The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1891-04-22
MIDNIGHT SPELL.
BY NJ. LoRINa auILp. :

which Browning Car er was walk
ing was softly lit by the full, sum-
mer moon From his position the
young man could overlook the level
green conntry at his right, and the
quiet sea at his left
1t was evident, however, that he
saw neither In his eyes was the
far.away look OF expectation, and,
as he moved along in bueyant ecstacy
he was quite Unconscious of the slip
ping sand and tangled dune grass.
Presently he came TO a break in
tho hills, II sort of guIley which the
sea had once cut. Here the coarse
dune grass had reluctantly given
place TO finer species. and, in the
centre Of she hollow stood solitary
tree. its twisted, storm whipped
arms looked gaunt and appealing in
the flood moonlight.
At sight of the tree the young
man made low exclamation and
quickened his already swift pace
AS he approached, he scanned closely
the scantiIy leaved branches. 1t
was not till quite near them that he
was certain OF their species.
He heavcd a sign of deep satisfac-
tion.
can oakl Thought so.
There was strange excitement
in his manner, and his hand trcmbl-
ed as he took out his watch.
"A quarter of twelve. Ten min.
utes to wait. The incarnation takes
but i've"
Rather impaticntly the young
man sat down ut the foot of the old
oak, and took from his pocket u
small, calf bound volume, very old
and very musty.
He had recently found it among
u lot of old books which had been
left him by his great uncle, u man
of much mystical learning, who, in
earlier times, would doubtless have
suffered under the accusation of
wilchcrait.
Carter, at the time of his uncle $
death, had rather wondered at the
odd bequest. But the elder Carter
had evidently seen in the nervous,
sensitive temperament of the young
man that which would make him u
fit disciple of thcosophy.
The package of books, however,
remained untouched until one after
noon, Carter, from sheer laziness,
was seized with II desire to examine
the box. Rather to his own aston.
ishment, he found himself attracted
by the mystical medley which he
met; and presently went to work to
study conscientiously that which
had found so great place in his
unclc's life.
In snch reading lie had spent the
last six months, until his somewhat
poetical character became more than
ever impractical, and he longed to
grasp the occult powers of which he
read. In this mood he first opened
the little calf-bound book.
An introduction in English an
nounced that it was collection of
incantations from different tongues,
whereby the spirits ofthe dead, and
even of the living, might be controll-
cd. The book was in manuscript,
and, oddly enough, these incanta-
lions were written in English chara-
cters, although the words were all
strange.
Tonight Browning Carter had
come. under the mystical shadow of
the oak, that he might try the pow
of the spell which was to show him
the spiritual form of the woman he
should love.
With much painstaking he had
learned to repeat the words, which
meant nothing to him. 1t had also
given him some trouble to master
the musical intonations on whose
vibrations SO much depended.
When his watch pointed to five
minutes to twelve he rose. A culver
of excitement ran over him. lie
took up his positition some twenty
feet away from the tree. Keeping
time to the lovely rhythmic chant,
he began TO move slowly around the
tree in gradually decreasing circles.
The stiffness was the tremulous
one of summer night; save for the
weird chanting there was not a dis
tinguishable sound. Even the soft
tapping of the sea was unheard in
the little hollow.
Slowly Carter turned around the
tree each time coming nearer to the
rugged trunk, until he was SO close
to it that he brushed it as he went
around. In the distance a villooo