Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-09-17
A WALK WITH A SPO0K

One FRIDAY IN My CAME o'Nh ~,
hy the ass train, getting in after ), ana
when | set out through the dusk to walk
| found young chap, n person, who
also come on .he train, setting off III
the same direction. Or course, we joined
forces and I soon found that he was
coming to stay few days, after months
OF work in South London, with his oid
mother VINO liTed al little place hail
a mile the other side of where / was.
Presently. walking briskly along, we
came 10 where the road began to run
between sections of forest. II was
fine night to be abroad in, but dark,
especially between those great walls OF
foliage. Still. when young Clements
that was his Handicapped and pointed
/ could see he was directing my atten-
ton to huge oak near the roadside.
You know the story of that tree,
expect said Clements.
No" J said. we stepped up 10 1t III
the dark 1--WE been struck by ITS APP
pearancc, bu; don't know Of any story;
This" said Clements. evidently
pleased at the chance of getting off has
yarn. rs what hey call about here The
Suurp's Oak The squire III question
was John Madden of Hcdgford manor,
about half Il dozen miles north of this.
In his youth my grandfather was his
guardian, and he found him handful.
Madden was one of the most eXtraor-
binary men who ever lived, even In the
times just after the great wars, when
The leaders OF society set the fashion OF
eccpntricity, and there was no public
opinion to prevent a man behaving as
madlv as his temperament directed him.
He VAS killed at this spot, against this
tree. in way that came to many man
in the old hardriding days. lie was
thrown violently by II savage horse when
IN. hole Il
(Which he generally Wasl on a dark night.
/ NEEDN'T say that he walks now
Walks. does he%' | said just for the
sake of something to say, Il wonder II
he walks any straighter now than he
used to in life. y tipsy ghost would be a
queer thing to meet
Now, ii Madden had been alive to
hear you say that, said Clements, az we
marched ON. he'd probably have given
you taste of the noble art he learned
from Angelo, the regents professor of
fiStieuffs. For he was one of those men
who used TO pride themselves on the huge
amount of wine they could dring with
ont losing their physical balance; and my
grandfather who was continually in his
visihly in 4 condition which would have
GOT him arrested by modern London
policeman"
As we went on | learned lot about
John Madden, Esquire of lledgford man
or For all the tremendous faugues and
strains he continually subjected himself to
III his mad freaks. and for all his intem-
pegance ne was until the closing years Of
his life man of remarkable yigor.
Now comes my own experience; and
IFS quite short story. A week after
this | cNme down by the same train. and
set off 90 walk by myself. Id forgotten
all about the mad squire aud his death 49,
I al t.S.,
"a ease that was troubling me-when sud
denly was pulled up by an odd sensa-
ton.
| wonder if any Of YOU can guess what
It was, 1t wasn't vague sense of i'm
pending calamity; it wasn't Il feeling rs
though an iCy hand had been laid on my
brow nothing of the kind. And | didn't
see anything, either, except the old oak
aud though nj once realized that it was
INST by the oak that had stopped,
didn't for the moment think Of Madden
ut all, What stopped me was n strong
and singular odor that was in the air
ana which. | was ready 10 swear, | recog
nized hut what it belonged to I rouldn't
for the life Of me remember After sniff
ting little | walked on.
Now comes the odd thing As | Went
on, | did begin to feel vaguely uncom
Portable, feeling which | supposed t,
be that which tells people $50 they say
hR NJ h,ain oh 4
! saw and heard nothing. / frIt pnthinc
bnt that singular familiar Smnll 'sc"nre,
~ ,srow stranger the farther ! wont mn
! expcrienced more and moro tbe son
sation that / WAS os np"h aim" ~
seemed. ~ 80
diva r ~, 5es ~ SP foot INA, WAS p'9e
1ynnJ me- made ant that !, W. ~, w.
IoIps kcencr frnn, Morton bau ~. Wa t vac
mn liz tnp,hnJ us bat -" h., NV Do ..i'i'
onl WIN, Jo ,.n, tl,;ni. a., all p">S..,t
IL sa;I "CHoI ,,itbt 'r', p ,a" MI"
Wril lnen III" ol5 n,,,n n',,, hal,
,.,;n W'"i 1nt ,,, 'nN on man was nan
,,'"n'' w., .,,,,.,; w.. "li ,lllN
1870 '',y iV;.'", i, .'1 """'''' A"tuS q
iut ""' -"'e "a p''''} ~'"' time IN.
N,tv" We f''o"E IN eyer when
INN '''G 49,, l,' IN, "Sl1 ~, l1r 9'i'r an'