Year: 1875

house, and occasionally louder shrek
that sent little shivers of fear creeping
over US. But we only huddled the closer
together, feeling there was comfort in
numbers and nearness. We began to
grow exceedingly nervous and very quiet,
for the witching hour was almost
come .--.- .-.. -..-- go


Directly the old clock in the hall peeled
out, the twelve strokes falling with a
clear ring that cut on the still air. l
think we all held our breath till the last
faint echo died, when one of the girls con-
vulsively grasped my hand, saying:
Whats that? Listen!" w~.


And we did listen. / know that no
more strained, solemn silence was ever
kept.


Sharp upon the midnight air came the
steady tramp, tramp of footsteps. Through
the gate, up the walk, and slowly around
the house they went. Another time
steadily around, and yet another. The
mystic circle of three is then complete,
and as we listened with blanched faces
and dilated eyes the steps came upon the
| front porch, the hall door flew open 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 or three of the
girls had quietly gone off in gentle lit
tie faint in one corner. If the rest of us
didn't faint it was simply because we
couldn't, for it would have been the cas-
lest way to shut out that horrid vision.


This band of demons, spccters, goblins
or anything else you please filed slowly
around the table, led by one who had
something like the head of horse with
the body of man. There were ghastly,
grinning skulls and sheeted dead, and
every horror one could think Of That we
were not all turned to idiots by fright was
mercy. Some of the girls were in hys-
terics, some screaming, some shivering
with fear. The fainters had decidedly the
best of it, as they were blissfully uncon-
scious of the whole scene.


This band of brothers paid littl atten-
ton to the uproar of the frightened girls,
but chose their seats and deliberately be-
gan an attack upon what we had expected
and rather hoped would fall to our lot.


The first to recover herself was Belle.
81 say, girls, those ghosts eat uncommon
ly like men, and seem to have very human
appctites. Stop that awful noise over
there" said Belle to some of the scream
ers, land help me attack these creatures,
and see if they are not genuine flesh and
blood, after all"


Belle, with most praiseworthy courage,
made for the individual demon who had
selected her card. She threw consider
able more strength than elegance into the
manner in which she relieved that partiC-
ular goblin of his outer wrappings, and,
10! he stood revealed, a most promising
young doctor of the town. The sight of
rest courage, and the gentlemen 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 fainters con
sented to sit up, look Interestingly pale,
and altogether do the wilted-lily business.
I'm not sure we didn't all look pale but
would not like TO be positive about the
interesting part. In vain we besought
the youths to tell us how they learned of
our frolic. Tortures wouldn't wiring it
from them. The evening ended pleasant
ly enough, but we had all been so thor
oughly frightened l don't think we would
ever care to repeat the experiment. We
were never able to discover who betrayed
us, but always had 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 quiet
ly enough now, and but few know the
story of her short, sad life. Some of the
party are happy wives and mothers, al
though l never heard of any Of them mar
rying 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 l am sure they must
sometime give thought to our mad frolic
on Halloween. ."-Harpsr's Bazar