Year: 1877

up the walk, and slowly. around the
house they went Another time steadi
ly around, and yet another The mistit
circle of three is then complete, and as
we listened with blanched faces and di
lated eyes, the steps came upon the
front porch, the front door flew oper
with a crash, and tramp came the feet
toward the dining room. The door was
flung wide, and, angels and ministers OF
grace defend us! may [ never gaze on
such a hideous band again! Two OF
three Of the girls had quietly gone of
in gentle little faint in one corner. II
the rest Of us didn' faint, it was simply
because we couldn't, for it would have
been the easiest way to shut out that
horrid vision


This band of demons, spectres, COB
Inns, or anything else that you please
filed slowly around the table, led by one
who had something like the head of q
horse with the body of man. There
were CHASTITY grinning skulls with sheet.
ed dead and every horror one could
think of. That we were not all turned
to idiots by fright was a mercy. Some
of the girls were in Mysteries, some
screaming, some shivering with fear
The fainters had decidedly the best Of
it, as they were blissfully unconscious
of the whole scene.


This band of brothers paid little at,
tention to the uproar of the frightened
girls, but chose their seats, and deliber.
ately began an attack upon what we had
expected and rather hoped would fall to
our lot.


The first to recover herself was Belle
" | say, girls, those ghosts eat uncom-
monty like men, and seem to have very
human appetites that awful noise
over there" said Belle to some Of the
screamers, ''and help me attack these
creatures, and see whether they are not
genuine flesh and blood after all"


Belle, with most praiseworthy cour-
age, made for the individual demon who
had selected her card She threw con
siderable more strength than elegance
into the manner in which she relieved
that particular goblin of his outer wrap
pings, and, 10! he stood revealed, a most
promising young doctor of the town.
The sight of so well known face gave
some OF the rest courage, and the gentle
men soon stood shorn Of their ghostly
toggery, and proved to be set of young
fellows whom we had always considered
nice, quiet young men.


BY this time, having taken much
longer to write than to occur, the faint
ers consented to sit up, look interesting
ly pale, and altogether do the wilted lily
business. | am not sure we didn't all
look pale, but would not like to be posi-
tive about the interesting part In vain
we sought the youths to tell us how
they learned of our frolic. Tortures
wouldn't wiring it from them The even
ing ended pleasantly enough, but we had
all been so thoroughly frightened don
think we'd ever care to repeat the ex-
pertinent. We were never able to dis
cover who betrayed us, but always had a
sly suspicion of Bellies fun-loving
father.


Most of the actors in that scene are
widely scattered. Many dead. Bright
queenly Belle had one of the saddest of
lives, short as it was But she rests
quietly enough now, and but few know
the story of her short, sad life Some
of the party are happy wives and moth
ers, although | never heard of any of
them marrying the one that chose her
that eventful night. Most of us parted
soon after, never to meet again. But
wherever the broad earth may hold
them, | am sure they must sometimes
give a thought to our mad frolic on
Halloween