Year: 1877

|
time on Halloween, do something to re
member this one particular night, fo
we shall never all be together again
something ON the soul-harrowing, blood
creeping order, as BELTS the night?"
We were merry party of schoolgirls
most of whom were already beginning tt
aspire to the dignity of young-ladyhood
but just where the dignity came in | fai
to remember, for madder, merrier SCI
never walked the echoes in that ole
school-building of M, or made tn,
staid townspeople hold up their hands
in horror at their wild pranks.


The time was close at hand when oul
band would be broken up, and so We
wanted remembrance of this last Hal
loween. Plan after plan was brought up
discussed, and rejected. We were about
giving up, as no two seemed to agree
when Belle Brown arose in her majesty
(and she acas regal-looking girD anc
said:


I'll tell you, girls: all come up tC
our house, and we'll try having supper
You know you are bound to see youl
future husbands, if you give them some
thing to eat Not hot supper, yor
know, but a real nice cold one; and il
the spirits of our future spouses dom
appear and devour everything, we cal
eat the supper ourselves, and manage tt
have little fun anyhow"


Now Bellies father was widower, ant
she his precious only, consequently she
ruled the house, the good and most fono
father giving up to her widest schemes
with gentle sigh of resignation thai
was touching to behold, especially wher
we all knew that Belle got her love fol-
fun and her great ingenuity for getting
into and out Of scrapes from that same
father.


Now the rest of us made up our minds
frequently to have certain doings ano
gatherings at home, but the making III
of our minds and getting the heads OF
the house to make up theirs in the same
direction were two entirely different
things; So most Of our plans for what
we called regular train were very apt
to come to an untimely death But
when Belle arose in her might and
grasped her scepter, we knew the thing
was bound to 60, whatever it might be
How we did envy that girl her unbound
ed power over her father and that deaf
old housekeepcr, who couldn't hear us
if we pulled the whole house down
about her ears | don't think we meant
anything very bad by it, but | don't be-
lieve there ever was any one so afflicted
whose affliction was the subject of SC
much secret rejoicing and congratula-
ton. You see, most OF us were apt to
be brought up rather suddenly in oul
mad career by the persuasive remark of
one high in household power-'I will
not have it. This noise must be stop
ped; it's enough to wake the Seven
Sleepers" Few of us had much sym
pathy for the above mentioned Seven
Sleepers, and would a little rather have
walked them than not. If sleep and
death are so near akin, think we were
waking them in good old Irish style.


Belle, as mistress of ceremonies and
hostess, arranged the plan for our frolic
1t was to be kept profound secret from
all but the initiated We were to assem-
BILE at her house, have as much fun as
we could in the early part Of the even
ing in story telling and games and what
ever else the gentleman who lives in the
place which shall be nameless could find
for idle hands to do" A table was to
be set with plate for every girl pres
ent. Our future husbands were expect
ed, if they behaved as all well-bred
spirits were said to, on that night, to
enter as the clock struck twelve, and
seat themselves, each one at the plate
Of that particular fair one who was to
represent all of hope, joy, truth, faith
and all the other virtues for his especial
edification the rest of his natural life.
Ii any were to die unmarried, that seat
would be left miserable blank.


L remember we spent some time dis
cussing whether we should put our
names on the plates representing US.
Some thought the spirits could not
amount to much if they couldn't find
their right places without such distinct
pointing out. 1t was decided, after much
talking, to use the names, as one of the
girls said, to prevent all mistakes and
future heart aches"


The eventful evening came, and mer-
ry party we were We tried all the pro-
jects we could think of, even to bobbing
for apples in basin of water AS it
grew later we grew quieter. 1t was a
dismal night; the wind howled and
moaned as though all the spirits of the
air were abroad. The old trees around
the house tossed their branches in the
wild air and moaned with loud complain
ing. Our table was most temptingly set
forth with many dainty. We looked
at it with longing eyes, and it had GER
tainly been arranged more to the sub
stantial tastes of us mortals than the
airy sort of fare that we are taught to
believe spectres prefer. | should think
the poor, cold, half-starved things would
be glad OF any excuse to get good sol
id meal.


The house sat rather high, with a long
terraced walk to the front gate. 1t was
an fashioned brick, with wide hall
running through the entire center, and
large rooms on each side. On one side
was the family sitting g-room, with the
diningroom directly back Here we held
our court.


AS the time moved on, our talk be-
came tinctured with the supernatural
All the ghost stories we had ever heard
or read (and what schoolgirl has not a
store Of them) were aired, to the shiver-
ing delight of the greater number, al
though some Of the braver ones pooh
poohed them, and said stuff and non
sense" We knew they only did it to
appear brave. And oh, goodness! how
the courage was slowly but surely ooz-
ing out at our finger-ends


The household were all wrapped in
the slumbers of the just AS the night
wore on, everything grew SO still, all
sounds of life seemed to have ceased
Nothing to be heard but the sobbing and
the signing of the wind through the
trees around the house, and occasionally
a louder shrek that sent little shivers OF
fear creeping over us. But we only hud
died closer together, feeling there was
comfort in numbers and nearness. We
began to grow exceedingly nervous anc
very quiet, for the 'witching hour" was
almost come.


Directly the old clock in the hal
pealed out, the twelve strokes falling
with clear ring that cut on the still air
/ think we all held our breath till the
last faint echo died, when one Of the
girls convulsively grasped my hand, say
ing:


whats that? Listen!"


And we did listen. | know that nj
more strained, solemn silence was evel
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