News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-07-03


walked priskIy away. SO he crossed TO
q store where fireworks were sold and
invested the whole amount in fire.
crackers, a few matches and one good
sized Roman candle. With his treas
ures clasped closely in his arms and
his heart wildly beating he fastened
toward home. 1t was after 10 o'clock,
and he congratulated himself on max
Ing his purchase before the store closed
for the night
The night seemed to grow hotter, the
atmosphere more dense and SlffOcat-
ing. The old woman slept lptle fit
fully and dreamed bad dreams iSome-
times she turned and tossed aPd fan
cied that she saw pale, beautiful wo-
mans face, sharp with anguish at the
loss of her only child.
The bells tolled -. At the signal
there was an uprising of sounds from
the great city. Voices rose up in wild
cries, gunshOts snapped and cracked,
| and cannon reverberated heavily
through the night. But these were
| without. They interested the people
generally. They made no impression
on the old woman Individually. She
! slept on, until crash! rush! bang, roar!
crash! and she awoke to find that the
end of the world had come and that
| she was already in pandemOnium. The
place was filled with the smoke of pow
der The cracking and crashing were
! terrific. The fearful noises came from
| everywhere-belOw, above, all about
her. The smoke grew dense and envel-
oped her. 1t suffocated and choked
her.
A demoniac shrek, derisive, mock
ing, mingled with her own star ed
cries! She sprang to the floor, but her
bare feet touched fire and were bis
tered. Evidently the gates of hades
were opened and the devil already had
| possession of her. Yes, there was one
of his captured souls now, ghOstly and
spectral, wrapped in a winding sheet,
dancing madly back and forth, to and
fro, across that narrow shaft of light.
1t turned and twisted and writLed.
Sparks of fire seemed to emanate from
it at every moment and explosive
sounds to come from its presence. Ever
and anon great blOtches of fire shot
upward from the waving hands and
struck the low ceiling with a crash
like the crack of doom. Horrors, the
great creature came nearer!
Confess. ConfesSv' it Kissed. II
glded to the door and swung it wide
go forth and confess" And it laugk.
ed again, swinging it's spectral wind
ing sheet to and fro in awful glee. The
old woman gave one high pitched
scream and rushed and stumbled out
into the black hallway.
The explosion in her room had called
out nearly every tenant in the build
ing, lights flashed here and there as
pale faces peered from their doorways
and the place was rapidly filled with &
swarm of witnesses. Into the presence
of these the frightened old woman
rushed, the phantom close at her heels
81 do confess. | confess everything"
she shrieked. Eyes, yes, Laura is tht
child of Mary Marsden! l stole her
! am Harriet Carey! It's all true! Oh
good ghost. save me, oh, save met!
The paper! Kissed the ghost
clutching at the old woman's arm wit
clawlike fingers. The birth paper!'
She shrieked in new terror. I'm tn
little tin boX" she gasped "Laur'
knOws-the one | keep locked" Thel
she fell fainting to the floor In tn
midst of the confusion that followe,
the ghost slipped quietly back into he
! room and vanished. Only the marrow
shaft of light revealed the escape o
the sheet wrapped form out through
the window: only the walls heard tn
muttered words, "A cyclone or al
earthquake might do the businessw a
the phantom figure crept in at anOthe
window and was again swallowed vi
by tie gloom.
When the gray light of the early Jul
morning crept stealthily into the OIL
tenement house, it rested very sofil
on SpOok fast asleep in his wretche,
bed. The old sheet which covered hin
was burned in places and more sole,
than ever, if that were possible. Hi
fingers were blackened with powder
and his thin face looked very white II
the gray light. But there fingered OF
it no traces Of midnight revel. On til
contrary, it was unusually peaceful
and overspread with a shadow of con
tent. Poor Spook! Faithful Spooli
He smiles in his dreams. Happy Spook
Already some bright foreshadowin
of the future is shedding its goldel
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