A GHOST STORY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 72, 4 May 1880, Page 3

A GHOST STORY.

Going the rounds at present is an instructive story, which shows how «ome young ladies played a practical joke on a young medical student, and soon wished that they had not hit on so brilliant a notion. A number of youny people were staying in a house together, and having exhausted all the more familiar jokes, they conceived a novel idea. They would draw with phosphorus, on the wall of the student's bedroom, a skeleton ot hideous j mien ; when he had put out his candle the thing would glitter, he would shriek, and that would be where the laughter would come in. During ihe evening upon which the scheme was put into execution they talked nmch of ghosts, and casually observed that ot course the old legend about a skeleton in the house was observed. If- had been suid to haunt his room particularly, but no doubt he had no fear of skeletons ? He protested that he had not the least, that he should like a skeleton to play with, and only hoped that if it came it would not hurry off again ; but these protestations were not worth much, and when bedtime arrived and the student had retired, the rest of the party followed him, and waited anxiously at the door. The light was presently put out ; the skeleton began to gleam, and above his head the student saw the legend written, " Confess your sins." The New York Times shall tell the rest of the story:— "He uttered a, yell of the most terrible and, to the young people outaido of his door, delightful description. Then the wicked young student began, in a loud tone of voice, his confession. He confessed that on Wednesday night he had kissed Miss Mary Brown in the library ; but he urged upon the ghost, as an extraordinary circumstance, the fact that the young lad} had virtually requested him to do so, and that he did not see his way clear to refuse. Then he confessed that he had promised to marry Miss Carrie Brown, and that he had broken his promise. S*ill, he claimed that he would not h*ve been thus faithless had he not seen her in affectionate conversation with a young "broker whom he named, and had she not subsequently admitted that she had promised to marry that ' addlepated youth,' as she Accurately described him. Also, the student, who is undoubtedly a lineal descendant oi Ananias, further confessed that he meant no harm when he' kissed Miss Kate in the vestibule of the church on Christmas morning, and that he would never do so again. By this time the young people outside of the door hac fled. The three young ladies whost names had been mentioned in the medical student's confession wept in dignant tears, and protested that tut ♦wretch* knew that be was telling stories ; while the other young ladies said they hoped that such was the case, but that he did seem very earneec and sincere in what he said.' The party at breakfast next morning was gloomy, no reference was made tc the subject, and no skeletons have since appeared to the young student.