Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1897-09-23
THE GILRORfH GHOST.


u
anything about; and it was perhaps
for that very reason that 10 was 90
universally and 80 firmly believed
in. Nobody had seen it; but al
most everybody was convinced Of
its existence.
Old John Gilforth had bequeath-
ed it. He had lived solitary life
in his rambling old house, and died
quite aIons. lie h6d not bsdsn
over-abundance Of worldly goods,
despite his wide extent of shingles,
and the ghost was probably the
most substantial Of his legacies. IL
it were indeed the ghost Of poor old
Gilforth, there was nothing to be
feared from it !; he had been noted
for his unsocial habits, bat for moth
ing more alarming.
But who ever heard Of ghosts
being regarded with plying leni-
ency and friendly forbearance and
an entire absence Of prejudice /?
The Gilforth ghost was held in o
deep and fearful awe. Of which the
most sanguinary Of shades might
have been proud.
There were those who professed .
scornful disbelief in the ghost, and
in whom any mention Of it stirred
no profounder emotion than Q con.
temptuous amusement.
The diseelievers were, Of course,
among the younger generation OF
of the townspeople-disbeliever as
q rule, are Of the younger genera
tions.
Kitty Clark was perhaps the bold
est of these, and that was not at ell
surprising. She was the gsyest Of
the clique Of bright young girls who
enlivened in town with their frol-
les; she was the prime mover in
their escapades, the founder Of
many daring scheme and she al
ways did things boldly, and moth
ing by halves.
She had gotten mp and success
fully carried through festival for
the benefit of the town poor I; she
had taken care Of old Mrs. Jackson
through q long illness, the poor
woman being friendiess and had had
her for o sort Of o pensioner ever
since.
On the other hand, she had pre-
sented herself at Squire Barr's, one
evening recently, in O tattered dress
and dilapidated bonnet-the squire
being o noted miser-and had re-
turned to the group Of giggllng
girls around the corner Of the house
waving two-dollar bill exultantly; !;
her unworthy object was to outwit
the squire and she had lately re-
fused Addison Marsh. with his bald
head and his snug property, in the
most hard-hearted and uncomprom-
Using manner, though to be sure,
none Of the girls had wondered
much at that.
| To Tracy Matson she was partic-
ularly and entirely charming. Her
brown eyes and her fresh lips, and
her pretty airs and graces, had
probably lone their part for her ;
but Tracy was certain that it was
not her prettiness alone that infatu-
ated him.
| Kitty's kindness of heart was
known to everybody, and to Tracy
among the rest. To be sure, when
the subjects we're brought mp she
rather laughed at her country-house
festival and the pensioning Of old
Mrs. Jackson, but this smiling self.
disparagement was an added charm
in Trscy's eyes. And the half.
amused admiration with which hs
regarded her Independence and hel
daring was quite enough to com
plete his captivation.
OF course everybody knew it
What else was to be gathered from
the fact that Tracy's gray colt VA
beginning to stop Of its own accord
at John Clark's front gate.
| But everybody was not quite SUR
Of Kitty's views, nor was Tracl
himself. She had chatted ant
walked and driven with him bu
in quite the same way, a. far as b,
knew, had she chatted and Wake.
and driven with Addison Marsh
to the final undoinR of that ill-fate,
person
The mere fact Of Addison's refu
sal might have been regarded a. en-
coursging, and 30 Tracy sometime
thought. But that, after all, W
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