Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1898-03-01
"Take that for your welcOme-you beastly
Vardee"

l will not say how Mrs v. debated,
Especially the length of her grafton,
1 will not tell how Pete expostulated,
Reused. by the blow. Into a good set passion
So great, that more than once he execrated,
Ere he crawled to bed, in his usual fashion
For we all hate brawls; suffice it to say
he ducked beneath the sheets, and there h,
lay.
It was that calm. illusive hour of night,
When lonely tombs and graves give nj
their dead,
And many troubled and restless sprite
Quietly burst his bonds of stono or lead,
And, shrouded in pale, ethereal light,
Stood by some poor wretch's fevcred bed,
And with stony eyes, and wild, unearthly
stare,
Gazed, til on end stood each bristliug hair.
Pete was still awake, aud his meditations
To the "oId Red Dog" and its theme re-
Cured;
The same dread subject of the dark uarrations
Which, backed by such authority he'd heard
Lost in his own horriac contemplat ms,
He pondered DER each well remembered
word,
W-hen 10! ut his bed, close beside the post,
b, verify believed he saw ghost.
To his treuzied gaze, each moment grew;
Ghastly and gaunt, its shadow seemed to
bring
Far more than mortal seeming to view;
And round its long, thin, bony fingers drew
A sheet, which, of course, did mouldering
cling;
The moon that moment peering through a
cloud,
Pete plainly saw the ''miser," in his shroud.
Fear from each pore distilled a clamy dew,
Shook every limb; the candle too, no doubt
Untrimmed, would have burned extremely
blue,
But Pete, unluckily, had put 1t out;
And he, though naturally bold and stout,
In truth was in most tremendous stew.
The room was filed with sulphurous smell,
But where that came from Pete could not tell.
ThePhantom's shadowy finger long and lean.
Beckoned Pete, and pointed to the door;
With many direful glance, and frown
between,
The angry yisage of the spectre wore,
AS if quite ve&ed that Pete would do no
more
Than stare, without even asking "what do
you mean?"
Because we are told-a grave old joke too
Ghosts, like foolish churls, ne'cr speak till
spoke to.
Cowards, It's said, in certain situations,
Display u courage-or a sort of grit,
And then perform, from downright desper-
alton,
More than bolder men would in fact. exhibit.
Pete saw the ghost was getting in passion,
And therefore, cropping till he found his kit,
Seized on his awl, crept softly out of bed,
And followed, trembling, where the spectre
led
Noiselcssly, without grasp or grapple,
The door, upon it hinges, open flew,
And Pete, by way of Adams apple,
Gulped down fears before lie never knew.
The Spectre pointed to st. Georges Chapel
The old gray church on which the full moon
threw,
With such effulgence her mild, ,silvery strcams
The visionary form seemed melting IN her
beams.
Toward the ruins dark and sombre shade,
Where centennial oaks still stood sublime
Above the Chapel's walls, in ruins laid
Sad memorial of colonial time =
The Goblin led the way, and though afraid,
Even of the winds low rustling midnight
chime,
Pale, Pete followed, its form attending,
And wondering what on earth it all would
end in.
Within the gothic archway's deep recess,
At length they reached the chancel, dim
and lone.
1t seemed to Yardee almost wilderness,
The walls with vines and llchen overgrowni
The erie owl screeched note of drear dis
tress,
Disturbed upon his crumbling throne,
As though prophetic of him who would dare,
So led, at such an hour, to venture there.
The apparition paused, aud would have spoke,
Pointing to what Pete thought on iron ring.
Just then some watchful cock from slumber
woke,
midnight challenge he seemed to fling
And then-.it started like guilty thing"
And that shrill call the midnight silence
broke;
For tits said ghosts and witches all eschew
The bantering cry of cock-a-doodle-do.