The record-union., 1894-01-06

-
waiting for some one that never came.
| Then it went away. Some one had heard
| it moan as it disappeared.
''She will surely come next Oswald's
night"
This plant of the boyle had passed into
sort OF saying among the valley folk re-
garding anything expected or desired at
! the ruShbearlng season of the year. Many
were in terror of the wrath, and not a
! few Of the older peasant folk complained
| Of the Vicar of ST. 0swalds for not Lay
ing the ghaist," as any good priest might
do if he would, as had been done in West
mOreland times without number before
/ him. There were strange whispers, too,
/ that this boyle bore some mysterious re-
! lation to the almost deadly hatred that had
| shadOWed the lives of two of the Oldest
/ families of Westmoreland-the Seacrofts
| OF ROsedale Manor, which stood among
/ the sycamores on the Grasmere side OF
| Fairfield Mountain, just above the ham,
! let and the OldgarThs Of Deepdaie Hall,
on the eastern side OF Fairfield, one OF
the olden Kings of Patterdale and Ulls-
! water.
1t was also believed by few that old
GeOrdie Nicholson, for nearly half cent
ury the most trusted servant of the Sea-
crOttS, haG been instrumental many years
before in preventing a trySt, which, if
kept, might have changed the fortunes of
both families, between the fair Margaret
Carew. who afterwards became the Lady
of Rosedale Manor, and her then lover,
an Oldgarth. AS dimly, but as surely,
too, it had grown into popular belief that
Old Geordie was somehow responsible for
1 the Boyle of the Wishing Gate. Piqued
! by the jibes OF the peasantry, with his
! former fellow servant, Cursty Harris, as
trusted companion, he had undertaken to
/ LAY" this troublesome wrath, and come
out OF the Valorous effort with little more
/ than his life. What had occurred had
never been divulged, but the Boyle of the
/ Wishing Gate had taken on added ter
rors, and Cursty Harris had never got so
near the grewsome subject, even with his
boon companions, as at this moment he
seemed to be.
/ "If yell promish T. keep it girt T. yer
/ sells. lads" continued Cursty, edging
close TO his friends with a sheepish but
worried look in his face, "I'lI tell ye what
! hap'd last rushbearin' meet"
They promised bravely, and the four
old heads were together in an instant.
'Weel, Geordie Nicholson com'd t
mea, an says, 'Cursty, l can't STAN it ma
loanger.' L says t. Geordie. 'Doan't,
Geordie, if ee can't 1 VII ma, fore t.
Lord, if yell gaze WI mea,' says Geordie.
fiearce way he looket. ia th' holt t. lay
th ghaist O. th' Wush'n Geat,' says
/ Geordie, greave as passon. Yen be
/ daft il ye do says l. PHI be daft if
doan't, says he, beatin' his head and his
| breastie, like he'd a sair consence.
''Seein' sumbuddy must gae VII Geor-
! die, gev in, but telt him to his head. I'd
/ hev ma ham VII th' ghaist. Leave th'
/ ghaist T. mea,' says Geordie, shakin' his
1 stoot stick an AKIN wud l hev pint o.
yell afore goin'. It's dowly wark we're
/ at Geordie', says l, AN Td teyter hev a
swoap o. rum nor pint o. Yell Geordie
/ bro't it fra th' Dove an we set oot.
! "'Twor half hour t midneet, fer
| Geordie war bund to max th' Wush' n
! Geat afoare th' boyle. We clomb th' holt
wi'oot jowrin' or freet. though th' meet
an shlverin' by tn haanted geat. 'Howp
| over tn geat,' says Geordie, AM hide
! ahint th' WALL
He holp'd me over an gev mea some
/ cobble stanes t. heeze at th' ghaist if it
sud be gettin' the best o Geordie. 1 had
nit mair than gat in pleace so 1 cud kleek
over th' wall at t scraffle, when Geordie
bath hands--lads, wor proud O. Geor-
! die Nichclson-and WHISPERED over t
wall,
"Cush-it's coominp'
"When l looket ance mair ther stood
tn ghaist fairly afoare Geordie-all spret-
/ tit over wiz rushes an roses an VII lang
white haar an whuskers tawtit an tang
elt amaDg 'em. Lans a marcy! I'd a gev
fluffy paun fer my ain bed! Th' ghaist said
nee'r a word an Geordie said less. Then
th' ghaist put oot his hand, cuddlin' like.
I GeOrdie waited till th' ghaist wor clals,
an theu bumm'd ee VII his stick.
Lord what a skirlin' an scratflin' an
roarini
''Quici as leetnin' tn ghaist grabbed
l - !, ok
haWfiin in helmwind, Geordie beelin'
| 'Cursty, Cursty! Lord, Cursty, holp
mea,' like young bull, till L thowt ee'd d
! turn'd tn ghaist on mea. Bit th' ghaist
/ seemed like ee'd nawt else in mind Bit
slaisterin' Geordie.
II cud nit run; I cud nit heeze th' cob
bles; an fur verra freet [ swuun'd deed
ava. Lans lads, may ye niver kna sech
d meet! l kna nit what cam o. th' ghaist;
bit when 1 cam aboot 'twor gloam o. th'
morn. | foun' poor Geordie speeaclNess
| i th' stanes an mud, an dragged ee
heeam t. Rosedale. 1t seemed ee'd niv-
yer COON aroun' but when ee did ee yam
inert cot i awfu freet:
Lord, Lord! ee's John Auldgarth S
ghaistp
Cursty's companions were stunned by
the disclosure and sat gasping and gap
ing as II recovering from hurt or fright.
"Bit that's nit th' warst,' continued
| Cursty with genuine trepidation. Miss
| Margery, over theer," motioning with
! his thumb over his crouched shoulder to-
/ wards the churchyard where lovely Mar
garet Seacroft and her affianced husband
still fingered with the old sexton, bright
ening up the sacred place for the NOR
row, Miss Margery over theer, as livery
soul in Grasmere loayes, is dangert o. heI
/ Iife'
IVA dang it, exclaimed Tommy BAN.
thet furiously. 'saay what ye wull, mon,
bit doon't saay thotn'
''Saay it I wull, Master Bamthet. It's
! trew as tin greave. Houti Deedn't auld
Geordie COON AEGEAN last meet? Deed mt ee
grean an tax on like mad aboot "a tn
| highfoalk's fashen an worriten? Deedn'i
ee teIt mea a. th' teal O. young John
/ Auldgarth stannin' oop T. ees fayther's
head agin th' fashen an cursin', year in
wear oot. fur loaye O. Margery? Deedn'i
/ Young John at t. eend, gang T. Amearky
till ee'd gotten t be grady geolergees
or sum ct, VII gold mines am brass aneul
| I, bowten a. Grasmere an Patterdaa
! tbrawn in? Deedn't Miss Margery hauc
oot agin his courtin', when ee coom'o
heame an gle in fair. 'en John telt hei
ea he'd gotten ees ain forum WI his ain
head an hans? Bit, deedn't th' sonsy
lass max oaath T. meier wed an Auldgarth
till th' Wush'n Geat boyle wor laid, an
the Auldgarths an Seacrofts wor freeansl
Hout, ladsl But thot's nit th' warstl'
Cursty was in as great a state OF ex-
element over the grewsome and hope
less circumstances of the situation as his