The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-01

An ordinary boy was octaNlus uhlI q
year or so ago; just ruddy, and grubby
and scented with the boyish scent Of
birthstone marbles. His name had been
bestowed upon him 10y his parents out
Of compliment to a young gentleman OF
that family in which Mrs. Nottage had
been nursenaid-the eighth young gentle
man in a family Of eleven. True. II so
happened that Octavius NOttage was a
first and only child, but there be sun
some persons living who stride over
tribes. and level all difficulties with the
bosom of disregard: and John and Jane
Nottage were Of this class.
When first we knew Octavius he was
sturdy and mischievous. travelling TO and
from town and village in the wagon as a
sort Of unpleasant consequence OF John
Nottage's rheumatism. hdseting among
the bundles and baskets throughout the
Journeys for the sole purpose of loading
and unloading at the terminus. Then
came a time when John Nottage devoted
his entire attention 10 his pain. and sat
home 10 give the fend no cause for jeal-
ousy: then We're the horse and wagon en-
trusted to Octavius. who rejOiced there
Al. for Octavius was now sixteen, and
much preferred the handling of the reins
that forced repose on the uneven surface
of somebody's weeks washing, TO Which
he had hitherto been doomed He enjoyed
himself. the grinning young ruthan, and
we could not find it in our hearts to re-
proach him for his heartlessness.
But there came a year. a whole twelve
months. in which Octavius changed ut
terlv: he grew tall-that. TO be sure. was
SOL
hoDe-but in addition to this his race grew
white even to ghaStliness; mis- eyes sldreu
with a hunted expression from put ll.a
pallor. and he became gloomy a. the Neli-
est Dessirnist We all noted the chau8es
we all deplored it, Then at tne emu OF
twelve months Octavius married ana our
regrets turned to prudent ulsapproNh vi
the imprudence Of his act -......-
Love and ghosts are superstltlohs
which gain but little credence IN these
davs Of science and health exhibitions
buf in the story of OCtaVius Nottage we
have TO face a strong similitude TO bolh
these superstitiOns; and as YET there IS
no explanation ready.
wear Octavius drove into town with MS
baskets as usual, delivered them Win a
grin and a joke of equal breadth az thelr
Tssnective area doors remounted his seat
on the knify edge of the wagon, ana
started for home, whistlng Primo OF
duet with the rattle of wheels as ne
This was pleasant and commonplace
enough in its way; but when OctaNlus
reached the margin of the town a strange
thing haDpened With the wagon still
rumbling on, with the rattle OF the WheeiS
still in his ears, with the whistle sun
on his lips, his eyes changed to glance
down at the shafts, and there he saw,
clambering up the step even as the wagon
went at full speed, grimy little chlld OF
hideous features, with blazing yellow
eyes, and a few tawny rags wrapped
round about it.
fully, above the clatter of his own ad-
vancng. get down, you young brat.
But the child neither looked at him nor
answered him; il just climbed on persist
emily, regardless of the wagner rights
Little beggar. youi" shouted Octavius
again, dye hear what / say; get down.
Still the child gave no answering sign.
"Oh, all right Wen soon see about
that =" quOth Octavius. and stacking speed
a trifie he leaned forward to take the
young trespasser by the shoulder that ne
might drop him over the side of the
wagon, with care as with determination;
but-there was no shoulder! his hand went
grasping air!
blood ebbed out of his face, while the
clutching hand went shaking as with pal
sy. But even as he looked there sat the
child, grimy and hideous, on the footboard
beside his very feet, gazing with those
blazing yellow eyes from out its evil coun-
tenance at the horse as it ambled on its
Then did the heart of Octavius turn to
water behind his ribs; then did his
tune trail off indignantly IN mld-bar as
his mouth grew lax with horror, then
did the taut reins slacken in his hands,
as his face stffened coldly. For here IN
broad daylight, before this rudy, healthy
youth, clothed in corduroy, on common
place wagon, lacking paint and
hung about with gaudy signs
of modern soaps and match
less cleansers, sat a ghost; a grimy, pal
lid, evil-featured ghost, who asked no
permission and needed no remonstrance.
For mile or more the horse logged on
unguided, while OctaVius stood wide-eyed
and hOrror-struck on the foot-bOard be-
side that-thing! and took no count OF
time or pace. 1t was awful! As the mo-
ments went by il seemed to Octavius as
If things must always have been in this
wise-just he and it, and the rafting wa
gon, with no part for him to play but to
endure.
Then as the wagon neared the village
from the thing beside him came a short
hellish shrek; and then there was empty
space where the thing had sat, and moth
ing remained but the echo of that shrek
in his ears. The sound reused him into
some sort of action; he leaned forward
he shouted whoa" to the horse, from his
dry throat, though he had no strength tC
pull the rens, and he staggered dowT
from the shaft TO the ground that h,
might witness the departure of the Great
ure. He looked before him and behind
him, but it was not to be seem then die
ne stare at the common stretching away
on either side of him, at the sky at tn,
pools; but there was no trace of the hid
eOus thing who had claimed conveyanc,
from him; no echo of football, no foot
prints in the dust.
When Octavius reached his home tina
afternoon the shock of his journey ha,
already left its mark upon him. his hear
covered within him in childish shane
and fear of ridicule and he said nothin,
of the horror he had gone through; he
whose commandments had driven hi
father not infrequently to quote copious
~ from proverbs bearing upon eth
speech of fools" and his mother to sug
gest kindly but daily that il was Away
as well to eat a dinner while il was hot
and talk afterwards; he, l say, spoke n
word of what he had seen, and even I'm
consciously rubbed his cheeks with nj
lists 10 soften that grey rigidity whc
had fallen upon them. But the terro
Which OctaviuS suffered that night Whe
he went TO his lonely little bedroom wa
such as no rubbing of cheeks could dc
stroy the effect of next morning. and
brought upon him Jane NOttage's trad
tonal cure for pallor, a decoction whic
smelt of many powerful herbs, bur wa
calculated to prove more efticaCiOus /
cases of gormandising than of ghosts
But that error was a nothing to tn
terror which followed; for day after dan
week after week. did that child-snrit
haunt Octayius Nottage as surely as ia
wagon reached that spot at The margi
OF the town on its hOmeward way s
fNf I.g