davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1935-04-07

morning. was the last thing Leila
said before she went to sleep.
Leila was teaching then and as
soon as she got to the school house
the next morning she called the chill
dren Of the caretaker at Hayf1eld to
her and asked them who the man was
who had visited them the night before.
"'We didn't have a visitor they
told her.
But you must have said Leila.
for We saw him on the road and
there was nowhere else he could have
gone She told them then about the
stranger and they listened. very
frightened. she said.
"'You saw the horsemann they
cried, and. talking all together, they
told her the story. I don't know how
it happened that We hadn't heard
it before, but I give you my word
that we hadn't. 1t was as new to
us than as it is to you now.
"As I was telling you, this old
Telegraph road was once the main
highway between the North and the
South. Well, the story goes that one
day two strangers, young man and
young woman-very beautiful they
say she was-were seen riding down
the road. the man on gray horse
and the woman on brown one. They
evidently had come long distance,
for the horses looked tired and the
saddlebags were covered with dust.
The woman's head was dropping
little, as if the weight Of her golden
hair. piled high on her head, was
pulling 1t forward.
when the travellers came to Piney
Hill they turned in at the oak grove.
an action which struck those who
saw them as very strange. The hill
side, as I told you, was thick with
trees at that time. Just before dark
the man came riding out on his gray
Evening star., 1935-04-07
Grass Curbs Duststorms.
THE seemingly hopeless task of pre-

THE seemingly hopeless task of pre-
= venting the duststorms which
have been one of the phenomena Of
the drought in the West is not so hope
less as appears on the surface to be
the case. Correction of the situation
calls for little more than a change in
the use to which the section now be-
ing eroded is put. Certain soils are
more susceptible to wind erosion than
others. These areas have been well
indicated.
The Department Of Agriculture rec
ommends that the land be turned into
grass or pasture land. A heavy coating
of sod with its intertwined roots
serves to hold the soil in place, while
sections where the soil is heavier can
be devoted to the crops ordinarily
raised on the eroded land.
Evening star., 1935-04-07

horse, leading the brown horse. which
was riderless. The next day the
woman was found In the grove, hang
ing from a tree, her hair loosed and
falling in a golden cascade almost
the length of her body. The man
was neither seen nor heard from
until many years later, when those
who frequented the old Telegraph
road began to meet him at twilight
near Piney Hill, wretched and forlorn,
as I have described him, riding always
slowly and leading the brown horse
after him."
MISS VIRGINIA leaned back in
the car, her eyes searching the
darkening landscape almost hope
fully. "Ive never seen him again"
she said. "I can't begin to tell you
how vivid the picture was. Remorse
is an awful thing, I guess. Never
have I seen man look so wretched."
She was silent while the car made
a protesting retreat over the rough
roadway. 1t was growing dark rap
idly now. A few faint stars glim-
mered in the sky, but no moon was
visible.
There's just one other ghost I've
seen with my own eyes," she began,
when the main road was reached.
Maybe you've heard about old Gen.
MERGERS son killing himself. Because
of the prominence of the family his
suicide created a sensation at the
time, and the details have been
handed down in this part of the
country from one generation to
another. What everybody wanted to
know was what his reason could have
been for doing it. The majority de-
cided it was because of an unhappy
love affair, and my own opinion is
that they we're right. After all, what
Evening star., 1935-04-07
WHEN A GHOST RIDES ALONG OLD TELEGRAPH ROk

else could 1t have been? He was such
seemingly, everything in the world to
live for.
"One evening during the Christmas
season. he came down to dinner in
evening dress, his diamond studs
sparkling in the light of the candles.
Immediately after dinner he went up
to his room and a shot was heard.
When they got to him he was dead,
and that Is all any one ever knew
about II.
"'Well. It wasn't long before those
who slept in the room began waking
up in the middle of the night and
the foot Of the bed. dressed Just as
he was on the night of his death.
A professor took over the house for
while and they say that his daugh-
ter, who had been off at school and
knew nothing of the matter, ran
screaming from the room on her first
night at home, too hysterical to tell
what had happened.
Long after this time my mother
and I were guests In the house, and
when We were shown to our room we
had no idea it was the one in which
the tragedy had taken place.
But that night I walked up sud-
denly and there was the man directly
in front Of me, his hands graSping
the foot Of the bed. The first thing
remember seeing was the diamond
studs. They must have been excep-
tionally fine stones, for even in the
moonlight they seemed to flash sparks
Of fire.
TITS a funny thing, but I can tell
you for fact that I wasn't particu-
larly frightened. I was more inter-
ested than anything else. I think I
noticed how handsome he looked and
thought how beautiful it was that he
had died for love. was young, you
see, and sort Of romantic"
Miss Leila was waiting at the fire.
side. I'm glad I didn't go with you;
the minister called while you were
gone. Did you tell about the slave
boy. Virginia."
Not yet" said Miss Virginia. "Take
of your coat and sit down." she said.
Il didn't actually see this ghost Leila
is talking about, but the story came
to me straight from the grand
of Mrs. Lee, who did see it. and who
related her experience to the mem
bers Of her family, substantiating it
with proof.
Mrs. Lee (of the prominent Lee
family lived in Colchester, Va, in a
house which has since then burned
down. This was before the Civil War
Evening star., 1935-04-07

