airy; my food was abundant
and wholesome, and min host ana most
ess were thoroughly respectable. Bu'
there was one thing about the cottage
that | seriously disliked, and that was It's
name. do not mean its reputation, for
that was above reprOaCh; but it had been
named deaths lodge" | cannot mag
inc WIZ this name had been given to the
only place in the cemetery where death
was not present and where living Great
ures existed.
As | had feared, Miss Hartley 1iSap
proved Of the change | had made in my
lodgings. | recitcd all the advantages to
he derived from it, but she could not bt
convinced Of the ACCESSIBILITY of such 6
move.
Your sexton is not the only respectable
person who takes dodgers" she insisted
when | gave his good character as one o.
the reasons why | had entered his house
"Thcre are other landlords rs reputable
as ne" .
81 do not dispute that,"I answered
"But are there other landlords whose
houses are as well kept and whose terms
are 50 moderate? This man lives in :
graveyard, Ethel, and he knows there is
popular prejudice against such n ha5!ta
ton as his. lie realizes that his rooms
must consequently bring low prices.
am not afraid Of graves or ghosts, and
mean to profit by the %unpopularity OF HI:
house"
Are you quite sure you are not afralC
Of ghosts?" she asked with n true femi
nine persistency. ut is quite easy, in TIM
cheerful room and in a house filled Will
living people, to believe we are without
superstition. But will it be so easy, Her
bert, in an almost deserted dwelling that
is apart from all other human h"abItationS
that is surrounded by graves? There are
dismal stories told OF that cemetery, ant
of the spirits lowering about it. W.
don't believe in them, and we laugh a
them here. But will they appear 81
ridiculous to you when you are in that
drrary place? May they not occur TO yol
most unpleasantly when you are a.on'
some night, and have nothing to look a
. 4 80 - ~, trAE ~
laughed at her questions.
For Il time she said no more about
deaths Lodge" but l noticed that sht
was nervous, and wanted me to leave he
Mt an early hour. When asked her ban
teringly if she was already tired of III.
society, she confessed that she dreaded
having me enter the cemetery after dark
There was nothing heroic about my LITTLE
girl. Nothing less than n miracle would
have induced her to enter the cemetery a
night.
Occasionally she had entered it by day
light, and had been interested in one rOr
ton OF it that was owned by the Holland
ers in our town. When they buried 1
child there they laid his toys upon hi
grave, and it was supposed that he oc
casionally left his melancholy resting
place and came upon earth and amused
himself with these ~playthings, that wer
placed like offerings before a shrine. On
or two Of the Dutch settlers had asserted
positively that at midnight, on moonligh
nights, a group of little Holland ghost
ventured out of their graves and induIget
in all sorts of pleasing pastimes. Ethe
referred to this superstitious belief rathe
shamefacedly.
a don't suppose that you'll ever see
ghost. Herbert" she said; but you ma,
Imagine that you see one, and that will b
quite as bad. If you see a white dog il
the distance, you may imagine that it j
some Hollinder sitting upon his graY
and playing at mumblety-peg."
She was smiling now, but could Sc
that her eyes looked troubled. l fancie,
that she wished l was safely at home.
Months rolled by, and took considers
BILE credit to myself because | had no
been rendered uncomfortable by m
dreary surroundings. My appetite wa
good-to that the sections wife could tes-