Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-05-09
A GHOST STORY.
nr MARGARET Lrrcurn snowrrr.


FoU THE MESSENGER.
Just before the War, gentleman
Of this county, large land aud slave
owner, died. leaving Il young man, his
business manager, in temporary charge
q the property.
The funeral was over, and the young
man rode homeward, as the shades of
evening closed around him. As he
came III sight Of the isolated farm
house, with the long row Of negro
quarters in the rear, Il fear, nameless,
vague horror began to take shape in
his brain. and tho naturally brave
enough, he stood appalled, at the newly
conceived idea. Of an insurrection Of
the blacks.
The master dead-he alone-per-
hap> a hundred able-bodied darkies,
ready TO avenge the wrongs, real and
imaginary, Of whip and lash, hard
work and scant pleasure Why should
they not rise in devilsh humor and
strength, as so many others had done,
and repeat the fearful scenes of other
plantations. Scarce a paper without
some such horrible recital, He shud-
dered at the thought; the picture was
appalling to his already over-excited
nerves. He turned and rode back, his
friend would bear him company, even
under such circumstances Of gloomy
ioreboding, he knew, and he must not
desert his trust in cowardly fear.
With his friend he returned TO the
desolate house, where death had left
It's chill.
For three days the dead master had
lain in his darkened apartment. and a
creeping horror had taken possession
Of all the living about him. O., fear
full netamorphosis OF death He who
had been the head and sole instinct
with life and feeling, had become a
hag-to be feared and summed, as
friends and dependents passed noise
le->ly about with bated breath. What
j. il about death that makes even
strong men towards? Can we realize
that it is Il business this dgiag-that
each Of Il, must transact sooner or
later-shudder at it, kick against il as
we may? That we, too, shall lie
pulselesS, passionless. food for the
worm: And this must happen-not
probably, but inevitably, Alas that
We see only the wrenching divorce Of
the shrinking, clinging, perishable
body, not the soul-principle-the spark
Of the Divine, in this unalterable fiat
Of nature-the king Of terrors.
The young men ate their supper in
silence, an insuiierable oppression lay
on their spirits, gloom enveloped
them. The dead man was their guest.
He had gone ont feet foremost on his
last journey, but he left chill in the
mir behind him. Ordinary conversa-
tion was out of the question. Thsy
went to their room, and soon the can
die. "the light OF other days" was
extinguished, and amid the fitful,
fantastic shadows of the freight,
weary nature asserted itself, and they
fell aSlecp-to he awakened simulta-
neously by something-they knew not
what
The door was bolted, but they
quickly recognized the fact, that
mysterious. muflIed sound came from
that direction.
Could the blacks be trying to come
upon them unawares? Each man in
stinctly felt for his pistol, tho once
fired, il would have been useless, and
the attackers perhaps reused to savage
fury by that weak effort, would have
been only the more terrible.
The moments passed, an eternity
10 the strained ears, and pulsating
hearts The Egyptian darkness be-
came unbearable, the silence madden
ing. But again the sound, now like
Il hand passed tremblingly over the
pannels OF the door, inside, e,-and ah
new horror accompanied by flash
Of fluid drops on their faces Where
could water come from? 1t was not
raining outside, and had it been, none
could have reached their bed. The
horror grew,-the air of the room was
like vault.-their flesh crept,-their
hair stood on end.
The real danger of insurrection
faded into insignifcance BY the side Of
the supernatural Superstitiom's clam
my hand clutched many life in those
old DAYS
With heads buried in the covering,
uunerved hv an invisible presence.
;hcv Law awhile Once more gather
ing courage they emerged to listen,-
Int again, the uuspcakablc horror ami
the >prinkliue fluid. Under they
went, To- lie trembling. covering to-
sethcr filled. thrilled, with the gha>t-
Il, anomalous terror, a. the sounds
came at irregular intervals. for
. time that seemed lifetime
Bat the longest night gives place To
light finally The grey winter morn
ing lawnei. tcehlv. the early twilight
struggling with the darkness. cheered,
reas>urel The two men emerged
again from the covering. to lie greeted
with another sprinkle and the cause
stood revealed
On an Old secretary at the foot Of
, the he'd, was basin OF water, into
which lucklesS rat had fallen. and
in hi> frantic efforts to escape from a
cold and uncomfortable bed, the ro-
i dent had uuwitingly. and without
malice. caused 80 much terror. With
the poker they quickly laid the
, ghost and shameiacelly looked ut