LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7747, 24 February 1905, Page 4

LITERATURE.

■-> THE BELFRY GHOST.

Kpti (Contlnaed.) l|jlt 13 Christmas Eve . The old year BSs'nassing away to join the long EJU« of old years dead and ■Sane for ever, taking wi* it «s Hndt .host of joys and sorrows, of « Km* opportunities, of hopes, aspiraHBmi*. and regrets. The winter is Hmtding on, and most people, are glfd- ~ R£sK with it, for it is an ice-bound » Hwgmw. and everything is white, haid J Hm3 gUttering. . Bgjllt' is growing late and (he surface river is dotted over with ■Emory skaters skimming homeward Kban accompaniment of fugling and 'laughing voices. The * ggftarty to which Sheila belongs, hav- « Hpfog divested itself of its skates, is i K-laugbingry wending its nay along *

HKChe meadow path which leads on to RCs* high road towards Mereton. c I"~TheJr route lies through the old c £■' cburchyaiU dividing the meadows ( J,f .from the winding country lanes bor- J it dared with their glistening hoar- | S l '- frosted hedgerows! i 1 h The little ancient church stands I and lonely amid the shadows, ' j> " and as they approach it a voice ex- J gt- claims: '• Old Ponifrcy has not fas-,' SL] toned up yet after the heUrfngcrs. j 1 K"-'l«t us have a peep at the decora- '' & tlons claire de '.a lune ! " This sug- .' Ingestion meets with unanimous ap- ■ ' ipprovai. I WL', A hushed and holy calm pi evades • £&-JnV» place, which, is felt by the, most ' Ep-frrtilous of that merry party. It i almost sacrilege to Intrude in- I gn t» that unbroken sHence. A silent ' SfcsAW Hails upon them, and holds them ESsA* * space, and then the same voice Isptbat suggests their entering bids i«§.sttem depart and leave the place, to tts ghosts and hobgoblins. I i'- Nothing loth, the assenibibd com- ■ "pany, amid an incongruous jingling |

■fc. af skates, beats a somewhat hasty j E" retreat ; their, mercurial spirits, mo- I ■KDtarily subdued, reviving with joyous reaction when once more be- ' Heath the atar-gemmed sky. i Sheila, quite unnoticed is the gen- i er«3 exodus, glances round her in ,tho gtooai w-Hh a sense of relief. j ** How, tired lam of it all, and I what a weary world it sometimes ip,- is ! " she said as she sat down in &, the high-backed pew nearest her. §s*- " How nice it is to be alone in a ■ Eg' place Hke this when one has ahead|S V ache ! " And she draws hen. furs BjjS closer and buries her hands deeper pinto her big> white muff, while a si great sense of rest and peace steals JLover her. p. The air seems full of faint and El 'stealthy whisperings. & The wind is rising, and the harsh jf branches of - a tree outside, tapping ' & against the window beside her, arf. onse her from her dream-like reverie. V She rises slowly and prepares to depart. will never do ! It musl «c getting very late, and the others i 1 arast have nearly reached home. I 1* suppose if any of them miss me, the jj... Veraons will conclude that I am with L"'tho Harforda, and the Harfords will f-'think lam with the Veraons, and Kjg&so 0n..-All I know is that lam very I am with neither of them. Ski- There are times when one grows SJJ dreadfully tired of one's kind." Sgb 'And meditating thus, she reaches ■a* 1 *e porch, and, seeing the door leadEft. fug. to the botfry tower invitingly Ej|C.»jer. a sudden romantic fancy seizes KpT her to find her way up and view the country on this glorious Christmas Eve. Hgtf. She half stumbles, half clambers EF'.Up toe old and well-worn steps, gK<i»und and round,, until she arrives Sj|p panting and breath,iess at the sumPi wit. fife"-'"' And when her gaze wanders over ■K'tfaVTwhite spreading panorama of fir-. Hp-eipped hills, of valley and river, of and steeple, of undulating ineaand winding road ; aU rolling Bjk***r away and melting into the dis-JBjs-tant horizon; jlgf, ," Just like the frosted things on |i|f r » Christmas cake ! It is a pretty gjjf&worUf. after all—if only we— —'- Si" •' She breaks off with a start, as a n|[^<loorj!f^o>w.slams heavily, awakening, Hgf, echoes. A short pause, then another SPs bang, more distinct, tells her that Pomfrey 'has fastened first belfry SgK,~*"d then church door for the night, gg.'ana that she is a prisoner ! She P& feels the utter futility of shouting fipytfom her altitude,.even if the sexton 'were not as deaf as a post.: Hfl' " Oh, what is to become of me ! Sfe V shall Ix frozen to death up here ! '- j|p >she wailed. " And here I must stay S, until seven to-morrow morning at the Ej' jery feast." Kt." 3he night steals on, and she fights Sllvhard against: a drowsiness that will ■k? x W* he denied. She is opening her £j|, apes with a final effort, when far i||f l *,way, and borne ,; to her faintly on fltful breeze from some distant ■gpnamlct 'conies the chime of bells. In instant she is wideawake and all WKk"9ftot b*l! Why did I not think R|P'oi t 'it before 1"ffiEL Vicar of Mereton is returning fsjsffram * neighbouring parish, where <-. ha has been summoned to the bedgfe side of a dying friend. His thoughts Jf&ars conssquenlly running in asomeW- .What melancholy groove. gL A clock somewhere in the distance Ifl chimes two, each solemn stroke.ringW? teg out clear and distinct on the IfU' sUB coH air. As he reaches the gf> chruchyard gate the bell commences §£y to toll slowly and solemnly, each pi: aibration dying, awoy into the night. He comes to a stand&E* dtHl. lost in wemderment. %_ '•" That's . a rum go ! - (Some sk-'- thuea the vicar lapses into the verS'.' naoular of his college days). '-' Why <>"ithat dismal dirge at this unearthly S- hour ?" And, being a practical K, man, he proceeds to solve Mm ridn gr-dle.

