The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-08-17

I The deacon was i'll Mt ease, but was de-
termined not to allow any one to see that
he placed even the very slightest reliapce
| on the story.
He tried TO laugh, but 81 was :, sickly
| effort, and his face gradually pAlSd when
| q brother member suddenly aSkeds
lis not this about the ;lre of year
! when old Jake was murdered il that very
| weody"
.'Ye-; he was killed on the eleventh and
| his body was found in that very stream
| on the thirteenth"
why, yesterday was the eleventh"
| so IL was"
Then that would be old Jake's ghost,
and it will walk again tonight, - was the
| assertion of one OF the oldest members,
/ who had often entertained she roaring
1 Buffaloes with stories Of the supernat-
/ ural.
'DoR't go home tonight, deacon, "sug-
gestcd ono OF the members.
Not go home. What would Tabitha
sayy'
! "Hor'
! This was followed by n loud laugh for
oil knew that the deacon was really
afraid of his better half, and on only one
! point had been able TO hold his own, aud
| that was the membership of the club.
The hour for departure had come, and
|
! journey.
He had laughed at fear. but il must he
| acknowledged that he had great difficulty
/ In keeping mp his spirits as he entered the
| narrow path of the wood.
| Cold shivers passed continually over
him, and, he afterwards said, lit
| seemed that his backbone had turned to
| ice"
StIIl, on ho went, thoughts of Tabitha
/ 4.
ness. The bridge over the stream
| reached. Although digEifed by the name
| of bridge II in reality only consisted Of
| some fallen trees which had been flung
| across tho narrow chasm through which
! the stream flowed.
Tho deacon looked straight ahead. but
no sign OF the supernatural WAS visible.
still no trrnblrd, for the wind blew
! strongly down the little valley. and Hzr-
grave was never, even in daylight, very
| sure footed. He stepped on the bridge
and 4 sudden gust OF wind raised his hat
and sent it scurrying along amOug the
| trees.
He trembled and tottered on tke frail
bridge, and then, as no one was looking
he lowered himself on bis knees and pro
ceeded TO cross IS became = BUralo-0n
| all fours.
Never had that bridge seemed 80 long,
! but the longest lane has an end, and tho
deacon was pridinG himself that tho
worst was over. when bloOd-cUrdiing
| shrek struck upon his ear.
His hair stood on end, every pore was
opened and tho cold perspiratiJn burst
forth. He was afraid to look up, and yet
what could hc dos
Again came the horrible Shrek and the
deaSon offered up prayer for his safety.
| He was trem bling in every lin ,. his blood
seemed frozen in his veins, snd he felt he
was fast losing sll power over his limbs
\ A consciousness seized him that he was
| being watched.
a strange fear possessed hi.
What il old Jakes ghost really did
haunt that wOod'
Fast the thoughts fitted through his
| brain and he remembered that he had
often treated old Jake with sharpness
Nay, on that very mig when the old
man had met with such terrible death
in the darkness Of the wood he had turned
him away from his door.
Jake had loaded himself with too
much whiskey and had begged shelter of
the deacon fer the night.
But that washy pillar of the church mp
| braided him with his drunkenness and
| closed the door IL his face.
All this lie now remembered ss he knelt
|
unearthly shrieks-
| IL was horrblei
How be regretted the unkind and very
unneighboriy act.
Had ho sheltered tho old man his lie
would have been Eaved.
But in his self-righteousuess he had
sent the drunken man to au untimely
end. The deacon prayed for pardon, but
even As he did so he feared that forgive
ness was not for him.
| Ho suffered all the torturcs Of the lost
and TIE agony was so great that he wished
| for death TO put an end TO his miseries
Laugh Rt fear! Never again could he do
SO.
Mock at nervousness, No, for that night
| he was thu most tinlid and nervous man
| In all lew York State. He had tried 10
| forget Eis cruel act towards old Jake, but
conscience WAS now torturing him FOR it.
Conscience would not slumb and would
not bury the past in oblivion
The minutes were developing into an
hour, and he must rouse himself or perish
| in tho cold.
He felt his beard freezing solid. while
his clothes, which had been bath-d in
perspirstion and dew, were as stiff as
glass and seemed nearly a. brittle. He
pulled himself together and stood mp.
There in front OF him he saw pair of
eyes SlAring like those OF n phantzsHa-
goric demon. They burned into his very
soul.
What should he do7 He dare not go
forward, for those eyes were like dRgSers
whose points already had penetrated his
heart
But he could not go back. No, he had
but courage enough to turn his face
away from the penetration OF those balls
of fire. why had he not taken the advice
of his friends and stayed in town that
night, or, better still. have listened to his
wife and missed tt e meeting OF the Roar
ing Bu.-aIoes2 Why, indeed?
Buffalo for soothi There never was a
lamb more tiuid and helpless
lie looked steadily at those eyes; they
seemed TO get larger until, like great
SIMS, they shut out everything else. They
were getting nearer.
lie would stand still, for in reality no
dared not move
The deacon thought his last hour had
come He thought of Tabithh and the
farm and could not be reconciled TO
| death
He looked into the blazing orbs, now
! getting nearer and yet nearer.
His breath had sunk 10 spasnodtc
| gasp. lie 4uIJ the vell.s ~ ni5 lace swell
ing as though they would bur.s, his
sinews became like whipcord. his eyes
were getting dim with the perspiratlon
/ which, despite the cold, came from every
| pore. He could hear the breathing of his
1 awful antagonist. 1t was regular, while
his was fitful. Now he was but yard
away. One more second of time and the
deacon woull be no more.
1t was awful; never did human being
experience so great torture
He looked, and ms he saw q monster in
front of him he gave utterance toa shrek
which echoed and re-echoed through the
woods.
Again he shrieked, and rs he did so he
found himself being pushed from the
| bridge