my time. of course. Well, one day two
strangers-but I mustn't get ahead of
my story. I want to tell you what we
saw first, and what he heard after
ward. That's the important part of
what I'm going to tell you-that we
saw what We saw without knowing
anything.
Leila and George and I had been
to town George was our brother.
And what do I mean by town? Why,
Alexandria, of course. We'd been to
town, and were getting back just as
twilight was coming on. 1t was about
as dark as it is now. George was
driving and Leila and I we're in the
back seat of the carriage. All at once
Leila turned around and looked
through the window at the rear. She
tried afterward to remember why
she had turned, but she could never
think of a reason why she should
have done it. I heard her draw in
her breath. Look, Virginia. she asked,
Who could that be?'
II looked back and saw a thin.
doleful appearing man riding a tired
gray horse. He was leading brown
horse, which also seemed tired. Both
horses were loaded down with saddle
bags.
'''Who in the world?' said. You
see, We knew every one around this
part of the country and neither of us
had ever seen the man before. Be-
sides, he was dressed in strange. old
fashioned clothes, and his whole ap-
pearance was somehow disquieting.
Who could it be?' I asked George.
Now I wonder he said. George
wanted to know. too, but he insisted
on teasing us. trying to make us
think we were inquisitive.
I'VE were going at good pace and
the mans horses seemed to be walking
Evening star., 1935-04-07
BIRDS.

THIS is the most important sea-
son for the bird lover. Mi
gratory visitors who are sell
L dom seen are stopping for
brief moment at the back
yard bird bath and trip afield is
rich in reward for the trained OBJ
server. The Public Library presents
a selected list of bird books published
during the last four years. Many
other volumes are in the library's
collection, including the well-known
works of Chapman, Reed, Blanchan,
etc. Readers are invited to consult
the library's catalogue or ask the
assistant at the information desk for
further information. The older stand
ard works are at all the branches,
as well as at the central building.
Popular Guides.
Check list of North American Birds.
American Ornithologists' Union.
Fourth edition. 1881. PE.Am37a.
A new edition Of this valuable list,
carefully revised and brought up to
1880.
Birds You Should Know, by T. w.
Burgess. 1888. PE.B913.
Speaking of pocket-guides and
their pictures, those in the tiny new
Birds You Should Know are un-
commonly good, remarkably so, con-
sidering their small size and the
books small price. M. L. Becker.
Glimpses of Familiar Birds; Land
Birds, North America, East of the
Rocky Mountains Excluding birds
of prey, by w. H. Carr. 1881.
PE.C24.
Color illustrations and excellent de-
scriptions make this a valuable hand
book for field use by the amateur.
The Life of Birds, by T. A. Coward
1881. Pc. .C833L.
There are chapters on the char
acteristics of birds, their courtships
and mating, nesting, food, migration,
enemies, economic values and bird
protection"
A FIELD GUIDE to the Birds: Civ
Evening star., 1935-04-07
Milk Production Drops

MILK production in the United
Ava States is tagging. This Is due
largely to the high cost Of feeds and
the comparatively low return for the
milk.
Despite the tariff Of IA cents q pound
on butter. the extremely low prices
abroad have stimulated importation
Iof butter. The foreign price plus tta
tariff is almost up to the American
Level at the present time.
Evening star., 1935-04-07
China Buys Rice.

