Match as a Fakir; or, The Pumpkinville County Fair — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

4 - d V4 3 on - , x, 2 ¥} ’ . WAS. ¥y' if es 2 A . _ be ene y 24 “a 4 to ‘ > i .@ ha | P ‘ eo “inst ~ eee SS ie . | nas — ok ea aT ERE Soa ity. Dee hak ete Bie ae Wiis ‘ae «Qh, laws! weren’t yeou skeert?” Recor aoe: Ue Ok Stina tl proaned dim,: -«Who—who are - No; I go off ina trance,” I replied. “It is a family gh ap the Tosn of the saw snill tae ‘ Sie See aN were | ze . sbIS & Tamuiy st—{ ‘I’m her cousin, the boss of the saw mill. Come, “W-what are you going to do with me?” “Tie you fast to one of the paddles of the water-whe morrow, and then put you in the squire’s hands—that is 5 ; 4 @ is oe wal Tibenk survive the three or four thousand duckings you ll get. Jim gave a terrible groar. | sb ht Aa the ghost of an uncle, who tried to teach a church choir to keep | _ together, and died ofa broken heart. He appears singing the ss gongs they sang at his funeral. Ihave a presentiment he will ap- spear again soon.” | : . he eoege “Yes; it is nearly time. He said he was coming this month ce ’ Ps ~ A ‘' N >> x tae) “?Twasn't me!” he howled. ‘I didn’t scare your cousin,” ~ i? oy ats »o e ‘ at full moon.” “You had a hand in it.” Esai 8, “Oh, laws. It’s full moon ter night,”” moaned Clarissa. “T only sung asong,” whined Jim. ‘Match arranged “J know it, and I—— what was that?” whole thing. Say, Match, didn’t you?” — a \ T hissed out the words in alow tone. Clarissa jumped about| And my partner gave the bed-clothes a jab with hisarm. s/f two feet. But I wasn't there, and he soon discovered that fact. $= | = jg “<J)-did yeou s-see anything?” she gasped. “Match! Match!” he called. SN Sa C “No, only I thought I did. 4 Oh, noone it is—a ghost paren needn’t do ant gas be ‘We have already taken care § ‘th long, bony hands, a shrunken, shriveled body and an icy | of your companion in this Castardly emi. SS ea Seer ‘ : : “What did you do with him?” asked Jim, more alarmed than TTA « “Oh, laws!” Clarissa glanced over her shoulder, and her teeth began to ever. Ot oa “Caught him running away, and pang oe to a tree in the apple orchard,” I answered in a blood-thirsty voice. oh ake ‘Tt is frightful; enough to freeze the marrow in one’s bones,” | ‘Ob, Lud!” iy Iwenton. ‘“The— listen!” And Jim’s face was the picture of despair. vice | As I spoke out on the clear night air rang this slow, measured} ‘Come, hurry up!” I exclaimed. 7a song, in deep solemn tones: “Oh, please——”’ he began. ice “None of that, or we'll hang you, too.” “Tet me off just this once!” “‘Can’t do it.” “T’l] pay you——”’ Jim gave a moan and two groans. : He was in a big fix and no mistake. ; Slowly he arose and put on his clothes. Sap : But downward to the fires below I urged him to hurry up, and sat on the bed watching him © ; : As the song ended in a low, hollow groan, a large white mass dress. _ assed swiftly across the face of the open window. I wanted to laugh so much that I nearly had a fit, ™ “The night winds howl o’er my lonely grave, The pale moon streams o'er the crumbled stone; I walk the air, and nightly rave, O’er troubles known to me alone, And he who hears me soon must die, To pass away like winter's snow; Not upward to the peaceful sky, "9 . tr ‘It is the ghost!’’ I cried, falling back in the chair. He begged plteously to be let go, and threw all the blame on — Clarissa gave one long, wild, piercing shriek, and making for | me. raat | the door, she tore out, and up the stuirs as if the demon of evil And I became extra stern, and said his body should swing on “% was at her heels. the other side of that apple tree. And leaning out of the window, I picked up the bed sheet Jim That settled it for Jim. Saas had dropped, and then sneaked up to our room. Ducking was bad enough, but to be hung, dangling in the air —ough! | ven He stepped near the door. Bon CHAPTER XI. And Refors I could stop him, he was outside, and hopping y FUN AT APPLE BLOSSOM FARM. down the stairs six at a time. 3 i. T