The Monticellonian., 1904-04-28
The Ghost
 in Scarlet @
By CHARLES $. FRENCH
n ETTER take the old Springfield

sD ETTER take the old Springfield
 n musket and plenty of ammuni- tion," said Judd Tompkins to his brother Todd, whose turn it was to boil maple sap that night. "A bear was seen to- day at Wellington, not two miles from here. and coming this way"
 "All right, Judd. I'll take the Spring | field just to gratify you, but l expect a visit from bear as little as do call | from that grenadier's ghost By the way. all well-bred ghosts that l have ever heard of were clad in white. l don't take any stock in ghost that wears | scarlet uniform. As to the bear, the day has been foggy, and probably some | Wellington child has been frightened | by calf.
 "The grenadier's ghost" was favor ite subject of banter between the broth CTS. The legend that the wooded valley below the Tompkins home was | haunted by the ghost of British sol- dier had been handed down from genera ton to generation in the Tompkins fam | fly. losing nothing on the way, ever since Burgoyne's captive hosts had marched past there on their way from Saratoga to Boston.
 Judd Tompkins believed that he had seen the apparition of the stalwart gren- adler one beautiful June night, march ing with stately tread through the shadowy aisles of the old maple woods. Todd. perhaps because there was less i'm agination in his nature, made sport of IL tunity.
 Down through the deep woods, where giant spruce and hemloek trees inter Sove their branches with ancient beeches and maple, walked Todd, accompanied by the two dogs-Major, Newfound- land. and Carlo. shepherds dog.
 The brothers had inherited from their father this farm one of the best on the Green mountains. under certain restric- tions. The farm was large one, one mile long from north to south. and three fourths of a mile wide. It had been owned by the Tompkins family, its boundaries unchanged, for more than a century The north end, on moderately high land containing most of the cul- tivated ground, was bordered on all sides by a belt of timber 40 rods wide, which, except windfalls and dead trees, the brothers were not at liberty to cut until it reached a large size. Near the south end of the farm which dipped down into deep ravine, was laid out an S0-acre tract, originally covered with large trees, stones and powders. which must be cleared, the trees felled, roots dug out, stones and powders removed. and the tract plowed deeply.
 This was Herculean task. Several generations of the Tompkins family had already spent their energies upon it, and it was known far and near as the "Tomp- kins Folly" Although the land when subdued yielded enormous crops, the cost was far too great. No reason was known for the extravaganza, except that some Tompkins generations ago had marked the boundaries of the clearing, and the obligation to continue the work had descended from father to son under an impression that the family honor re- Quired it
 Judd was more contented than Todd He loved farming ard had married and brought his wife to the old homestead. Todd longed to remove to the city. and certain dainty epistles which found their way weekly to the farm would have testified, could they have been put in evi- denee. that another was qaite as anx- ious as he for his freedom But until the S0-acre tract was cleared neither of the brothers was at liberty to sell out, n or tn 1C1Vr . !, F,,. The promise to their father was verbal one, but the brothers respected it as if 1t were written in the deed.
 Tonight Todd tended the fires. filed the boiling-pans with sap. and between times rested upon rough bench near the suear-house door.
 At midnight the dogs were uneasy. Major was growing, Carlo barking. Todd jumped up.
 It was a beautiful night; a full moon rode overhead white clouds floating laZily past it. The sap from a thousand naples was dropping slowly into the tin buckets in all parts of the wood, making melody to the ear attuned to hear it. and-a wildcat was snarlng down to- ward the ravine.
 Come, let us get him!" said Todd to the dogs, after he had tended the fires.
 As they passed under the thick dark branches of spruce tree the cat bounced upon Carlo. There was a rough anG-tumble fight, the two rolling out into a patch of moonlight, where Carlo re leased his hold and came limping and whining to his master, who promptly dispatched the wildcat the instant the cog was out of the way.
 But where was Major? Reloading his musket, Todd peered cautiously about Soon he heard growl which was not
 WHEN FATHER IS CIT"