THINA, greatest producer of rice,
~ this year will be a heavy i'm
porter as well. The effects of last
years drought are being felt now, and
in order to meet the great demand for
food, 1885, ,00C short tons Of cleaned
rice will be bought abroad for use in
the republic.
Japan, heavily stocked with the
grain, expects to ship considerable to
her neighbor. 4
Evening star., 1935-04-07

very slowly. but curiously they stayed
the same distance back of us.
"George, don't go so fast said
Leila. If we go slowly maybe he'll
catch up with U.S. George slowed
down until the carriage was barely
moving, but still the horses stayed
the same distance behind, though
their pace was unchanged. It's
funny said Leila. We looked at each
other, both of us puzzled, and more
nervous than we would let on. A bare
second later Leila turned again to
peer through the window. This time
her voice was shaky. Virginia. she
said, the man is gone!'
IT looked back and when I saw
there was nothing there but long
bare stretch of road my heart came
straight up in my throat.
GEORGE laughed at us for being
so excited. He had glanced
back only once very briefly and had
not been affected as we had by the
creepy aspect Of the stranger. You
girls beat any one I ever saw for
making a mystery out of nothing at
all he said The man evidently
turned in at the Hayfield place.
"'But he couldn't have gotten out of
sight in the second wasn't looking.
Leila insisted. We could still see him
If he we're going to Hayfleld. and
you know perfectly well we could
IT agreed with her at the time, but
that night we talked the matter over
and decided George must be right. It
seemed incredible that the man could
have turned into Hayfield without
our seeing him, but there was no pos
sible alternative. as there was no other
turn off the main road and no woods
in which he could have been hid from
view. I'll find out all about it in the
Evening star., 1935-04-07
By Mary Porter Russell.

TT is IN the twilight that the man
appears-the gaunt. still, man
with the ravaged face. He is on
horseback, and his horse walks
slowly, always slowly. with the
mournful solemnity of a funeral
march. The man looks at the horse
now and then a little furtively, as II
fearful of the animals censure for a
deed long done. Beside him he leads
another horse, horse that is strange
ly riderless
This apparition is said to have
been seen frequently years ago by
travellers on the old Telegraph road
between Alexandria AMI the historic
Pohick Church, where George Wash
ington was once a pew holder and an
oficer. Pirey Hill, across from Hay
field, the Lund Washington estate,
marked the exact spot of the grim
horseman's appearance. The main
road has been changed since then so
that 1t no longer follows the same
route around Piney Hill, and few
motorists now venture on the old, un-
kept road, whose uneven surface holds
perils for the automobile as well as
q promise of ghostly encounters.
Miss Virginia Bell and her sister,
Miss Leila, are perhaps the only per-
sons in the neighborhood of Pohick
Church who remember actually hav-
ing seen the horseman and can de-
scribe him at first hand instead of
through hearsay. 1t was Miss Vir-
ginia who consented to tell the tale.
See the horseman? Indeed I did!
More than 80 years ago, 1t must have
been. but can see him as plainly still
as if it were yesterday"
THE afternoon sun came through
the windows of Miss Virginia S
ancient house. All The way to the
center of the room it shone, and met
there the glow from the open fire.
Their united radiance brought out
rich lights in the fine old rug. A
breeze pushed the curtains gently in
ward, bringing with it the fragrance
of hyacinths and of daffodils. Holly
trees could be glimpsed through the
fiuttering curtains-holly trees unbe-
lievably loaded with yellow berries.
Miss Virginia's hands we're thin and
white above the tea table. There is
no possible doubt that we saw him.
could tell you about it better if we'd
drive up toward Piney Hill" She
glanced at the sunshine on the rug.
swat until twilight. if you have the
Evening star., 1935-04-07

George was driving and Leila and I were
in the back seat of the carriage. All at
once Leila turned around and looked
to the rear :. Look, Virginia. she
asked, who can that be?'"
Evening star., 1935-04-07

MOT more than two or three miles
up the road from Miss Virginia s
lies Hayfleld, once the estate of George
Washingtons kinsman, Lund Wash
ington. This is Piney Hill" Miss
Virginia indicated the unimpressive
slope Of ground rising across from
the estate. Its rather bare now, but
once it was thick oak grove. The
hill got its name from a huge pine
tree on its very top. Picket. were
stationed there during the Civil War"
And is this where the horseman
appeared?"
mo. this is all new road. Drive
up a little farther and we'll see if it's
possible to turn into the old one.
Here it is to your left. Now if
you can keep from getting stuck in
the mud"
Mud. Rocks. Crevices. Mysterious
shadows.
stop here. This is the very spot.
The spot where the man disappeared,
I mean. You see, it was his disap-
pearance that was unaccountable.
When we first saw him we thought he
was flesh and blood"
The car relaxed sighingly into a
muddy hollow. There was no sound
now, and the dusk was deepening.
Long ago this old Telegraph road
was the main highway between the
North and the South" said Miss Vir-
ginia. People. rode horseback from
State to State. Sometimes whole
families of strangers would pass by.
their horses loaded with saddle bags,
one or two children riding back of
the mother, perhaps, and a baby on a
pillow in front. That was long before
Evening star., 1935-04-07
Attracting Birds.
Birds and Bird Houses. by Robert
Becker. 1884. PE.B3s3,

