The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-12

Spouse from the writer's Frightening
eyes. Il can recall a few of them at this
moment. Here is one:
..Gllaist Beel-Ghaist Bell
Rings for a not welded weel.'
This passes current as fine scorn in
the villages roundabout. particularly as
reflection on the quarrelsOme nature Of
some Of our people. Another is:
TIL Ghaist BeeI O. Stithney
Warns him best wed no
And many of the sailors and fisherfollz
profess to have heard on that dreadful
stlll mysterlously rung, these doleful and
distinctly repeated words in the strokes
of old JOes bell:
.All-ye-' ave -sweethearts-oh'n- landl
Baans-caa d-tOo-late-for-th- hand
There are other will try and get for
you she concluded, as he wrote the
couplets hastily in his note book; but
these will serve to show how the I'M
happy superstition is completely inter
woven with the villagers lives"
THAT IS the worst OF 1t, 81 returned her
father, dlscOurdgedly. 1t has greater
influence upon them than my pulpit. 1t
has brought hundreds OF mOrbidly curious
people here. 1t has become the SUBJECT
OF untrue, unjust, trivial and most irri-
tating newspaper comment. 1t has actu-
ally rendered the living mere almost I'M
bearabe More painful still the ghost
bell rings on from year TO year, and, so
far. no human ingenuity has been able to
silence 1t. | would give, 80 he added, with
deep feeling, tive years of my life to dis
cover rational and clearly eXplainable
cause for this manifestation. and 10 have
the tongue of this ghost-belI sulledw
William Hardy was writer of the day
who fortunately recognized an oppor-
tunity when he saw it: for he asked
quietly, without raising his eyes from his
note book or betraying the slightest emo
ton:
Instead of five years of your useful
life, would YOU not rather beStOw the
hand Of Rose here upon an acceptable
suitOr?"
The girl, suffused with bushes, fed
precipitately from the library; but any
one, save perhaps a father distraught by
ghosts or ghost-bells, could easily have
seen where her heart and wishes lay.
Rector Dunlea turned and faced the
young writer in amaZement; almost in
anger The latter wrote on imperturba-
bly,, and finally turned his eyes full upon
the clergyman's face. Perhaps because
they were honest eyes, in a moment more
both faces had broken into pleasant
smiles.
We'll, well, well, Hardy, isn't this a
little abrupt!'
Lets call it straightforward. Is it an
agreement"
Yes; yes-if [ find"
That the party of the third part, who
in this instance is the real party of the
first part, is willing to thus covenant
and agrees" replied young Hardy ra-
dainty.
"Oh, of course; of course! Well, we'll,
well! That ghost bell is working strange
havoc in Stithney parish ~
Upon this, William Hardy, securing the
key to the church tower, began his in
Yestigations amid the smiles and shrug-
gings of the villagers, as hundreds had
done before him.
He first made sure that no human being
could have entered the belfry TO mis-
chievously affect the ghostly action of old
Joe's tenor bell. Then, night after night,
he set the bell, as the ringers set them
all for the annual Christmas peal, hoping
by some fortunate chance occurrence to
dispel the supernatural character of the
single yearly happening; but the bell re-
manned upright and silent
He now visited the belfries of surround
ing parish churches and studied the con-
struction of their bell-cages and the ar
rangement of wheels, pulleys and ropes :;
but without eliciting a single hint or sug-
gestion to aid him.
They were precisely alike save in one
particular. He discovered that, owing to
the diminutive size of the Stithney belfry
the cages of its six bells were so crowded
that there was no room for the rope upon
the great bell to pass straight from the
tillet of its wheel, to the rope stand on
the to Yer floor below
Instead, it passed over the smaller bells
to fixed pulley, at equal hight on the
opposite side of the belfry; giving, when
the tenor bell was set, a taut horizontal
reach of rope, directly across the belfry.
of fully fifteen feet in length.
He noticed this, as he noticed the most
trivial circumstance. but in every direc-
ton he was completely baffled in account
ing for the happening which had brought
such unrest to ancient Stithney hamlet.
One stormy night, late in December, he
had set old Joe's tenor bell and had de-
termined to pass the night alongside it in
the belfry. He stepped over to the rec
| tory to apprise his friends of his proba-
! BILE absence until morning. On his return
to the church he was surprised to find
| the door aiar and, after he had bOlted il
securely and began the ascent of the
| belfry, he was startled at coming upon a
ragged lad heavily laden with a huge
basket, a cricket bat and various well
| patched bags.
The lad Immediately began to whine
u fan tn door op'n, an jess pushed
I'm imp
Never mind that" replied Hardy,
cheeringly. What are you after up here,
anyhow
"Staarlin's, sir, fur Kersmas pie"
"Starlings and for Christmas pie2
Not this time of the year, sonny; nor in
church belfries either; and not fit TO eat
at any time, you young rascal Try again,
now"
The lad sat down on one of the stone
steps as if from very exhaustion at the
writer's ignorance.
Skin EN- an eat 'em. an cell knaw :"
he finally retorted triumphantly; and
then added with fine diplomacy; "Wust
ee give me a I'll scat & lens (all I'll
knock to pieceso'D
In this belfry2"
Yes, i tn beelfry"
How do they get in there"
"Ih' STORM dreaves Runners hun
! dredsi o 'em in tn crazen'd broken)
shutters"
Come on lad! You shall have every star
! ling in the belfryl" exclaimed Hardy ex-
citedly, as he led the way
"Durk tn endle!-durk tn kendle
put out the light, whispered the lad
hoarsely springiug after him.
Hardy aid as hidden, but not until his
head was above the belfry floor. and a
J quick and searching look had revealed a
remarkable spectacle
Within countless hooks and cranuies
crouchlnP upon stone, iron and timOered
4aTf oil