The Penn's Grove record., 1894-01-05

Now and then a little Pickering flame,
suddenly blazing and as quickly dying
out, made dancing ghostly shadows hit
about the spacious apartment, giving il
the weird and spooky appearance oEl
romantic minds desired.
At the foot Of the winding staircase
stood an ancient suit of knightly srmor,
complete even to its visor drawn and 1T
mailed right hand grasping its battle
spear, which, no doubt, had in its day
endorsed and pierced many valiant foe,
At the top Of tic ftst stair landing
was a grandfather cock" ticking lts
loudest as if trying to tell two giddy
girls that after midnight it was proper
for them to be in the land of dreams and
not be wasting the precious slumbel
time in talking nonsense.
But its mournFui 'stick-tock, tick
tock" only made our hGbgoblin sur.
rou dinns more enjoyable and the old
knight in amor giimly watching us saw
but merry looks and heard only sup
pressed laughter, mi, maybe, a rev grl
secrets for his paius.
Not another sound echoed throu \
the big sitting room hall save sometimes
the rising wind outside slanmins a
shutter or moaning through the trees on
the lawn OF drearily whistling down the
huge chimney before us.
Although the omanc of our situation
was delightful in the extreme, by and
by it began to impress itself in all its IN.
canny spookiuess upon u senses.
We became quleter, and though wish.
ing to seek our cosy bed chamber above
we dreaded going to 1t through TIL
gloom of the long stairs and upper hall,
and SO, yet We fingered below by the
dying fire.
"Say, Luccl" said my chum Kate,
after a spell Of dismal silence, "sdppose
that ugly old knight by the stairs should
step down and come for us-what woult
you do2"
81 would just run for my life,
guess" l answered, while the thought
made cold chills run over me, sand you't
run for yours too, brave as you are. Lett
60 to bed, Kate"
40, no hurry!' she laughed, 81 like
1t here immensely. Idare you to go VI
and touch the old fellow. Say, Luce,
mightn't there be a real, live man inside
that amor now. A regular bloody
burglar, for instance, waiting for US t
pass him and then GRAB US to choke
our screams and cut our throats. I be.
lieve I saw it move. There! Lookl In
sure it made a noise. Sec its eyes star
S.ng right at you now"
l could feel my hair trying to erect it.
self and in spite of the righteousness oil
the thing being aught but an empty shell
l felt awfullY like screaming and then
lainting dead away, Kate, seeing my
terror, kept on.
"I'm sure it's alive" she whispered,
sand watching US. There! 1t moved
again"
30, Kate" I gasped, more scared
than l wanted to admit, "do please stop
talking so. I'm not afraid, Of course,
blu, l don't think you ought to try to
tcare a person. 1t isn't right. Come,
let's go to bed it must be after / o'clock.
What will my folks say when they know
it7"
swell, Luce, you go first aud SEQ if
it's safe to get past that old barbarian.
There, he moved again. Pm aure a
mans inside the armor."
"No. Wen go upstairs together" ]
spoke, "give me your hand"
Kate evidently had frightened herself
more thaa me for her hand trsmbled a.
l took it.. "Nowp l boldly whispered,
"come." Aud away we dfshed by
the grim sentinel and up into my room.
After I had locked the door in the
dark ] found a match and lighted q
candle standing on the dressing table,
and Kate and ] both looked into the
glass--to see who was the whitest, !
suppose.
Then We began laughing. 81 never
thought you VAS such a coward, Luce"
said Kate, "where's all your college
'grit1"
! "AnA where's yours2"I answered,
,''%Su wcr1 more scared than !. Why,
you haven't nerve enough to haze a
freshman or play tricks on a professor. p"
And so we bantered each other as we
prepared for our needed rest.
Then III 'ing out the candle, we both
said our thortest college prayer, and
jumped iGto bed.
But We couldn't sleep till our excite
ment subsidized, aud so we talked.
''What would you do, Kate" I
asked, Sin real danger2 Would you
faint or go into hystericsl"
"Neithcr, Luce" she laughed. Sim
not built that way. I'd be as cool as al
cucumber, aad as brave as a lion in any
emergency. Iosteu wish | had achanco
to prove it,"
''rhats my case, exactly" I earnestly
said. ~ may be frightened at-at a
mouse, for instance, but | don't think a
man even n Tobber-could scare me.
| forgot to open the window for
air. Ill do it now"
Out of bed | got and lifted the window
shade and stood for a moment gssing en-
The lawn, The SKY had been overcast in
the early evening, but now the broken
we're flying before the wind. The
old moon, lately risen, shed enough
beams on the soft snow TO make the night
effect Of light aud shade weirdly beauti-
Iul, particularly about the large ever.
9reen trees s yaying in the gale.
As I watched tue dark shadows they
'asi On the SNOW when the moon peered
through the cloul riffs, my attention
directed to the tree nearest my win
low. It's shadow seemed strange, I
aud at times looked as II soma.
hing or somebody was moving under or
.round the dense branches.
Flna!'y l whispered to Kate to come
axe a peep, toe.
"There's something alive there, that's
she SAID, after a momeut's In
ense gazing, "but don't let it see us.
Keep out of the moonlight. Goodnessi
is a man-two Of them. What can they
% up tot"