Birds and Bird Houses. by Robert
Becker. 1884. PE.B3s3.
This compact little hand book on
birds is designed to aid bird fans in
their efforts to protect bird life and
to increase the number of feathered
residents on suburban home sites.
farms and estates, and in communi.
ties
My Bird Boarders; stories OF adven.
ture at the unique cafeteria for
birds. conducted by the author
for the past rs years at Cleveland
Park, Washington. D. c., by Frank
Bond. 1888. PE.B643m.
OF especial interest to Washington
readers, who will be tempted to pro.
vide similar accommodations for the
birds Of their neighborhood.
A Decade Of Bird Banding in Amer.
lea, by F. c. Lincoln. 1888. L.
SINGS. 1882, vi.
Local Bird Refugees, by w. L. McAtee.
1881. RG.83.7Un3f. v.66.
Describes the means Of providing
bird refugees on farms, wood lots,
roadsides, community parkings and
railroad right-of-ways, municipal
parks and picnic and fair grounds,
school and college grounds, ceme-
teries, reservoirs and golf courses.
Evening star., 1935-04-07
PUBLIC LIBRARY

ing Field Marks OF AL Species
Found in Eastern North America,
by r. T. Peterson. 1884. PE.P443f.
This book was written for popular
guidance. 1t is distinctly for ANA
teurs, beginning or advanced.
It is, in fact, a fine compendium of
field marks and the field mark is
as helpful to the wandering bird
student as the highway signs are to
motoring tourist. John Kieran.
Bird Portraits in Color: Two Hundred
and Ninety-fve North American
Species; by T. S. Roberts. 1884.
PE.R58bp.
The go beautiful color plates of
the Birds of Minnesota" are re-
issued with a condensed text which
is largely new. THE book is perfect
for every one"
"Bird Watching"
Autobiography of a Bird-Lover, by
F. M. Chapman. 1888. EC365s.
1--WE have long been acquainted with
Dr. Chapmans bird books. We have
here the most fascinating of them
all; his autobiography. Many
photographs serve as illustrations,
with some plates by Fuertes, whose
exquisite colorings have no peer"
How to See Birds. by E. F. Daglish.
1882. PED13h.
THE book is particularly good for
beginners, because it gives salient
| points and does not smother the in
| experienced bird lover with a mass
of detail" Distinctive wood cuts by
the author are used as illustrations.
Why Birds Sing. by Jacques Delamain.
1881. PE.D37.E.
I'm Why Birds Sing one finds close
observation and intelligent reflection.
1t is modest book of singular
authenticity and charm, totally free
from the mawkish sentiment of so
much that passes for natural books. -
Lewis Gannett.
Bird City. by E. A. McIlhenny. 1884.
PEM184.
"The author takes his two small
grandsonS into Southern swamp,
where during a single day these three
| companions see enough to satisfy the
adult naturalist a year. The
abundant illustrations include the
finest collection of bird photographs
the reviewer remembers to have seen
in any American book"-Books.
The Art of Bird Watching. a Prac-
tical Guide to Field Observation,
by E. M. Nicholson. 1881. Pc.
N52a.
THE book will help even the oldest
and most highly experienced bird
watcher to give precision to his field
work, and may inspire him to an
ambition to contribute definitely to
the general sum of knowledge. No
other book covers the same ground"
Bird Notes. with Questions and An.
swers, by H. L. Rhodes. 1882.
| PE.R346b.
Evening star., 1935-04-07

