Year: 1875

"Can't we have some kind of good
time on Halloween, do something to re-
member this one particular night, for we
shall never all be together again-some-
thing on the soul narrowing, blood
creeping order, as BELTS the night"


We were merry party of schoolgirls,
most of whom were already beginning
to aspire to the dignity of young-lady
hood but just where the dignity came
in l fail to remember, for a madder,
merrier set never walked the echoes in
that old school building of NJ, or made
the staid townspeople hold up their
hands in horror at their wild pranks.


The time was close at hand when our
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 said "I'll tell you, girls !:
all come up to our house, and we'll try
having supper. You know you are
bound to see your future husbands if
you give them something to eat. Not a
hot supper, you know, but real nice
cold one and if the spirits of our
future spouses don't appear and devour
everything, we can eat the supper our
selves, and manage to have little fun
anyhow"


Now, Bellies father was O widower,
and she his precious only; consequently
she ruled the house, the good and most
fond father giving up to her widest
schemes with gentle sigh of resigna-
ton that was touching to behold, espe-
cially when we all knew Belle got her
love for 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 and
gatherings at home, but the making up
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 strain" 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 unoound-
ed power over her father and that deaf
old housekeeper, who couldn't hear us
if we pulled the whole house down
about her ears 1 don't think we meant
anything very bad by it, but I don't be-
LEV there ever was any one so afflicted
whose affection was the subject of 80
much secret rejoicing and congratula-
ton. You see, most of us were apt to
be brought up rather suddenly in our
mad career by the persuasive remark of
one high in household power-"I will
not have it. This noise must be stopped
it's enough to wake theSeven Sleepers. u
Few of us had much sympathy for the
aforementioned Seven Sleepers, and
wc1ld little rather have walked them
than not. If sleep and death are sc
near akin, I 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 he kept profound secret from
all but the initiated. We were to assem-
bic at hor house, have as much fun ~
we coul in the early part of the evening
in storytelling and games. A tabl,
was to be set with a plate for every gir
present. Our future husbands were ex
pected, if they behaved as all well-bret
spirits were said to, on that night, t.
enter as the clock struck twelve, ant


at themselves, each one at the plate o
.1at particular fair who was to represen
all of hope, joy, truth, faith, and all tn
other virtues for his especial edifcatio
tho rest of his natural life. If any wer
to die unmarried, that seat would b
let miserable blank.


remember we spent some time dis
.cussing whether we should put on