St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-04

was something uncanny and terrify-
ing in these midnight knocks and
scratches. -Ne
So. having concluded from what I
had seen that day that 1t was the very
uppermost part of the tower which
had become the resort of these gray
sprites, and from which they came to
disturb our quiet and repose, 1 deter
mined to interfere with their passage
from the earth to my tower top
III, IKE an electric current, they used
the lightning rod as a means of tran
sit, made plan which would compel
them to use it in the conventional and
proper way.
The rod was placed there that light
ming might come down 1t, not that it
might go up, so l set myself to put the
rod in condition that would permit
the ghosts to descend as the lightnine
did, but which would prevent them
from going up.
Accordingly, 1 thoroughly creased
the rod for considerable distance
above the ground.
Now said 1 to myself "you may
all come down, one after the other.
whenever you like. You will descend
very quickly when you reach the
creased part OF the rod, but you will
not go up it again. You are getting
very bold, and if you continue your
mad reVels in my tower you will fright
en- people and give my house a bad
name.
You may become dryads if YOU like
ana shut yourselves up in the hearts
OF the tall andsolemn oaks. There you
may haunt the bluejays and the wood
peckers, but they will not tell tales of
ghostly visits, which may keep my
dIlends away and make my servants
give me warming"
After that there We're no more gray
flashes up my lightning rods though
now many came down it l know nor,
ana the lntramural revelS in the tower
ceased.
But not for long. The ghosts came
back again; perhaps not so many as
before, but still enough of them to let
me Know that they were there.
How they assembled to their lofty
haunts l could not tell, nor did I try
10 md out. L accepted the situation.
| could not contend with these I'M
daunted sprites.
One evening in the autumn. outside
the same window from which L had
seen the first ghost of the tower. saw
anotner apparition, but it was not one
OF the gray specters to which | had
become accustomed. 1t was jet black
demon.
It's eyes, large, green and gIarinc
shone upon me, and it was as motion
less and dark as a statue cut in coal.
FOR only an instant | saw it. and
then IN flash, like the apparition /
mad hrst Seen from that window. it
disappeared.
After that, 1 saw the demon again
and again, and, strange to say. the
ghosts IN my tower became fewer anG
FEWER, and at last they disappeared
altogether. 'i ''
The advent of the black spirit seemed
10 nave exerted an evil influence over
the sprltes in gray, and, like the In
uian IN the presence of the white man.
they FADED away and gradually be-
came extinct.
the last time l saw one of my ghosts
1t appeared to me late on a Noyemher
AFTERNOON, among brown foliage of an
aged oak, Just as dryad might have
peeped forth from her leafy retreai
wondering II the world were vet omen
TO her for a ramble under the stars.
Inc world was open to nv gray
ghost, but only in one direction. Be.
tween 1t and me could be seen. among
the shadows of the ground. the dark
waiting.
Then away from the old oak away
from my house and my tower alonS
the limbs of trees which stood on the
euge OF the wood, slowly and SILENTLY
my ghost vanished from nv view Iike
a little gray cloud, gently moving over
tne SKY, at last dissolving out of INV
sight. VI my
Now, in the early hours of the night
my tower is quiet and still. There are
no more knocks, no more wild revel.
IN the hidden passages of the walls
MY ghosts are gone
All that l hear now are tbe vo;ca.
III tne chimney, but / know that these
are only Imaginary voices, and. there
1oIe' they prouuce in me no feeling of
compromising. But my ghosts really
existed. i'"iiS