Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-01-11

INV year. -hunH were III leTIAn Oh INC
wruith, and not u few Of the older peas
ant folk complained Of the vicar Of st.
Oswad's for not "laying the ghaist," as
any good priest might do if he would;
as had been done in Westmoreland times
without number before him. There
were strange whispers, too, that this
boglc bore some mysterious relation to
the almost deadly hatred that had
Swallowed the lives of two of the Oldest
families of Westmoreland-the Seacrofts
Of Rosedale Manor, which stood among
noble sycamores on the Grasmere side of
Fairfield mountain, just above the ham
let, and the Oldgarths Of Deepdale Hall,
on the eastern side of Fairfield, one Of
the remaining stately mansions Of the
olden kings of Patterdale and Ullswater.
IL was also believed by few that old
Geordie Nicholson, for nearly half
| century the most trusted servant of the
Seacrofts, had been instrumental many
years before, in preventing 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 hut rs surely, too, it had grown
into popular belief that old Geordie was
somehow responsible for the Boyle Of
the Wishing Gate. Piqued by the jibes
of the peasantry, with his former fellow
servant, Cnrsty Harris, as trusted com
| panion, he had undertaken TO clay" 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, us at this moment
he seemed to be.
"lf yen promish Z keep it girt Z yer
sells, lads" continued Cursty, edging
close to his friends with a sheepish but
worried look in his face, an 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 .
mea, an says, 'Cursty, can't stand ii
ma loanger. l says t Geordie, 'Doan't,
Geordie, if ee can't 4 wi ma, fore .
Lord if yen gaze wi mea, says
Geordie. Gao wher, mong says l
Worried wi tn fiearce way he lookct.
Ia tn holt Z lay tn ghaist o tn
Wush'n Geat 7 says Geordie, greave as
passon. Yen be daft If we do says
|. III be daft If | doant,' says he,
beatin' his head and his brcastie, like
!, he'd sair cOnsence.
"Seein' sumbuddy must gae wi
J Geordie, | gev in, but telt him to his
head, I'd hey ma ham wi tn ghaist.
Leave tn ghaist & mea says Gcordie,
shakin' his stoot stick, an akin wud
hev pint o. yell afore goin. Its dowly
wark we're at, Geordie,' says l, an I'd
teyter hev swoap O. rum nor a pint o
, yell Geordie bro't it fra tn Dove, an
we set DOT.
{ "'rwor a half hour & midneet; fei
Geordie war bund to make tn w ush'l
Geat afoare tn boyle. We clomb til
holt wi'oot jowriu or freet, though til
, meet war bit scaumy, an war SUR
dodderin' an shyerin' by tn haantet
! geat, 'Howp ower tn geat,' says Geordie
! AN hide ahint tb' WALL
t He holp'd me over an gev mea
l some cobble-stanes T. heeZe at Ia ghaist
| if it sud be gettin' the best o. Geordie.
, had nit MAR than gat in pleace, so
Q cud kleek over tn wall at q scratlle
( when GeOrdie Strengthened oop Draw
A his stoot stick in bath hands-lads,
!, wor proud o Geordie Nicholson lane
b WHISPERED over T. wall,
"Cush Its coominp
e "When | loolet ance mair, Their stoo
7 tn ghaist fairly afoare Geordie-al
sprettit over wi rushes an roses, an
wi lang white haar an whuskers tawit
an tangelt amang EN-. Lans marcy
: I'd gev fluffy paun fer my ain bed
U fh' ghaist SAID ne'er word, an Geordi
r said less. Then tn ghaist put cot hi
o hand cuddlin' like. Geordie waited til
), tn ghaist wor clais, an then bumm'd e
u wi his stick. Lord what skirlin' al
a scrafiin an roatin
II "Quick as leetnin ith' ghaist grabbe
q Geordie an mastered &c aboat like
q hawtlin helmwind, Geordie beelil
'Curstyl Cursty Lord Cursty, hel
. meal like u young bull, till l thoW
y ee'd turn'd tn ghaist on mea. Bit Il
Is ghaist seemed like ee'd nawt else i
a mind bit slaisterin Geordie.
a. II cud nit run; | cud nit heeze h
~ cobbles; an fur vera freet | swuun
~ deead ava. Lans! lads, may ye niver kr
-, sech meet! l kna nit what cam Of II
i ghaist; bit when l cam ABBOTT, tive
w gloam o tn morn. foun poor Georg
~ speeachless i tn stanes am mud, a
,;s dragged &c heeam t Rosedale. 1t SCENE
- ee'd niyver COON aroun'; bit when
-, did, ee yammert DOT i awful freet,
~ "'Lord Lord l-Ee's John AulC
~ garth's ghaistp
Ia Curstys companions were stunned |
40 the disclosure and sat gasping al
,se gaping as if recovering from hurt
"a fright
"Bit that's nit tn warstv continue
" Cursty with genuine trepidation. "Mi
Id Margery, over theer," motioning vii
to his thumb over his crouched should
in towards the churchyard, where love
IS. Margaret Seacroft and her aftianc,
rs husband still fingered with the Of
or sexton, Frightening up the sacred pla,
Nv for the morrow, Miss Margery ow
10 theer, as iyey soul in Grasmere loave
.es is dangert o. her Iifem
nd IVA dang itm exclaimed Tomn
Bamthet, furiously, "saay what We WI
MS mon, bit doan't saay thot'
Lly "Saay it | wull, master Bamthet.
lis trew as tn greave. Houtl Deedn't au
nd Geordie COON AEGEAN last neetY Deed
he ee grean an tax on like mad ABBOTT a.
led high foalk's fashen an worritel
ost Deedn't &c telt mea a. tn, teal O. you
IDS John Auldgarth STAMINA oop Z ,
nd fayther's head agin tn fashen an ours
az year in year DOT, fur loave o Marger
Int Deedn't young John at T. eend, gang
lv. Amearky till ee'd gotten Z be grad
= geolergees OF sum'et, wi gold mines
~ brass anenf t. bowten a. Grasmere ,
Patterdaal thrawn iny Deedn't NJ
,ed Margery baud DOT agin his courtin' VIII
EN- ee cOom'd heame, an gle in fair, W