River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-05-29

the first time a small statuette that
stood on the back of the desk, and
thinking that had never seen it there
before The door of the study opened
directly on the chancel. but as we were
passing through, a puff of wind blew
the candle out Thoroughly excited by
this time, and not little frightened,
we CROPPED our way back TO the den,
clinging to each other. After knocking
down chairs, stumbling against the
stove, and giving yourselves several
slight bruises, we came at length to the
room We had just left Jack had been
piling light wood on the fire, and the
interior was one grand illumination.
Never was sight more welcome.
"'Ah, ha. knocked out were you?'
jeered Jack Hale. 1 thought your
courage would ooze out at your finger
ends. AS for me I'm of to the recto-
ry.' lie was already pulling his over
coat on L don't care if they put me
in the barn to Sleep he resumed. as
he took down his cap from a peg. I'm
not going to stay in this racket to-
night You'd better come, too, you fell
lows. If 1t isn't ghosts. it may be burg
lars
f" Gray. shall we go back again?' i
asked, reused by Jacks mocking voice.
Certainly said Gray, and, by the
way, there is lantern hanging up over
there-a dark lantern, too He point
ed to the door of a closet opposite the
fireplace. That's just the thing he
went on, taking it down. Yes. of
course we'll GO back. 1t won't do to
give up now. I'm going to see the thing
through
All right, I'm off, said Jack. and
away he went, leaving US to ourselves
I The room looked very inviting now, for
the blazing sticks made il as light as
| day. After seeing that the fire was
safe, Gray fixed the candle in the Ian
tern, and in a few minutes we started
of again, throwing, l won't deny, a
lingering, longing glance behind, and
moving forward stealthily and with
caution.
THE ghostly disturbance, if it was
that, seemed to have reached its height
as we gained the chancel. Gray threw
the light on the church, but all that
could be seen was here and there dim
pillar, and shadowy outlines; every
thing was indistinct and uncertain. eX-
cept the darkness beyond, which
wrapped the interior as in a mighty
shrOud Still with stealthy steps,
climbed into the pulpit, which was one
of the old fashioned kind. The noise
seemed now TO be everywhere, over
head. underfOOt. on all sides; clatter.
f - - IL ~
strange vibrations that sounded almost
like grOans- The choir seats, in the
middle Of which stood the big organ,
were ranged on the left of the chancel,
and curtains that could be reached from
the pulpit hid the organist from the
eyes of the congregation during service.
motioned TO Gray TO turn on the light,
and sure that all the noise came from
that part of the chancel, l made one
supreme effort, trembling all over, and
pulled the curtain aside. | think | was
never more scared in L ' life than when
did so. My hands shook. my heart
thumped like anvil-beats, and when, as
the curtain-rings ratified aside, heard
a wild exclamation, and saw by the
bulls eye. slowly turning towards me.
two lack-luster eyes and the pallid
face Of man. came very near falling
from the platform on which l stood
The seeming mystery was soon solved
The organist, who had been practising
that afternoon for the coming service,
had probably fallen asleep. and his
mind still on the music had, in a
somnambulistic state, gone on with his
practice. There being no one to blow the
bellows, of course there was terrible
noise. and no music
"'Nhat is it? what has happened?
what does IL mean? How came hereT