Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-11-11
4 GRAVE rARD JOKE.
How 10 Turned OuL Differently
from What was Expected.


How 10 Turned Out DITIeron,iY
from what was Expected.
"rll stump you to sleep in the
yard tonight" said n Young man with
checkered pantaloons to acknowledged
companion who stood at his elbow on
Cass street one night last week.
you'll sleep there soon enough, was
the cheerful reioinder; "and then, be-
sides, you couldn't get me into grave
yard unless l was vely, very dead"
"Afraid OF ghostsP"
''Not exactly; but I've had sort Of
dread of q tombstone ever since / left
college,"
"How's that?"
"Come up here little closer and I'll
tell you Six years ago l was senior at
- College in Wisconsin. II was a re-
ligious institution, and the boys were
made TO wear long black gowns. They
were jolly lot, these fellows, and many
is the prank | have enjoyed with them.
One afternoon, after we had finished our
studies for the day and were strolling on
the campus, one of the boys stulnped
about half dozen of MS TO visit the
graveyard that night and stick apitchfork
into one of the graves. The idea was so
novel that all the fellows broke into
hearty laugh, and il wasn't minute be-
fore we all agreed to go. There was no
moon that night, and the darkness which
settled down over the lonely road leading
TO the cemetery seemed oppressive in
its intensity. A pitchforlS was
stolen from the college barn, and at o
O'Clock seven of us started on our devil
about ug, pulled our soft felt hate we'll
over our eyes and tramped along in single
file. AT first there was an effort to be
| merry, but this was soon abandoned as
we marched on in silence The chirp OF
bird in the woods fringing the roadside
or the breaking of twig by some truant
COW sent cold chill up the spines of the
seven sacrilegious pilgrims who were now
begi 4ning TO cluster about the boy with
the pitchfork, the bright prongs Of which
could DO seen protruding from the yoke
OF the Travellers gown. 1t was after ii
| O'Clock when We reached the whitewAshed
fence encireling the graveyard. The gate
being locked there was no frantic scram-
BILE among the boys to see who
could scale the ghostly looking bar.
| rier first After consultation, in
which cur language became almost
unintelligiLld by reason Of our quaking
jaws, ii was agreed that we should all
climb over the fence together. THIS was
done in about the same way that nll nm.
! pleasant tasks are undertaken with
much deliberation. But we got over at
last, and it wasn't long before wo stood
beside mound, at the head of which Il
| tail white monument doomed up hko a
| spectre. We had mustered up sufficient
courage to go this far, but who WINS there
among the seven with sufficient ghoulish
bravery to sink the prongs OF The fork
into the ttsg,ab in the terrible st,ilIT,lg 81
ae night II toos some time TO Ga1
I .ta boy, but be was there. why. Won
ie.lows are eowarls, he said, with a
peculiar laugh that sounded strangely
among the .gravestoneB and swaying trees
Give me the fork and I'll stick il in. and
in hurry, too We all stood a side,
when the boy walked mp TO the grave,
fork in hand, and poised it over the
mound. Just as lie was about 10 send
the prangs into the turf we saw him turn
ll4 head away, AS though he had sui
denly been appalled, 1T the Nervousness
Of the act A second later we heard the
FORK strike the enrth, followed at the same
Instant by shriek that I'll never forget
% my dying day, and then we saw The
boy fall prone upon the earth. Did We
run awnyS Hardly. For several mo
ments We stood there, peralyzed with fcal
anu looking Mt each other in mute alarm
Finally We became bold enough TO ap
pfoach our comrade. He lay upon his
side, with his eyes extended and biz
fingers clinched in tho rigor Of death.
Reui6Gtiun had followed his fearful act
ut the instant the blow was struck, for il
turning his head away 80 that he might
not behold his own yilgany the skirt OF
the boys cloak had fallen upon the grave
and was pinned TO tho earth by tie
Pteugs WheR ne started TO reioin as lie
telt vicious tug at the hem of his oar.
laent, AZ though a skeleton hand had sud.
denly dartad through the crust Of the
mound aud seized him in his flight. The
shock was too much for flesh and blood.
and the poor fellow fell dead with 4
scream of agony on bis lips, No; don't
care about sleeping in the graveyard