There was good-natured young boy
among her slaves whom she used as q
fire boy. This lad, whose name was
Dave, came to her one day and begged
to be allowed to go to Alexandria on
the long boat Mrs. Lee warned
him that the men who had offered to
take him were bad characters, but he
wanted so much to 30 that she finally
consented and gave him an empty
bottle, asking him to bring back some
medicine.
"The boy didn't get back that day
and the next morning when Mrs. Lee
awoke there was no fire in her room.
Dave stood there IN the hearth, how
ever. shivering and shaking from head
to foot.
whats the matter with you,
Dave?' she asked him. Why didn't
you get back last night? And where
is my medicine?'
THE boy looked at her in a strange,
eerie way. Miss Mary he said, rs
dead
He told her then that the men had
| thrown him overheard and that his
body was caught in some rocks at the
bottom Of the Occoquan River where
it empties into the Potomac. The
medicine, he said, was in his pocket
and there was a lemon peel in the
bottle for stopper.
"The members Of Mrs. Lees family
were slow to credit her story, but upon
her insistence a party was sent out
to search for Dawes body. 1t was
found in the exact spot he had de-
scribed, and with it the bottle Of med
icine, with its lemon peel stopper"
THE shutters were banging in q
rising wind, and Miss Leila rose
to close them. Its going to be
black. night" she said I'm sorry
you have to get back to Washington"
Yes, it's too bad" said Miss Vir-
ginia. You mustn't leave until tell
you about the house where the
screams are heard and where clothing
is moved all over the house, up and
down stairs. An Army officer bought
the place and he didn't believe the
tales until after he had spent his
first night there. Well, that first
night"
Don't tell her that one," Miss Leila
interrupted. She'll have to pass the
house on her way home"
Il suppose I'd better not" said Miss
Virginia. When I recall that poor
colonel"
The sisters sat there looking into
the fire, and their faces we're grave
and thoughtful.
Evening star., 1935-04-07

The Art of Bird Watching, a Prac-
tical Guide to Field Observation,
by E. M. Nicholson. 1881. Pc.
NS0a
Evening star., 1935-04-07
time. 7 can tell you about it better
after the sun goes down."

time. I can tell you about it better
after the sun goes down"
Miss Virginia does not claim to be
an authority on ghosts and she re-
fuses to argue with those who believe
them non-existent. 81 can only tell
you what have seen," she says, land
you can form your own opinion. OF
course, this part Of Virginia Is filled
with ghost stories and to most of them
! pay not one bit Of attention. It's
just the ones I really know something
about that ever tell. After all. when
you have seen a thing with your own
eyes-well. there are certain things in
this world that are hard to explain
that's all.
Il don't know of any ghost stories
about Pohick Church itself. That's
strange, isn't 1t? One would suspect
it of being full of them. it's so very
old, you know. Did I tell you our pew
was next to George Westinghouse"
There's a good story about the
altar rail-" Miss Leila volunteered. "A
Yankee soldier took two Of the spokes
from the rail during the Civil War.
Nothing was known of them until q
few years ago, when he wrote from
California that he had the spokes and
would send one Of them back If the
church would forward him the post
age. Wasn't that just"
But that isn't ghost story" said
Miss Virginia. 1--WE don't know OF
any spooky tales about this house we
live in. either, though visitors insist
we must be keeping something from
them. I tell my sister that perhaps
we just don't see them. 1t is said,
you know, that some ghosts are Wis
ible only to certain eyes,"
Maybe you'd think ghosts had
something to do with our drawing
room ceiling falling in" Miss Leila
threw open the door of a nearby
room. revealing the devastation with
in. The plaster had fallen from the
entire middle portion of the ceiling
and lay in cracked ruins upon the
floor. Plaster dust lay in a chalky
film upon the closed piano, upon the
curved legs of parlor chairs, upon old
mahogany tables. 1T happened this
morning while we were at church"
The light came dimly through the
shaded windows and fell upon a
broken vase in Miss Leila's hands.
I'VE don't use this room much now.
1t is where Virginia and had our
beaus when We were girls"
After the chilly dimness of the par
lor, the living room seemed bright and
warm. But even here the sunlight
was disappearing and the breeze
through the windows was no longer
gentle. There were shadows finally in
all the corners and the hall through
the open door was filled with gloom.
We might start now for Piney
Hill" Miss Virginia went into her
bed room for wrap and returned to
lead the way into the April out Of
doors. Past the purple crocuses at
the doorstep, past the magnolia trees
and the daffodils and the strangely
yellow holly we made our way to the
waiting car. A bird dog raised mourn
full eyes in adieu. A squirrel darted
across the path of the car and glanced
triumphantly backward upon safe ar
rival at his destination. I'm glad
you like the grove" said Miss Vir-
ginia. Yes. the trees and shrubs are
very old"