The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1889-03-20

mol incline one to make light of its
ghpstly character, or scoff at as in
credible the stories told of it. Built
of stone it rested in the center of
the old fields grown up with black
berry. sumac, and other of Natures
wild, uncultivated children. Itwas
massiyely constructed, the windows,
notable for their scarcity, loaded in
with the small, imperfect panes of
glass known to our ancestors, and
the reflection from these under Ger
tain hascs of cloud effects, had a
glazed, uncanny appearance 1 al
ways ascribed to the eyes of dead
men. The sills of the doors aud
windows were wide and strong.
Each room contained tremendous
fireplace, and the chimneys were
immense. There was an z to the
house, consisting of one room, which
was the banqueting- hall This was
large and long, having floor of
some hard, dark wood tesselated,
and ceiling of more than ordinary
height. The mantel-piece was cary
ed in the center with the arms of
England, which had been partially
destroyed by some vandal. probably
during the Revolution, for the crown
was SO badly shattered it was hardly
worth while for the lion and the
unicorn to fight for SO broken a
thing.
The L was connected with the
main body of the house by a dark,
narrow passage.
To the south was graveyard, the
mounds mere undulations in the
greensward, and, strange to say,
having no stones or mark of any
kind for Identification or token of
respect. There were several large
elms brooding over the graves, in
termingled with two or three cherry
trees, the fruit of which we never
tasted, on account of some foolish
sense of sacrilege.
After some weeks we became
rather used to the Old Globe, but
still we were encumbcred with its
air of remoteness and gruesomeness,
that was never dispelled on the
brightest day; though we played
and had our games, there was sub
tie something that checked US ever;
though we were merry at times, our
mirth was restrained, and Norcruf
laughingly told a visitor he was GER
tain more could be had from his
scholars tl,ore, in the way of study,
than anywhere else.
Autumn had waned like a splen-
did sunset, the dreary night of Win
ter was at hand, and nothing had as
yet occurred to rouse our fears, save
one thing we did not credit to any
extent. One of my school-mates
had come to school one morning
earlier than his wont, and as he en-
tered a room had seen the figure of
an old man, dressed in the fashion
of long ago, leaning against the
mantel with mournful air, and
gazing musingly into the cherries
fire place; but he had no sooner cast
eyes upon it than it had vanished
instantly. We laughed at his tale,
believing lie had gone to sleep aud
dreamed it, and he was such bash
full lad, and withal SO afraid of be-
ing teased, he refused to speak at
all, after time, about the affair.
In bad weather they would send
boy on horseback for me to ride
home after school; SO one Friday
morning, the last time 1 ever at
tended school at the Old Glebe,
asked my father to send for me in
the afternoon, which he promised to
do, but it CHANGED that a parishioner
of his taken with sudden and des-
perate illness, had sent for him in
great haste, SO that he himself had
to ride the horse. This of course
did not learn till afterward.
In all my experience the old place
had never appeared so intensely
gloomy, SO lonely as it did that day;
the very atmosphere was pregnant
with mystery.
The morning wore away with our
studies, and by dinner time there
was every sign of storm; indeed
the air was then filled with flying
flakes, while the wind walled
through the cracks and crevices in
most grievous, supernatural man
ner. At four o'clock, when we had
finished for the week, the indica-
tions had not failed. A terrific
storm was raging outside, blowing
the snow over the dreary landscape
in long slanting lines, until, whirled
into confusion by an unusual gust,
the sight would be obscured by a
whirling, seething chaos.