The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-11-19

ghosts who walked their halls clanking a
chain behind them; of corpse lights in the
church-yard. and groans of souls that could
not rest ip their graves.
Vainly Della eXpostulated. Rich and Char
ley showed such fiattering and credulous in
terest in her words that the ancient maiden
continued to air her beliefs In the super
natural. One thing alone troubled the boys.
She advised her nephew to sell Elm Creek
Farm, but gave no intlmation OF her own
departure, and Charley began to fear he had
lost the cigars.
Immediately after supper lie gathered up
all the empty spo0ls he could find, and
taking ball of binding Irvine repaired to
the grapary and was seen no more that
evening.
The moonlight, fair as dream of para
disc, slept on the dancing ripples Of Elm
Creek and touched the quaint gables OF the
farmhouse with a mRgician's wand, beauti-
flying every rough outline.
"Twelyev chmed the clock In the par
lOr, and "TwelveW echoed the old-fash-
Toned kitchen clock in sonorous peal.
AS the mingled chimes died away Aunt
Trib. waking from dream of ghosts, heard
the rattle of chain outside her bedroom
door, followed by long, deep groan.
There was brave blood in Aunt Trb's
Her hands shook so that she could hardly
fasten her dressiDg-gown and draw on her
sli ,gFPe s;.n,.,,, % a.. o,.,, no.
more faint at every moment, and as she
opened the door the odor of sulphur almost
kitchen she followed the distant clink. .
clank. of the chain. until she stood on the
wide south porch, peering into the vista of
moonlight beyond the great elms.
Som, thing stood there-something tall
and ghostly, clad III a winding sheet, sur
mounted by grinning skull, whose empty
sockets glowed as if with fire. 1t waved its
sheeted arms wildly, clanking the invisible
chain; and through its misty figure the
silver moon shone on bare ribs and ver-
Zebra.
And what was that dark thing crouchng
between the gnarled and twisted roots Of
the giant elms and that shimmering line
reaching the ghosts left arm, on which the
moonlight rested?
., One fell, unexpected swoOp, and Aunt
Irlb had bounced like bird of prey on the
lurking object. Something snapped-the
ghost" lay prone upon the earth, and a
triumphant voice broke the silence of the
autumn night.
There, Charley Cook, you're fairly
caught! Shame upon you, you impious
OF death! You would be rightly punished
If the real ghost of that poor Ir!shman
should arise TO haunt you. Did you think
TO alright me with an old gourd shell and
that string Of spools? Go 10 bed, sir, 20 to
bedv
And with this contemptuous injunction
she stalked majesticaily back into the house,
while Rich and Della, who, awakened by
the chain and the groans, had witnessed
the whole scene from their bedroom win
dow. smothered their laughter as best they
might.
Charlie appeared at the breakfast table
as if nothing had happened The ghostly
remains had disappeared, and when Amt
Trib preached the subject the scapegrace
did not hesitate to affirm most unblushingy
that she must have had the nightmare. He
played his part so we'll that Aunt Trib is
not sure to this day whether or not it was
all dream. She remained all winter Though
firmly believing the house to be haunted),
and Della won box of delicious bonbons
The gourd shell is hidden in the millet
stack-all that now remains of the ghost of
Elm CIeek.-M ayerley magazine