Jasper Republican, Volume 2, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 November 1875 — OUR HALLOWLEN. [ARTICLE]

OUR HALLOWLEN.

“Can’t we have some kind of a good time on Halloween —do something to remember this one particular night, for we shall never all be together bg&in—something on tiie soul-harrowing, blood-creep-ing order, as befits the night?” We were jt merry party pi school-girls, most of whom were already beginning to aspire to the dignity of young-ladyhood; but just where the dignity came in I fail to remember, for a madder, merrier set never waked the echoes of that old school building of M , or made the staid townspeople hold np 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 a remembrance of this last Hal. .Oween. Plan after plan was brought up, discussed and rejected. We were about giving up, as no one seemed to agree, when Belle Brown arose in her majesty (and she was a regal-looking girl) and said: “I’ll tell you, girls: all come up to our house and we’ll try having a sup. per. You know you are bound to see your future husbands if you give them something to eat. Not a hot supper, you know, but a real nice cold one; and it the spirits of our future spouses don’t appear and devour everythin? we can eat the supper ourselves and manage to have a little fun anyhow.”

Now, Belle’s father was a widower, and she his precious only; consequently she ruled the house, the good and most fond father giving up to her wildest schemes with a gentle sigh of resignation that was touching to bqjiold, especially v/hen 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 a 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 go, whatever it might be. How we did envy that girl her unbounded power over her father and that deaf old housekeeper, who couldn’t hear us if we pulled the whole house down about her ears! I don’t think we meant anything very bad by it, but I don’t believe there ever was anyone so afflicted whose affliction was the subject of so much secret rejoicing and congratulation. You see, most of us were apt to be. brought up rather suddenly in our mad career by the persuasive remark of the high in household power—” I will not have it. This noise must be stopped; it’s enough to wake the Seven Sleepers.” Few of us had much sympathy for the above-mentioned Seven Sleepers, and would a little rather have waked them than not. If sleep and death are so 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. It was to be kept a profound secret from alLbut the initiated. We were to assemble at her house, have as much fun as we could in the early part of the evening in story-telling and games and whatever else the gentleman who lives in a place which shall be nameless could find for “idle hands to do.” A table was to be set with a plate for every £iri present. Our future husbands were expected, if they behaved as all well-bred spirits were said to, on that night, to enter as the clock struck and seat themselves, each one at the plate of that particular fair 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. If any were to die unmarried that seat would be left a miserable blank. I remember we spent some time dis cussing whether we should put our names on the plates representing us. Borne thought the spirits couldn’t amount to much if they couldn’t find their right places without such distinct pointing out. It was decided after much talking to use the names, as one of the girls said, “ to prevent all mistakes and future heartaches.” The eventftil evening came and a merry party we were. We tried all the projects we could think of, even to bobbing for apples in a basin of water. As it grew later we grew quieter. It 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 complaining. Our table was most temptingly set forth with many a dainty. We looked at it with longing eyes, and it had certainly been arranged more to the substantial taste* of us

mortals tiflm the airy sort of fare that we are taught to believe specters prefer. I should think the poor, cold, half-starved things would be glad of any excuse to get a good, solid meal. The house sat rather high, with a long, terraced walk to the front gate. It was an old-fashioned brick, with a wide hall running through the entire center and large rooms on each side. On one side was the family sitting-room, with the dining-room directly back. Here we held our court. Ab the time wore on our talk grew strongly tinctured with the supernatural. All the ghost stories we had ever heard or read (and what school girl has not a store of them ?) were aired, to the shivering delight of the greater number, although some of the braver ones did pooh-pooh them, and say, “Stuff and nonsense,” We knew they only did it to appear brave. And oh, goodness! how the 'courage was slowly but surely oozing out at our fingerends! /. 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 De heard but the sobbing and sighing Of thc wind through the trees around the house, and occasionally a louder shriek that sent little shivers of fear creeping oyer. 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. Directly the old clock in the hall peeled out, the twelve strokes falling with a clear ring that cut on the still air. I think we all held our breath till the last faint echo died, when one of the girls convulsively grasped my hand, saying: “What’sthat? Listen!” And we did listen. I know that no more strained, solemn silence was ever kept.

Sharp up<*n 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 I never gaze on such a hideous band again! Two or three of the girls had quietly gone off in a gentle little 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 easiest way to shut out that horrid vision. This band of demons, specters, goblins or anything else you please filed slowly around the table, led by one who had something like the head of a horse with the body of a 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 a mercy. Borne of the girls were in hysterics, 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 attention to the uproar of the frightened girls, but chose their seats and deliberately began an attack upon what we had expected and rather hoped would fall to our lot. The first to recover herself was Belle. “ I say, girls, those ghosts eat uncommonly like men, and seem to have very human appetites. Stop that awful noise over there,” said Belle to some of the screamers, “and help me attack these creatures, and Bee 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 considerable more strength than elegance into the manner in which she relieved that particular goblin of his outer wrappings, and, lo! he stood revealed, a most promising young doctor of the town. The sight of so well known a face gave some of the rest courage, and the gentlemen soon stood shorn of their ghostly toggery, and proved to be a 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 consented 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 wring it from them. The evening ended pleasantly enough, but we had all been so thoroughly frightened I don’t think we would ever care to repeat the experiment We were never able to discover who betrayed us, but always had a sly suspicion of Belle’s 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 mothers, although I 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 I am sure they must sometime give a thought to our mad frolic on “Halloween.”— Harper'sßazar. —The discovery of a subterranean forest just below the surface of the bed of the Thames River is attracting a good deal of attention in England. The oak, the alder and the willow are the principal trees found. These retain their vegetable character, but other signs show that the forest belong to the period of the elk and the red deer in the south of England,