Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-11-22
THE INDIAN SUMNER.
OBSERVATIONS ON 1T by OUR
ALTON CORRESPONDENT.
THE FAD OF FAMILY GHOSTS
A story Concerning an Old HOUSE
Near james River. I'm which hich-
monJers VIII lie Intercsted-Cra-
die Northumberland
ocnrresnondence OF the DIspatch)

| Correspondence or the DlSP'eN"'
ALTON. VA. November 20-About the
only thing left to the poor Indian IS the
Indian summer and he Yields his sceptre
now over a land OF royal purple and goa.
Faded. though this be, 1t Is gorgeous
vet in heraldry, and so interfused and IN
terpenetrated with radiant light and
beauty that one might deem the red
mans kingdom not all lost to be part
even I'm name Of so much perfect ioVeA-
ness. For these are perfect days Iheir
gIories crown the mountain heights ana
flood the atmosphere with enchantmehl'
and bring 70 us a charm with the waning
sunshine and lengthening sottenihs
shadows that no other season OF the
| year can give.
The beauties OF early autumn are gone
the flowers are comparatively Few. here
and there a solitary daisy still peers up
between the meadow stubble; ana the
coral-beads OF the black alder and the
bright haws OF the white thorn give
CHEEKY bits OF color TO the brown iahu-
scape. ..,...,
In wet. green places the cream-colored
grass Of Parnassus lifts IT'S pale mead,
as so quantity written by Andrew Lang
Grass Of Parnassus, thy returning
snow, ,,
/ Between September and November emil
Doth speak to me OF autumns long ago,
And these kind faces that are with me
still"
AUTUMN'S LAST HOURS.
And vet there IS @ tinge OF sadness
not to be obliterated. in these last hours
Of autumn's brightest golden time-a
| something indescribable, which Is not
/ wholly a meaning Of sorrow, nor pos
/ sibly. so much a meaning or deatn, as
/ the passing on 10 meet another condl-
| ton. which, we know, must soon foho"
Nature is never an inconsistent artist.
! In the purple and gold of earth and SKY
/ in Indian summer, no passion OF leai OF
bud is lost The kingly colors have rather
an association of dignity and repose'
awaiting as It were, for the next miracle
from tho Great Creator
The misty haze that wraps the noun
tains with pensive grace, and hangs low
unon the valleys when the evening shades
slant sooner and longer, is as ven doh-
ned in mourning for a lost one from the
! household Of Time.
Tradition SAYS that this was the sea-
son Of the year when the Indians met IN
friendly council, when the great tribes
| from inc east anu NfoA VI AaA' ASA~-
gathered together for their annual hunt,
and kept the festival Of the Harvest Moon
with song and dance and thank offerings
to the Great Spirit for His bounties.
In tho folklore OF the mountaineers,
this IS the season when 10, the poor Indian,
revisits the scenes Of his earthly JOYS;
when the red man Of the Tuckahoes sits
now around ghostly camp-fres ana
| smokes the calumet OF peace with MS
spectral brother OF the Cohees from to-
ward the setting sun: and that the smoky
haze is the yaporOus semblance or Things
ideal. and the only visible reminder OF n
vanished race Which IS all very presty
and strictly up 70 date.
The latest fad out Is n ghost. This IS
where country people who rave Oh peak
| ed-roof houses smothered with cedars or
| giant oaks, and covered with moulding
ivy. have the advantage. Ghosts here are
! 10 the manor born.
COUNTRY-HOUSE GHOSTS.
This will be remedied. The English am
| hilton TO own half a dozen country houses
i'm different localities has seized upon the
fashionable world Of America, and they
| are learning the charms Of rural life IN
the autumns. Sometimes, II these have
grown suddenly rich, they yearn for
scotch estate-with ghosts and boggies
thrown in-or It may be that a villa by
Lake Como haunts their dreams with
blue lights" and clanking chains re
! gardless"l However, as a usual thing
| ones own country Is preferable-even III
ghosts. While we have no Norman tow
! ers nor Ellzabethian dungeons, we have
long. rambling homes and old Colonial
| mansions that ante-date the Georges. In
old furniture, old china, and old brasses'
with century-od fire-dogs and worm
eaten splnning-wheels that belonged TO
l 81 pIrnQfhqr Carrier OF
some one, we have all the accessories
where ghosts can prowl around in cos
! tunes TO match the surroundings. These
are the places for ghosts to 'materialize-"
! One has really not much veneration for
city ghost / never knew but one, ana
even that was imported. "Many. many
years ago." so the story ran, "a brick
house stood on the river banks above
| Richmond. near the upper falls, and AT
| that time isolated and quite in the coun-
try. II was occupied by a gentleman or
the old regime-intelligent. stately-look-
ing, and the soul Of honor and truth.
MOTHER AND BABE.
AT that time there was an extensive
tobacco trade carried on in sailing yes
sells between Virginia and the mother
country, England. With cargo OF mer-
cbandise shipped to Richmond to be ex-
]
out from the London house. who brought
with him his wife and infant child. The
wife sickened and died on the voyage over
and was buried att sea.
In his dealings the Englishman met
Mr. p, the gentleman OF the James,
giver house, and enlisted his sympathy.
lie wanted his motherless babe placed
with some family, so he bought negro
girl as nurse, and they were taken by Mr.
r. to his residence.
Mrs. p, II seems. was quite
worldly woman. much given TO the gay
society Of Richmond. and, though kind
hearted. not very careful Of her own
children. who were left very much 10
the servants. A room on the lower floor
had been fitted up for n nursery for the
English baby. Across the hall was the
dining-room. The child was usually left
alone with its nurse at that hour and
the cradle could be heard rocking. No
attention was given to the sound Tor
several days, until, looking through the
dining-room window, Mr.. p saw the
negro girl playing in the back yard. The
family were all present, and he stepped
across the hall TO see who rocked the
baby. He saw a strange woman sitting
beside the cradle who wore green
cloth dress, with a black silken run,
such as he had never seen, close up
around her neck Paisley shawl was