j> , A moment be .stands pondering'the i" situation, and then strides oB in the * direction of the" sexton's cottage. Ho *"=, Sails utterly in hie repeated and vigi orous efforts to rouse that worthy

5* to any sense of things mundane. If fj- JAe tolling bell pierces bis dreams at all it is only to form a dim and in-. ;/"' distinct part of them.

& The door is {fitting and rickety ; j£' one good push of the vicar's broad fl_ VO& stalwart shoulder siitficcs to

-" force it from its moo/iugs. Kcsonant snores travelling from the room jr. above and down tl'.e .»hoil flight of ff-stairs tell him that Pomfrcy /,. oblivious of this i»-.yst.ii-ious episode. g-." Be strikes a match. Glancing :V round him, and snatching the keys

gj?" from their hooK by the chiiuiifySEr piece, be hurriedly retraces his steps towards the lonely kirkyard with its |A" 'dieknal tolling bell. Without giving v himself time to think, he hastily sA swings uacX the heavy oaken door %f at the foot of the belfry steps, and 1,, in a few moments he stands at the en- £■.- tcmce to the little chamber above. W. "la anyone there ?"- he called, g*T- peering round. §g No answer. But a little figure comes * gliding towards hiai from out the shadows. \s For an instant he stands transnx- ,_ ed with the sudden horror of it. gf l Then, as she crouses they ray of f. moonlight streaming through the £- window, it falls chilly on her face 5f- and hair. r r " Great Heaven! Shelia ! What ' t , bring* you-— "■ u, A little moaning cry, and ho rushs- es> forward just in time to catch the £ swaying figure in his outstretched >f arms. **, " You see." says Sheila, after she ". , * ad explained the situation, " I did - f «ot know what was coming up the 6 y steps. I thought it was a ghost ! " '.*. she added in a faint voice, as she J clings to him. :' , ** Bather a noisy one," replied the , - .vicar, with an embarrassed but whol-?-',/ly happy laugh. ft. 'j" Ido hope poor papa will think I *_*■" "laying with the Harfords. -'- . 11ber « wos wme talk of an itnprompy;.. tu dance.'* v tj "Ah ! perhaps so." r' «Amt immediately all the happiness p *cs out of Ws face and voice, and * gkuu&og „ P at him Sheila stos his & lection the name of Harford recalls j , to mtn. £'.wLlZi lik< " to te " yo» some- I £ «*?"«f- to cxpJtim ,f " she falters. I P*- .. ?, eycs racet hen 9 quesUoninrfv I iHwos Unl B8U '" sho <=<>°- ' glanCe ' Wh!ch has nCT c left ' S£7*J r ° WS €^ gw " almost hopeful ! arms tighten around her ' WL it r "°i 5"° w wbat ma «Je him ' KK*"' "• i had never "—her voice ' ■K. »r»t K ? '• 1 aSsmrc >ou r nut I Wj£££-tZT ad b^h °*»* been lj ,?- °° l himself." Wt*. ik?£ Bd f aW y restored Sheila Chris&nas morning, the vicar ll&goe more wends his way along the EEPj* road towards the vicaram BJ tl ,^°;„" a , rfort ' I «■ fuST'symBRM wl* him now ! How easy it disposed when gated Oflgs iteart'a de&jre!"-