Evening journal., 1892-03-01
A BURGLARS GHOST.

He was a ghost, undoubtedly As soon
IS ! saw him, lying at full length under
the dropping branches OF a mountain ash,
with its wildly green, pointed leaves look
ing curiously into his hooking face, !
knew that he was not a creature Of solid
/ parts Why, as / stood, awe stricken, a
few yards away, I could see the ground on
which be was lying clear through him.
He was absolutely transparent. He evi-
IDENTIFY enjoyed my terror and a sneering
smile that rippled over his whole form, from
top 20 bottom, proved that, in his ghostly
way. he reioiced in his uncanny appear
ance, and would not have been flesh and
blood II he could.
The cold moonlight forced its way
through the hanging clusters of leaves that
depended from the branches OF the noun.
tain ash, and seemed to shed a congenial
glow over the shadowy presence stretched
on the greensward The glow was chilly,
but it suited the ghost. Your average
ghost does not appreciate cheerfulness,
eitherin the shape Of light or heat, and
though this particular ghost differed from
| his fellows in that he did not disdain the
comfort of a recumbent position, IL is rea-
sonable TO suppose that he preferred 90
have his uncertain outlines marked by the
sad blue white hue Of Luna's rays, instead
Of being shown up In the rosy glow of an
I early morning sun.
came upon him quite unexpectedly.
The evening was still young, but in the
late September days darkness falls over the
earth very suddenly, and large mountain
ash throws heavy shadow. | do not
know that had any real reason to feel sur.
/ prised. The ash grew in the heart of a
/ thicket some distance from the road, and
/ II ghost was TO be found anywhere in the
| large, closely wooded grounds surrounding
| Colonel Hinton's fine old mansion, surely
this was the place he would naturally
choose for his haunt. There was an az.
gressive silence-so deep as to seem to re
sent even the faint rustling of the leaves
/ Of the mountain ash-prevading the spot.
The bark Of the trees was rent into assures
of quaint designs, and CAPPED 40 the in
| truder like mouths. Even the katydids
and bullfrogs that occasionally burst into
/ voice cut their remarks short as II oppressed
by the general quietude
/ had often noticed the mountain ash
from afar, and had seen that its bright
green leaves waved mournfully at times
when was not aware Of the presence Of a
breeze. had wondered, In a careless way
what power It was that sent the heavy
clusters sweeping 20 and fro as monoto
nously and persistently as the pendulum
Of a Dutch clock. | may have even con
jectured as TO the existence Of super
natural agency in the vicinity. But never
for long. Whenever had occasion to pas
through Colonel Hinton's park my mis-
sion was one altogether distinct from th,
dread influence OF mysterious causes ovei
grewsome objects, and the weird results q
freaks by unknown forces of the neither
world.
went TO keep love tryst.
Sweet Nellie Hinton and had met n
the regulation way at party. We Ia,
been formally introduced, had talked, has
danced and-had met again do no
know exactly how it came about, but ON,
lovely August evening, when her face wa
very close to mine, as we waltzed- ont
couple among perhaps fifty-at a hop i'm
Chautauqua hotel, told her that 20 which
one glance from her ever changing viole
eyes was sufficient response, and my Low,
romance had commenced.
h There was no reason why we should no
have told her father at once. The colone
liked me, and though knew he would no
relish the idea Of parting with Nellie, wit
was to him wife and daughter in one, wa
sure he would not raise any objection q
me on the score Of worldly considerations
Our families were on excellent terms. Blu
then it was very pleasant to meet Nelli
secretly in the cool of the evening unde
the trees, with the lights Of her house jus
visible through the foliage, and TO imagin
that all the world were against us O
course il was ridiculous, but leave It {
any young lovers II it was not natura
Love without persecution is but a tam
affair after ALL aud J verify believe that
should have been pleased to face oppositio
for Nellie's sake-always provided that
would heroically overcome It &C last.
We had never found ourselves near Il
mountain ash before. There was son
wild story ahoat that the spot was haunte
shat an ancestor Of the colonel's had OF
night found a burglar in his house an
being Of a choleric disposition, had chas,
him into the grove and felled him dies
with one blow Of his fist under the mou
tain ash. There the dead man had lain a
night, with his white shirt glistening
the dim light-for he had taken of h
coat and vest on entering the house-ai
there his ghost was TO be occasionally Sc,
ever afterward, according to popular trad
tion.
On this evening Nellie and had agre
TO meet under the mountain ash. as the
suit of a laughing remark she had ma
as TO the burglars ghost. Neither Of
believed in his existence, and we had
solved TO meet him in his haunt and ia,
him forever.
When l saw the long, shadowy Thing,
; stopped short, while a wave of cold, that
) knew came from the ghost, as II be b.
I breathed icily in my direction, sent a shiy
: through me from head to foot With
effort recovered myself and moved re.
Z. lutely forward.
"Pshawr' l said aloud. what fancy
y" Fancy articulated a gurgling vo
as the ghost INDUCED in another of tho
a. peculiar smiles that agitated him from O
r end to the other. Fancy. am II Well
IL like thatl Hal hal bal"
lr must say that the ghosts laugh was
ID most unpleasant thing. Not that it "
Of loud or harsh, but it gave one the impr
te sion that he laughed from a force Of hal
a contracted in the hesh, and not because
g, afforded him any pleasure in bis preso
le immateriai state.
ID "Fancy am II" be repeated