reached our bedroom just in time to prevent Jim from in-| ‘Jim,” I called, in my natural voiee. ‘‘Come back!” gi flicting a second dose of the song upon the balmy midnight Did he hear me? ] Well hardly. mm ‘Well, Match, how did the warble go?” he asked. ‘Didn't I For by the time I had finished he was out of the house, and Pu roll around those bass notes beautifully?” puffing up the road at the rate of forty miles an hour. Bp) ‘“J’m afraid you overdid it, Jim,” I replied, seriously, asI put} And that was the last seen of him at Apple Blossom farm. | the sheet on the bed. ‘The young lady went into a dead faint,| Then I went to bed, and slept as calmly as only those with , #B and may be she will never get over it.” perfectly clear conscience can. “Oh, Match!” Jim’s jaw dropped about a foot. ‘“Suppose|} When I went belowin the morning I saw the gentle Clarissa in we get caught.” the sitting-room alone, and slid off to her at once. } ‘*We'll be lynched,” I replied. ‘‘Good-morning!” I exclaimed, sweetly. ‘What shall we do?” ‘‘Good-morning,” she said, stiffly. E e ‘‘Keep quiet and go to bed.” “T hope you didn’t say anything about our awful experience # : nr ae if they come up here?” last night,’’ I went on, pontidenties 6 C - . x ’em.”’ ‘‘Yeou are a nice one ter skeer the wits eouter a b > she pl + Jim turned in at once; but he didn’t go to sleep for fully half | went on, bitterly. uddy fy she! 4 ng re Fi but I couldn’t help it,” I went on. ‘I’m a doomed §~ i er did I. . man. I’ve got to die, but I don’t want it. # tet I asap ees ecie to hear Farmer Meadow tramp in and | Have pity on me.” every one to know it. § La demand what it all meant. ‘Yeou eouter keep yer ghost te 44 ‘Pm BA a Fee eoneaynen and then I prepared to follow my partner | tremblin’ yet!” ge rhome.” she sniffed. ‘‘I’m®, tw oe reamiana. sey? ? : ‘ec . ° . sé me} a samen Ase idea struck me. you?” pees Phe rou Forgive me for one thing, w1 | 45 a peg in the corner hung some old 64 opis a Bi Medea te out of bed, I put isislithes ceereniie the zal Depends on what it is,” she replied, trying her best to ap-B.. al up around my chin, I drew the hat over my eyes, and rubbed a eet hit Ree, One rey near ape D2 Mog e ‘Eee little lamp-black on my cheeks. : Vol owen only a trifling favor.” g) Then I opened the window curtains so the moon could have | lay, : . “Forgive me for occupyi : ; a 9 and stepping up beside Jim, grasped him by the| trial globe.” pying my allotted portion of this terres ‘ As might be guessed, his short “Hay?” | ac? gd he awn wid a hae De dee ro bded one, | Tank your pardon for retainin ion of tion off, ee Phe aicht of yixe this mundane sphere.” g possession of my sec , Sa gt of a rough looking man at the bedside didn’t ease| «Oj, laws!” ite i Ot age i any, either. “Will _-~—is«é@As: ai seemeed fairly to stand on end. Ate P te a fotrbey sige zon want?” Re Deis d, ein PPOs I'll hey ter,” she replied vagne’y | : You know well enough,” I replied, in a rough, h eta nickle that to this day she hasn’t the least ide _ «N-no I don’t,” he faltered. ‘‘C-can’t you let a feller sleep.” be Ped retinae a ee race a. ® » . os r og you?” 4 al i a y » e ‘* Tee é _ et, ae Pai, aoe oe te een J O08. a lesson!” I went on, sey ent into breakfast e ran te (kn he PL PE Sa et eR = erely, very one wanted to know W Stout j it’s no joke to scare a young lady into fits: Ming Jim was, ya" ated £0 2 eee _> “~P Tv tal sh a > a ¢ res min ' ‘Org — ava $ on! f és +e] ce alis mee work Lat? — yy "3 . : ' nt 2 ty Roan tem etors tending to her, and they say she may | j m very sorry.” Treplied. ‘But Mr. Windvyman had 9#: ~~ ot Bnd they say she may | important engagement end ved ete dy man ew + fas A Wy BD £4. ct > —s : » at eae . ae ¢ ‘? gag men , and a A o*. nN Ps, “a , a cm aN | al i iw * a T ; bes x 4 7 . bers <e'd as 5 / a F ee 7 Yeh? v 6 Wish ; LE ; ‘ . - Pras rs 4 om aS / " vv vd / y ‘cine A gm | = | ) = a BEE ee OO ESE IS a Oe ee te, ee Bee aay we JVM Vn Ls. 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