Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-11

 we reluctantly turned back.
 ''Let's go home by the saw mill," pro- posed
 70 no, not that way. There's all sorts of 'boogers' round the sawmin."
 ''Poohl Who's afraidl Pm going that way"
 In vain the girls urged that the route by the sawmlll was longer and rougher; that piece of marsh ground lay in the way, and that we must oross the brook on a narrow foot bridge. had no argument in favor of my plan, except to say that wO should reach the highway sooner by that route; but was unusually obstinate that night, and repeated: : ''1 shall go by the way of the sawmiN. You can go which way you choose"
 "But we all want to go together" said my sister. II asked mother If we might stay with Ellen tonight"
 'I don't want to; rather sleep at home. You need not wait for me if you get out frst'
 Saying which I plunged into 8 thick growth of underbrush In the direction of the sawmill. The way was rougher than l thought. The bushes were very thick and tangled, but stumbled along & few rods. Then heard, or thought heard, the girls calling me. Quite glad of an excuse to for sake my plan, I turned toward them and called, but received no answer. l called
 
 the rocks dimly seen through the inoreas- ing darkness, till grew quite angry with them for not answering. but for long time had no thought of being lost. WGen 1 gave up tho hope of overtakinG the girls, I stopped quite bewildered, for had lost the points of compass entirely. could not judge of my course by ''the lay of the land, ," foH ths mountain rises In combs, and the growth of trees was so dense that 1 4 S~l, only constellation really knew. ] Hogan to run back and forth at random, controlled by fear which every moment grew more intense, till I seemed to be en- veloped in an atmosphere of terror. ran and Tan, and screamed and shouted, beat 2ng against trees and stumbling over rocks and roots till at last I fell heedlong down 8 precipicA, only few feet, probably, though seemed to be falling through miles of black space.
 Dumb with terror, lay on the soft bed of | leaves where had fallen. All was dark ness and silence, except the signing of the wind and the cry of a screech-owl In the distance. was not brought up in the woods I to fear an owl, but that low, mournful tremolo, which has brought chill to many an older heart than mine, added to the gloom of the situation.
 Hay where I fell till became calmer. My fears had been altogether vague, for had not once thought of ratslesnakes, cata- mounts OF EhostS, with which the mountain was said to be infested.
 Hogan to reason with myself with such suceess that soon came to the conclusion shat had not been frightened at all-at 1 least not nuch-and then I formed plan for getting hoA1e. I arose, peered carefully round and started toward the lightest part of tho woods, which I hoped indicated & clearing. felt my way slowly between the trees, which were very small and thickly set, ti1 on putting my foot carefully for ward, set it on one end of some cylindrical object which yielded under my foot, while she other end aew up and hit me near my waist.
 l Without doubt it was flexible branch, but my only thought was rattlesnalxes, and, with one wild shraek and bound, Istarted oN through tAe weod@, frenxied with fear, beat Ing and bruising myself against the trees. Finding that running was out of the Ques- uon, cRouched down by the foot of tReo and waited for the snakes, for felt sure chat was just where Mrs. Howard warned ne not to go-in the rattlesnake dens. I fancied could hear them coming from all directions, creep, creep, creeping along But they never reached me, and after awhile eommon-sense came my aid and instructed mo that snakes did not travel at night. bresthed freer till the snapping of 8 dry twig supplied me with new terror. Panthers, of coursei night was just their time for prow4ing, and made no question but that I should be dragged away to make 8 supper for litter of young catamounts within 8 few minutes. In less than that time I saw something which drove serpent and beast from my mind fer the rest of that night.
 My father wAs singularly fearless man l nnd *Qys 1Y@ &A h6a O lsQ plore the mountain and take our chances, which, he said, were ten thousand to one that we never saw rattlesnake; and the I last panther known to have been on that mountain wss killed, he told us, eighty years before. As for ghosts, which were said to float uneasily over the old cemetery on the south slope we did not even so much ss dare mention them in his presence. But If ever mortal eyes saw ghost, here was one.
 Just before me was lastle opening, and beyond, uaAer low, branching henlocak, WAS the ghsstly presence, swsying and beekening to mo in the dim starlight. If waa terrified before was frozen with horror now, and felt my hair rislng under my pink calico sun-bonnet. Again and again ioolasd, m ! could endure it no longer; then \ covered nay eyes till the unseen terror was worse than the sight itself.
 l A@ H&v0 S31op my eOuCat1o0 HI BnoSbs and hobgohlins had been neglected, but Aun' Chasey, an old woman who sometimes washed for my mother, had told ns of various 'appeaYances" on the mountain. As the latest of these apparisions was fifty year before, we felt tolerahly secure, but new ordinary wseAs ssem short to the time stood confronting that diabo!ical whitsnss -1shus my eyes and counted fifty, one hNn drsd, even one thousand, but each time looked, tho appearance stood swsying ane Hosting before me.
 "Bpeak to a ghost" Aunt Chatty hat sasd, sAmad 1t will disappear"
 Bat what should ssy4 what converse Nsn could enc hold with such shape? bu any thlAg was better than this. deter mined to speak, se, closing nay eyes ant mWgseraAg A0 ny courage, I shouted:
 "Glt aeeutp
 Ioausseualy opened my eyes hoping tn seast wes clear, buS there 1t was, beckonSnl and swayAng; aisaoss thought 1t grinns' aA me.
 At lest, thought might as well 50 t meet N and die Ut once as to stand thes dying of dread and fear. closed my eye again, ran 8 few steps and opened thar TRA fs