The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-01-24
THE STONY or dBURGLIR.
why Peggy Was Made once
EnN.

"And weren't there any ghosts when
you were child, mammal asked the
smallest of the five girls.
We'll" said mamma, as she folded her
spectacles and laid aside the book she had
been reading. when / was a little girl.
far away in France, for that is the way
the story should begin. l suppose, our
little village of Bois-le-Duc had ghost
that was Il complete mystery TO the good
townsfolk, and for a long time kept us
children close indoors after night had
fallen. IL was the only ghost l ever real
~ saw and was such strange one thaI
] have never forgotten about il.
"Bois-le-Duc was a very little village
containing scarcely more than the three
essentials of a tOWn-an inn, a church
and q burial ground. All the houses III
the place stood ON one long winding
street, so that. although the town was
small. 1t was a long walk from the mar
ket at one end TO the graveyard at the
other our own home stood fairly out
side the village. for IL stood good quar-
ter Of a mile beyond this graveyard ana
had been the chateau where the duke of
the province lived in the days before the
revolution There were no houses be-
tween ours and the village except that
OF tho sexton, which stood close beside
the stone wall Of the cemetery, and Jean
Moulins.' Jean was a gardner ana the
village topper. and he lived in little
brown cottage only a few steps from our
door.
Now. the ghost Of Bois-le-Duc, about
which / started TO tell YOU, was a grave
ward ghost and as We often passed the
graveyard after dark in coming from
visits 10 playmatos i'm the town, we had
more chances than any one else 20 be
come acquainted with tin fact, We had
more chances of that kind than we cared
for. We were no drawer than most girls
of ten and twelve. and We had no broth
ors to make us appear more bold than
we felt. 10y poking fun at us.
1T was my sister, susanna, VINO hrsl
saw the ghost. She had been sent ON an
GRAND TO the house OF the cure. one
bright summer evening. and was lettering
near the graveyard on her way nome
looking for berries among the tangled
Nincs that grew beside the fOOtpath sud
denly she heard "a strange low sound
Ike the crying Of tired child. and jump
ing 10 her feet she saw something big
and white standing on a fallen tombstone
in the middle of the burial ground WHAT
ever the thing was IL did not move. n.u
simply stood there white and sl'll' loon
ing at her in. -.
"Ool OO," said the smallest girl WIN Il
sat closer TO mamma's knee
"Susanne's short legs could not fly fast
enough TO carry her the rest of the way
home She never looked back or stopped
an instant and when she burst IN at our
kitchen door ncr hat was Como and her
brown curls were flying all about her
face. As almost any other niue Elrl
would have done. she began 10 cry ana
n was a long time before she got breath
talI vi m.
Mother pettcd her until she had stopped
CRYING and then she laughed at susanna
terror. 'Fie. he my child said she. IL
was thy fancy; there are no ghosts II
our quiet churchyard.' Nevertheless both
Susanna and J believed that II was a ghost
that she had seen. When We went up-
stairs TO bed she told me all about the
big white thing again. and We drew the
covers over our heads until We went "
sleep.
1T was long time before We got mp
courape 90 pass the graveyard again AT
NIGHT but after awhile our desire to att
,end some OF the little parties that our
friends In the village were always getting
nm rot the better OF our fear Of the
ghosts. and We began 20 80 out again ~
The evening We had done this several
fines when We next saw the ghost. We
were together that night. and We both
saw Il M the same moment. simply ala
white object moving about among the
grassy mounds. / can sttl remember the
cola SILVER that went over mc when
raw II. and the way my heart thumped
against my ribs as we bounded along tha
path toward home. Again our mother
had 10 dry our tears. but this time She
did not laugh AZ us.
AFTER this We were certain about the
ghost: We could not both have been mis-
taken. For the next few times when we
vent out our father walked with US, bu