The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-08-08
miscellaneous.
THE RIVER VIEW GHOST.

TIE RIVER VIE" 0T1OO :.
Philadelphia Times.
The colored people living at what was
known as The Quarters" a long line of
cabins stretching ualf mile or more along
the banks of the Pamunkey, thought that
River View was haunted. The garden, so
tradition stated, was situated on what was
once the site of the family burying ground,
and from thence the spirits of departed Ran
dolphs, who hadn't treated der black folks
like dey oughter, an couldn't res easy in
DER graves" would issue on stormy even
ings, making the night hideous with their
dirge-like wailings. "Ole Aen Patsy" who
enjoyed the distinction of beiug the oldest
inhabitant of the country, and whose remin-
iscences were unrestricted by conflicting con-
temporary recollections had seen Miss Mandy
Randolph, of parsimonious memory, press
her wan visage against the dining room win
dow and tap with her skeleton finger on the
pane.
AN den," the old woman would say,
"when me an ole marster would git up an
90 to'des de winder she'd Danish out O.
sight"
The arrangement of the family mansion
was certainly calculated to give color TO the
weird stories current in regard to it. 1t was
a rambling old building, with dark, myster-
ious closets and terror breeding cuddy holes
here and there. In many of the lower bed
rooms. too, doorless stairways communicat-
ing with tenantless apartments and uneXplor-
ed attics, terminated abruptly, giving the &C.
cupants most uncomfortable feeling of in
security against possible invasion.
GAS eff" Aunt Patsy would say with an
air of great scorn when these reasons for
being afraid were urged by small Randolphs,
CHOOSES was gwine stop for dos. When
dey gifts ready 10 come they gifts in though
de chimbley an de keyhole. Dey don't asst
dos no odds"
Aunt Patsy, too, could tell wonderful tales
of the merry company which thronged River
View "befo de wah," and of the music and
gay laughter which echoed through tie
halls; but times were sadly changed now.
Death had made frequent inroads into the
household. The old people had passed away
one by one and the younger members of the
family had married or gone out into the
great world to seek their fortunes. Finally
only one son, the youngest, with his wife
aud two small daughters, was left at the
homestead With the lack of need for them
apartment after apartment had fallen into
disuse and gotten, as Aunt Patsy expressed
it, call onprepared," until at length only a
small oasis of light and life remained in q
desert of gloom and vacancy.
Another thing which added to the dreari-
ness of River View was its remoteness from
other country seats. The nearest neighbors
of the Randophs, the Baskervilles, lived five
miles off and were separated from them by
the river, which, after rainfall, swelled into
a mighty rushing torrent and became an i'm
passable barrier to all social intercourse.
Phil Baskerville. however, the youngest son
of the Baskerville family, had fought through
the civil war, 'ntering the army two years be-
fore the prescribed age OF enrolment and had
learned to brave dangerous hardship. He
thought nothing of swimming his horse
across the river, even when it was at the
foaming and boiling point, bringing change
of clothing in q wallet strapped soldier fash
ion across his shoulder. These tri-weekly
visits of Phil, upon which we might have
counted with almost the same certainty that
we did upon the succession of day and night,
were to me what the periodical descent of
the angel was to the pool of Bethesda. They
prevented my life, during the ten months in
which | occupied the position of governess
at River View, from sinking into utter stag
nation.
| had been an inmate of the household for
perhaps seven months when Mr. Randolph
received a telegram one morning which made
it necessary that his wife and himself should
90 at once to Richmond.
Fortunately this is Pills evening here"
said Mrs. Randolph as / helped her pack a
small trunk. you must make him stay and
take care of the place until we come back
and don't forget to send to the quarters for
Aunt Patsy to come and sleep in the room
with you"
Promptly at the hour mentioned ia my
Date har
way across the lawn which separated the
Quarters from River View, followed at re-
spectful distance by "Marthy Anne" the
child of her adoption, who balanced on her
woody head large bundle of bed clothing.
Phil too, arrived at the usual hour and
was quite willing to agree to Mrs. Randolph's
rroposition that he should remain with US
until her return. We were very socable
after tea, REM mber, Aunt Patsy joining the
little group about the fireplace and even
Marthy Anne being permitted 10 make one
of us, sitting on footstool somewhat apart
from the rest of the company.
1t was awfuliy foolish in US, but as we sat
by the glowing embers listening to the wind
as it went signing among the pine trees, and
whispering and wailing through the keyhole
like some wretched outcast imploring admis-
sion, we all began telling scary stories.
think Phil introduced these subjects by re-
calling some of his war "reminiscences, and
Aunt Patsy gave fresh impetus to the con-
versation by recounting the most hair-erect-
ing of her ghost stories.
1t was past midnight when we separated.
Poor little Marthy Anne, who, with eyes
starting from their sockets, had been the
silent auditor of these dreadful recitals, faint
ly demonstrated against being left to sleep
alone in the dining room; but Aunt Patsy
insisted that she "wan't gwine see nothin
no worse dan herself 'dout ole Satan
hisself was to come" and with this COM
forting assurance we closed the door
upon the trembling little darkey and made
our way down the dark passage, Mary and
Lucy Randolph clinging to my arm and ut
tering little frightened shrieks as we went.
The children fatty refused to occupy the
bed prepared for them in my room, enscons-
ing themselves on either side of me instead,
while Aunt Patsy made pallet of patch
work quilts for herself by the fire. The
room, with all its belongings, is So plain be-
fore me now-the old-fashioned, deep-seated
windows, with their calico curtain drapery /;
the high, dark mantel, upon which few Or
naments were arranged, and the old portraits
with their dlngy gilt frames, hanging against
the plastered wall.
ed bedstead with dimity curtains arranged
about it, the wood fire showing them off with
great distinctness, blazing up with fitful
briliancy once in a while and then fading
out until all was lost in obscurity. Gradual
ly the objects about me grew DINNER, my
eyelds sank lower and lower. At last dark
ness fell upon everything-I was asleep.
l was aroused from the slumber into which
l had fallen by sudden crash which smote
upon the stiffness of the night with startling
distiNctness 1t walked the children sleeping
on either side of me, and sitting bolt upright
in bed we all three turned our eyes in the di-
rection from whence the sound proceeded.
A heavy armchair, we discovered, had been
thrown upon the floor, but by what agency
since Aunt Patsy was snoring serenely by the
fire, none of us could tell. As we sat with
wondering gaze fixed upon the object which
had startled us, the chair rose from its re-
cumbent position, higher and higher, until it
had again assumed the perpendicular.