Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-02-08


FORCE he would have been out of the summer
house and half way down the mount by
now.
"What is it3'' roared the colonel, in tho
hole, to George who, shivering with terror,
was standing on the edge thereof
Its o blessed ghost, that's what it is.
colonel" answered George, keeping his eyes
fixed upon tho hole, as though he momen-
tarily expected to SEQ the object of his fears
emerge.
"Nonsense," said Harold, doubtfully
"What rubbish you talk What sort of
ghost"
"A white un," said George; ''all bones
like"
"All bonesr answered the colonel; "why,
1t must be a skeleton"
II don't say that he amt" was the answer;
"but if he be, he's seven foot high, and sit
ting airing Of hisself in a stone bath"
"Oh. rubbishl' said the colonel. Glow
can a skeleton sit and air himself. He would
tumble to bits"
Il don't know; but there he is; and they
don't call this place Dead Mans Mount for
nawthing."
"Well, l." said the colonel, argumentatively,
ia skeleton is perfectly harmless thing
Eyes if he's dead, may be, sir; but this
ones alive; saw him nod his head at me.n
look hero, George" answered Harold,
feeling that if this went on much longer he
should lose his nerve altogether, I'm not
going to be scared. Great heavens, what a
gust! I'm going down to see for myself"
every good, colonel" answered George;
land TIL wait hero till you come up .gain-
that is, il you liver du."
Thrice did Harold look at the hole, and
4lr;o liz fa1,a H.. 4.
"Come," he shouted ansrily, don't be an
Internal fool; get down here and hand me
the lantern"
George obcyed with evident trepidation.
Then Harold got through the hole, and with
many an inward trelnor--far there is scarcely
a man on the earth who is really free from
supernatural fears - descended hand over
hand. But in so doing he managed to let the
lantern fall, and it went out. Now, as tho
reader will probably admit, this was exceed
ingly trying 1t is not pleasant to be left
alone in the dark underground in the com
pany Of an unknown "spool." He had some
matches, but what between fear and cold, it
was some time before he could get n light.
Down in this deep place the rush of the great
gallo reached his cars like faint and melan-
choly signing, and he heard other tapping
noises too, or he thought he did-noises Of u
creepy and unpleasant nature. Would the
matches never light The chill and death
like damp of the place struck to his marrow,
and the cold sweat poured from his brow
All! at lust! He kept his eyes steadily Gxed
upon the lantern till he had lighted it and it
was burning up brightly. Then by an effort
he lifted his eyes and looked round him.
And this is what he saw:
There three or four PAGES frotn him, in the
center of the chamber Of death, sat, or rather
lay, figure of death. Ii recliued in stone
chest or coffin, like man in hip bath which
Is too small for him. The bony arms hung
down on either side, tho bony limbs project
ing toward him, the great white skull hung
forward over the massive breast bone. 1t
moved, too, Of itself, and as it moved, the
jaw bone tapped against the breast and the
teeth clicked gently together
Terror seized him while no looked and, as
George had done, he turned to fly How
could that thing move its head9 The head
ought to fall of
Seizing the rope, he jerlled it violently in
the first effort of mounting.
"Hev he got yew, colonel" sung out
George, above; and the sound of q human
voice brought him back to his senses.
NO" he answered, as boldly as he could;
and then, setting his teeth turned and tot
tered straight at the Horror in the chest
He was there now, and holding the lantern
straight against the thing, examined it, 1t
was a skeleton of enormous size, and the
skull was fixed to the vertebra with rusty
wire.
AT this evidence Of the handiwork Of man
his fears almost vanished Even in that
! 10 ha1 how ,,o