Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-15

nights. as | should more accurately say.
What are those in whole year ? must
have something in return for what tell
YOU. Those at any rate are my terms"
He pressed his ,unsubstantial lips firmly
together. To be brief, | consented. 1t
was again foolish thing to do. but l was
never very wise. and my curiosity was
aroused. 1 wanted to know about these
curious people who lived somewhere
on my premises. | can boast OF rs an
Gent descent as most people, and one
of my earliest sncestresses some say the
very earliest, but the point is now dis
puted) brought a good deal OF trouble
into our family by too curious q desire
TO know the flavor OF an apple. | had
Inherited her curiosity. She was very
distinguished woman, and am not going
to blush for the family failing which
owed its introduction to her. consent
ed then. The ghost sat down in my
easy chair, crossed his legs, and began
his story With great iifability.
"Your uncle was q very admirable
man, and | should not wish to say word
against him. He had unusual powers.
Everybody with unusual powers has
right TO exercise them at the expense OF
weaker creatures. That is. | believe, an
axiom Of your most advanced thinkers.
Having, then, such powers, he looked
about for a subject to give them full
scope. and he found-us. We we're, each
in our different spheres, pursuing our
appointed tasks with great credit to our
selves and satisfaction to the commu
nifty. Men respected us, women feared
us we had power, sir, and influence.
There was not one of us who had not
secured comfortable situation, and was
not doing his best to fulfil his duty in
it. We were active then, and useful
We kept alive the past in the memory OF
the vulgar. who do not read and will not
think We threw ont hints OF the super
natural we awakened the emotions OF
awe, wonder, compassion. Are not these
the feelings, sir, which it was the ambi-
tion OF your mighty poets in the past
to inspire by their tragedies ? You can
all of you reverence Kschylus; but who
is grateful to a ghost? However, COM
plants are useless. Your uncle brought
us from our various avocations and shut
us up together in a museum like set of
mummics What could we do there but
become the trivial, miserable, deterio-
rated beings that we are ? The dignity
of our profession was gone. We could
not frighten one another. We conld not
act without a public. We became mere
puppets, and might as well have been
worked by strings"
At this iuncture / interrupted him.
"Would you mind telling me the locality
of that museum 2" asked.
" Not in the least, he answered cour-
teously "but it would be difficult for
you to visit it, and unadvisable. Your
uncle had it built on purpose for us. 1t
is an immense underground vault in
lonely spot in the park (; after it was
finished the entrance was walled up and
soil thrown over the whole az before.
There is no way in or out except for
ghosts. Your uncle did his best to make
it comfortable for us. ID is well fur
nished with secret passages, old pictures,
oak chests, bones. cupboards, curtains,
and other articles for which he thought
We had a fancy. 1t is in fact play
ground for us. bat We wanted to work
Your uncle nyyer could understand that
this was strange, because he understood
it well enough for himself We became
so unhappy in that place that at times
we broke out, in spite Of our respect for
him and our dread of his punishments,
which were very ingenious, very inge-
NOUS indeed" added the phantom
musingly, as if he remembered one or
two which few men would have thought
of. | wished that could think of them.
cat last things got SO bad between us
that | was appointed ambassador. |
said to your uncle: Now, look here. let
us talk it over as man to man. Ghosts
have not many rights, bat they have a
few, and really, you know, you should
not trample them under foot. Our feel
ings may seem superficial, but they eX-
ist you ought to remember that in deal
ing with us. Your uncle listened to me
quite kindly, and put the matter be-
fore him still further. I'VE don't want
much very little satisfies Us
Some ghosts are content to appear only
once in a hundred years or so, but |
never heard Of a ghost who had not his
appointed day out at some time or other.
1t is not reasonable, it is not fair to de-
priye him Of it. We go on pacticing
our parts down there, and We must have
some chonce, Just the ghost OF chance,
as I may say, TO appear in them before
the public. There must be possibility
of it to keep our minds easy. You
ought to allow as that very
well, said your uncle, IN drive
bargain with you. VIII you
undertake that it shall be kept
by all the others as we'll as your
self 2 l answered that / was appointed
to speak for the rest Then, said your
uncle, Il offer you this You are free to
come out and enjoy yourselves as You
like whenever that clock on my mantel
piece is going but at no other time
That was the main feature OF the COM
pact we made there were other small
conditions, as that the clock was not to
be removed from its place or wilfully
damaged in any way the room was
not to be kept locked up; no
one except himself was to know the Sc
cret concerning it. These conditions |
insisted upon, TO give us real chance +
au occasional holiday, and your uncle
agreed to them but, would you believe
it, sir" the phantom concluded with a
deep sigh, "your uncle had such power
of will that never, by any accident, was
the clock wound up from that day until
the hour OF his death.
"And now," responded gloomily, 81
have actually undertaken to wind it up
once a year
"You have received a great deal OF
information in return" said the ghost
cheeriully.
(Which will never be OF the slightest
use TO me-" | answered sadly, for the
apple was eaten, and the family troubles
were before me.
81 WISH" remarked to the philoso-
pher, "that you could induce your
friends to behave with a little more
moderation when they come to see me
next"
81 will use all my influence in that
direction" he answered, with polite
bow of farewell. The dawn was break
inr. and, like a puff OF cold wind, he