The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-01-01

The moon shone aloft as approach
ed the haunted house some time afte
? ten O'Clock.
Near the place, which was a
cluttered up, there were stumps of dea
trees, weatherbeaten logs, taugle'
weeds, stones, boulders and rubbish
saw, too, that there were rats and ha'
been told that there we're bats. Z
black grimalkin prowled and mewed
"Silence brooded," as the poet says
The old Congaree River rolled softly
There was no other house in sight
The town lay off and seemed as if {
hundred miles away.
noticed that one side of The desert
ed house stood slant, that the from
door of it was badly battered, that tlft
panes of glass in the windows were
broken and besmudged, that many o.
the old clapboards were rotted off, ant
that everywhere there were wrack
SPIDER webs, thorns and confusion
1'he place was musty. tlooked dismal
1t was forbidding.
/ doubt whether ! would ever have
thought of staying taer, even for q
night, if had known all about it be-
forehand.
Black George, who had gone with
me 80 far, told me that he had shook
out " the place, had fixed up every
thing, and had made shakedown for
me on the second etory in q very nice
room.
About this time the darky became
uneasy. He was shiver,ng. He pala-
vered and laughed. edo yo' hear dat
cater-wauling, Massa 2" he asked. He
looked up at the moon. Suddenly he
IAN Off through the woods and weeds
toward the Mansion House of his
master, anxious 10 get 10 his cabin of
safety before midnight.
"De Lawd save ye ~ he cried, as he
struck out and off,.
BIT no deluslon for me! Away with
humbugl All darkies are superstitious;
they see invisible things at night.
entered the haunted house and
climbed the rickety stairs to the second
story. Here saw my room, III which,
as noticed, there were front Win
dow and rear window, the former ON
line with The shaky balcony. The
place looked as if it might suit me, and
be comfortable enough. The tallow
dip was lighted, aud stood on a email
board table, near which chair had
been set. AS for the shakedown, it
was all right. There was log Dire on
the hearth, some of tho smoke from
which went up the big broad chimney,
which was heavy with ancient sooe. i
opened closet, and there, in a corner,
lay few wiLhered bones which looked
like the relics of lost life. was not
alarmed by the sight. My reason
served me then, as it had done before.
1t was time to be level-headed. Foolery
was out of place..
Already, as stood before the fire,
in sight of the shakedown, glancing
about, / began to feel drowsy. re-
solved, however, to stay up for yet an
hour, or even till midnight, that l
might find out for myself whether the
house were certainly haunted, and that
1 might put an end TO The foolish ghost
stories, o hundred years old, which had
for generations scared everybody, es,
pecially the <darkles, of whom there
were many thousands in Columbia.
1 made up my mind that, If ghost
should appear when the clock struck
twelve, would send bullet through
It's head.
sat down in the chair, and began
to read the novel that / had brought
with me, and which lay on the table
beside my pistol. The very first page
captivated me, ami was sure that L
would pass tranquil hour in following
the plot. After while looked at my
watch. 1t was not far from midnight.
/ turned over the leaves of the novel,
the opening chapter of which found
to be very fascinating.
soon had strange feeling. j be-
came conscious Of the presence Of some
moving or flnttering thing. 1t did not
seem to be Of human kind; it was Of an
unnatural character. A shiver passed
over me. But, as had heard
that there were bats about the old
house, / thought that perhaps I had
been stirred by the flutterlng of one of
them.
/, continued to read the novel. 1
saw that few more ticks Of my watch
would bring me to the midnight hour.
The tallow candle flickered. When /
looked toward the battered window /
noticed that the moonlight was OBJ
scured by heavy bank of black clouds.
looked again. My eyes were
riveted, for there, on the edge of the
balcony, peering through one of the
broken panes of glass, stood a sheeted
ghost, skeleton in white, grinning at
me.
Pluck is the thing at such moment.
had lots of it,.
In a cautious way, laid hold of my
pistol, rose to my feet, set aside my
chair, and advanced toward the front
window. The ghost was out of sight.
| Az stepped back 70 my chair near
the table, / again saw the sclf.same
ghoat at the rear window, with ravaged
face pressed against one Of the panes
OF glass.
/ was sure in moment That IL was
the face OF g woman. Her lips moved
she was gibbering; she would speak TO
me. She beckoned to me with her
bony hand. Somehow, at that instant
she reminded me of q certain young
woman OF another timc, who, after
| fallen in love with her, turned from
me, married another suitor, and killed
herself.
IL I took aome atens I'm Tho d;rnci;on NJ