Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1892-04-14

| &~~.% Va "~~AAhS teuf ohor1- NO-
body knows where the key of the
closet door is hid except yourself,
Elsa"
must explain that by this time,
owing to my vehement denial as to
having worn the boot, suspicion
had fallen upon Louise, my mothers 8
housemaid, quadroon girl about
my own size and age.
That night my dreams were ter
rible-the boots played no inconsid-
cradle part in my nervous and cx-
cited fancies. First. / imagined
that | must have them, and in order
10 get them il was necessaryto OBJ
tain the closet key hidden in the
pocket Of my mothers blue chintz
gown that always hung at night up
on chair Immediately behind her
bed.
/ dreamed that | had seen her
forget to fasten the door leading
into her bedroom, and that arose,
and, tiptoeing across the hall, went
down the stairs, and, sure enaugh
found the door unfastened. Invent
in, and cropping in the darkness,
found the blue chintz, removed the
key, and with the utmost ease
found-and fitted it in-the closet
door. / found the boots fully as
easily. locked the door, returned
the KEY to its place, and went out
as nOiselessly as / had entered.
/ sat down upon the doorstep in
the moonlight, drew the shoes upon
my bare feet, and started out as
rapidly as l knew how toward the
graveyard, across the rice field,
through the withholding lagoon,
and into the horrid shades of the
Dismal Swamp. All night long,
in my dreams, ] followed the wild
birds or fed from the hiss of the
serpents which made their home in
the deadly morass. The plover,
startled from its nest, brushed by
me with shrek; and once / fam
cied a long serpent swung from a
swamp willow and planted its fangs
in my cheek. But when put out
that branch of trumpet vine had
swept across my face, the rich red
blossoms dropping the dew from
their cups into my lips, which were
parched and dry. / was not in the
least frightened, but plunged on
deeper into the vast wilderness.
Once | heard the blood hounds bay
ing, and knew they were on the
track of some runaway slave who
had fled to the protecting jungles
of the Dismal Swamp.
At last / grew weary and turned
homeward. / crossed the lagoon,
lying still and white in the gray
dawn, and traversed again the rice
field and the lonely path across the
graveyard; then | sat down upon
the doorstep and removed my long
boots, carrying them mp to my door,
where ! left them for Louise to have
cleaned. Then ] crept to bed and
remembered nothing more until
noon, when | awoke to find my
mother bending over me with heavy,
troubled eyes as 1 had seen her
many time when some of us were
ill.
| ! yawned YEARLY.
"Mother," I said, "1 went
through the Dismal Swamp again
in my dreams last night"
"And the Graysville ghost was
seen again last night" she replied,
hesitatingly, as if afraid to tell me.
"Who saw it this timer I asked.
m."
"Motherr
i / sat up in bed, startled, and pale
with a great fear. brushed my
hand across my temples to make my
thoughts clear.
j As / did so / felt long, deep Gu
upon my cheek.
ssMother!" Itried to say. "Moth
erp' And throwing OF the bel
. covers / sprang out upon the floor
Ny long night-dress was spatter
ed and draggled with mire; m.
knees were torn and bleeding
: Cockle-burrs and marsh mosse
were clinging to my hair; but m.
feet were white and clean.
Instantly / understood it all, ant
: fell with q shrek into my mother
arms.
was the Graysville ghost, and
was the somnambulist who had
night after night, plunged deepe