Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-18
A GHOST STORY.
BY PAUL CUSHING.
From the Areosy.l

retary 10 rising statesman whose talent
and income | much admired. / am not
% private secretary any longer My chief
went up, up, up splendldly in the world
Nof political renown and honor, and
went up with him. by sheer dint of
Hanging on to his coat tails. SO 10 speak.
In my sccretarial capacity | had
Knocked up pretty close friendship
with a young member Of the House
whose seat, though not his constituency,
twas in Derbyshire. Dining the season
d had met him ard bis bride and his
brides sister pretty frequently at differ
hent houses. Both tie ladies were so
sweet and fascinating that felt
Sn duty bound 70 fan in love with
ut least one OF them. The brides
sister was n beautiful girl, well con-
lnected, with a noble nature and hand
lsome fortune. !, Dick lrehorne, was
poor; she, Dorothea Genet, was rich,
lnnd as fun of charm "a well-teuded
Aower-garden is Of perfume. Therefore,
when j cots note, early in December,
from my friend Nr. EndymiOn Lennlcr,
,inviting me 10 spend some weeks with
them at PcpysWick, | lost no time in ac-
'cepting the invitation. expected to
meet Dorothea at PepyswicA Change.
in few days packed up my traps and
went down to the wonderful country.
A right ROYAL welcome awaited me
from both host and hostess sweet
smile. a blush. and prcthly-turnod SEN
tence from the divine Dorothca. That
very night l began to lay siege to the
noble castle of her heart.
| found Pepyswick Grange huge
cluster of chimneys, gables, dormer-
windows, and balconies built OF gray
stone, several centuries old, exceedingly
quaint and picturesque and touched with
the singular charm OF melancholy. The
park was extensive, the prospect glo-
rious the country well-Wooded and
stocked with game, and sweetly watered.
The village, secluded, Old-World spot,
nestled among the big trees at the foot
of the Grange.
About quarter Of mile from the
village, on The edge of a wood. stood
the parish church known locally as the
Priory. 1t WAS a very venerable-lOokinS
structure OF Norman date, with crucI-
form ground-plan, massive walls. stone
roof, and central tower of great beauty.
The chief doorway was OF little interest, +
but on the north side Of the building F.
was a small doorway wondrously rich IN
carved columns, bearing on their capt.
falls n wealth of arch mouldings. The .
door itself. which apparently WIS never .
used, was worm-eaten, green with mould, .
studded with big-hesdcd nails, and en-
riched with an iron handle and q couple .
of immense hinges of rare design and
workmanship.
Some little distance away was q
wonderful yew tree of great antiquity,
with huge bole aud knotted roots and .
wide-spreadinG branches. 1t was the
chief of small tribe of like trees, fat,
prosperous, sad-looking.
Without being much of a meditatist or
o lover of tomb., / nevertheless found no
little charm in the old churchyard. One
spot in particular pleased me. 1t WAS
smooth and comfortable seat at the foot
of yew tree. formed Of the serpcntlne
roots. Sitting there. well sheltered from
the wind, | had a capital view OF the
tower and the northern doorway in front
Of me. To the left was a large wood.
full of rich winter beauty, exceedingly
pleasant TO the eve while on the right
few fields were visible through the trees.
q couple of haystackS. and away up
against the sky stretch of distant rusty
mOOrland.
Pipe IN mouth, book in hand, blue sky
overhead, no sound save the chatter of
sparrow or the cawing of a slowly-sailing
Iook, or the soft, mysterious voices of
The forest, ! sat with my back against
the tree and forgot, for many an hour,
the politics Of my chief ami the divine
DorOthea herself. ana dreamed dreams.
and saw visions, and was happy as an
owl in an ivy bush.
| did not care 10 give away my retreat
20 the people at the Grange for various
small reasons. So / said nothing about
the Priory in the way Of conversation.
Said Lennier, however one day
"Have you seen the church yet,
Treherne?"
"Yes, A curious old place, with a
fine doorway on the north side.
There is not finer in the county.
We are very proud of it, l can assure
yon."
"Whero docs it lead, may l ask ?"
"Oh, it isn't used now at all hasn't
been for years. 1t led down TO a vault
under the chancel that was never used.
1t is bricked up now inside"
How is that ?"
"Well, ] almost forget the story, to
tell You the truth. think it must be
forty or fifty years since it occurred but
one day the old sexton paid a visit TO the
vault and found the body OF a murdered
man there. 1t made great excitement
ut the time. l remember my father tell
ing me-
"My stars, Lennier, that is quite in
teresting. Whose body was it 2" Len
nier shook his head.
"Was the murderer ever found?"
Il think not. All | distinctly remem-
her is that there is a wide passage behind
the door. and the vicar had it bricked up 8
right away. OF course there is ghost }
on the scene now, and believe it would !
take heavy bride to induce any villager
to cross the churchyard at night, unless {
il should be one in his cups.
A cold. delicious shiycr ran down my I
back as Lennier gave this touch Of the
Supernatural. '
is this ghost still to be seen ?" ia I
CURED with a laugh. J
NfNOsls are Always 10 no seen OY SUch
a. have eyes to see them. have not
those eyes. v
"Ten me, what kind OF a ghost is i
it?" +
at is said to be The image Of the muir.
dered man, in medieval costume, who b
was thought to be foreigner. Though o
why his ghost should get itself up in gar
mCnts OF the Middle Ages Is more than y
can tell a
or course did not believe in ghosts d
any more than did Lennier, hut on the
other hand ] was not such metaphysical j
prig as TO turn away my eyes when a 3
ghost happened to come round the cor &
ner.
Icould extract nothing more from Len r
nier about the ghost. With a touch of c
good-natured contempt he referred me
70 sundry old wives ia the village. Ii
dropped the subject as far as he was con- q
cerned, but l continued Investigations II
on my own account I .on0ht ont avo,,, Z,