Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-12-08
The Ghost of the Crusader.
YOUNG oReANsT BLOOD -cuRoLINa EXPERIENCE WHEN
LOCKED AN OLD CHURCH.

OF Manorbier, a village in Pembroke
shire, and, as the parish was too poor
to afford an organist, it was her duty
to teach the small choir and play at
every service on the queer old fash
/ ioned instrument called by courtesy
an organ. One Christmas Eve they
had been all day in the church, fixing
up the decorations which had been
prepared at home by the different
workers. The church was some dis
| tance from any habitation. and it was
accordingly the custom to make all the
wreaths and designs at home, and on
Christmas Eve to meet in the church
to assist one another in putting them
up. 1t was quite dusk by the time
| they had fixed the last wreath, and the
old sexton asked Mildred if he might
leave the final sweepings of the church
until the morning. Everyone was pre-
pairing to depart when it occurred to
Mildred that she would remain be-
hind to practice the music for the fol-
! lowing days service. The others, in
Guiding her sister Leslie, tried to dis
suade her from staying any longer in
the cold, lonely church, but she knew
and loved every corner of the quaint
old building, and no superstitious fears
made her hesitate to remain. She
told her sister that when her practice
was over she should walk ON to see an
old nurse, who lived half mile away
from the church, SO that Leslie was
not to expect her home until late, as
it would be moonlight.
She was soon left alone, except for
the old sections little grandson, who
was to blow the organ for her. and she
could hear the laughing voices grow
fainter in the distance as she unlocked
the organ. To her annoyance she
found only two very short pieces of
candle in the brackets, old David, the
sexton, having evidently left all minor
details for the mornings attention, so
without loss of time she began her
practice. Once, during a soft passage
she fancied she heard a movement in
the body of the church, but attributed
1t to the rats, of which she knew there
were perfect armies, and the recollec-
tion only came to her later, when it
was accounted for in way which
chilled her blood to think of.
Mildred found her candles were
quickly getting low in their sockets,
so, having played over the hymns and
her opening voluntary for the next
day, she dismissed the small blower
with sixpence telling him to close
and lock the big entrance door behind
him, and carry the key home to his
grandfather, as she had the key of the
vestry door in her pocket, and by 60
ing out that way would be nearer by
some hundred yards to Nurse Smiths
cottage. Mildred heard Johnny clatter
down the aisle the big door swinging
TO behind him with a hollow clang
which, somehow, startled her and
curious impulse came over her to call
him back and make him wait until she
was ready to go herself. She had al
ways prided herself on her courage,
however, and@in spite of the chilling
sense of loneliness which she felt as
she heard his shrill whistle die away,
she quietly proceeded to close the or
gan. Extingdfshing one candle she
took out the other morsel to light her
way to the vestry: then, and not un-
til then, she put her hand in her pock-
ct to take out the key of the door. 1t
NdS uOl iueIe. Sldl titu, SHE DtSdn u
think of any way in which she might
have dropped it, and suddenly it
flashed across her mind that she had
changed her dress Immediately be-
fore leaving home, and that the key
of the vestry door was at that mo-
ment reposing in the pocket of the
dress hanging in the wardrobe at
home. Consequently, of course, she
was locked in the church.
For a moment the girl stood aghast
at the unpleasant discovery, but al
| most instantly thought of the bells, by
which means she might summon aid.
Perceiving that she must be prompt
or else she would find herself in total
darkness, she CROPPED her way as quick
ly as possible to the belfry Horrors!
She found the bell ropes had all been
pulled up to the upper floor to allow
of tho bells being run on the swing,
| and the door leading to the upper floor
was firmly locked.
Following these discoveries came the
recollection that she was not expected
home until late, SO that until bedtime
arrived no one would distress them
selves about her absence. Mildred real
lied then that she must resign herself
| to a dreary wait of several hours in
that empty church, and strove to
| overcome her dread of the thought. Her
candle. too, was now only half an inch
| from her fingers, and she shrank with
horror from the darkness which must
follow, so she fetched the other piece
from the organ, and then made her
way to the family pew, in the center of
the church, from which she could OBJ
tain a full view of the east window,
| and catch the first welcome CLEAN of
the rising moon.
The girl arranged her candles to the
best advantage, but never did wax
consume with such rapidity, and 1t
seemed only few minutes before the
wick fell. flickered for a secondhand
then died out. Poor Mildred felt she
| could scream aloud with the horror
that fell upon her with the darkness.
She knelt down, with her face hidden
| iE her folded arms, but in fancy she
could still see the gloomy shadows
under the arches of the vaulted roof,
which the faint light of her candle had
| NJ A. II Il.