CHARLOTTE MESSENGER.
VOL. I, NO. 19.
Tfce Girls.
Hear the lighter of the fir!*—
P«ettr girt*.
Vhat a fnnd of merriment eaoh ruby lip
nnfarle I
How they shatter, chatter, chatter,
In the balmy air of night!
While the stare that orer-epatter
All the heavens hear ther clatter
In a soft and mild delight;
To the tmtinnabolation that, nnceaaing, ever
purls
From the girls, girls, girls, girls,
Girls, girls, girls,
Prom the wild, capricious, saucy, jaunty girls.
Bee the flirting of the girls,
Radiant girls!
Row the lover’s softened twain wildly whirls
Through the maxes of the ball,
Up and down the stately hall !
How he skips to and fro
And perspires !
What that we eould tell the idiot all we know
Os the Area
Into which the false ones hurl
tfxch new whim- eee the flame—how it swirls I
How it ourts!
How it eurla 1
Better far that they were churls,
Than fall victims to the girls;
To the prattle and the rattle
Os the girls, girls, girls,
Os the girls, girls, girls, girls,
Girls, girls, girla— « ilf
To the racking and heart racking of the girls ?
- g. '■■■■
THE WOMAN IN A SUNBONNET.
It to .boot the year 1820 that too
■onng msrrif 4 people took a bonsa jn
O . a sea-atwoe town. The "house
was an old fashioned one, but ,ad been
wtll built, a«d ms in pertat condition,
It was a pretty honae, built in tho ir
regular atria of the day, aome fifty or
more years back. A ball rau through
the hone, fttftn the tnMdl«r*»l which
lauding-plaoe, with a large arched win-,
dow. This hall and stairway were Iha
only regular parts of the mansion,, Moms
ind wings haring been built on from
.‘rat to time.
The plaoe was chosen by Hr. and
Mrs. An&truther because it was retire!,
a bit 1. nely, and with n ee woods about
:t—a little gloomy, to be aura, to those
not in their honeymoon.
On a very sultry July night the pair
stopped on their way np the old stair
way, on the landing, and looked long
out of the gnat window, for the land
scape beneath them, either by the bright
iight oi the moon, or the lesser bright
ness of the stars, was very fair. They
had been talking earnestly together,
when Mrs. Ansunther suddenly broke
ofl from what the was saying, and ex
claimed :
“George dear, wbat a change there
was in the air a moment since) I felt
an icy, damp breath over my cheek ”
“M* dear ehild,” he said, “the night
is as hot as tee infernal regions. What
an imagination you have ”
“Well," 1-aid she, “perhaps I am im
aginative, bnt I thought I felt a shiver
ing brttns over my faot; but it is gone
now.”
Mrs. Am trail), r thought no more of
the ciicamstanee, if indeed circumstance
itoonld be tailed. She and her hus
band passed very happy days nt the
Grove. But presently there was trouble
among the servants, for even lovers
must have such eucumbranoes. Tho
cook raid her kitohen waa her castle,
and that she did not want any one to be
looking over her pans and kittles; that
-the left each utensil in its place at
tight bnt found them much disarranged
n ihe morning often npon the hearth,
and she said if Ms. and Mrs. Anstrnther
'.iked seven o'olock suppers she wonld
willingly stay there and eook for them.
The laundress raid the clothes horse
with the freshly ironed linen left to air
overnight in the laundry, was quite'
iveraet in the morning; that the mis
tress, sure was young and very frolic
some—indeed qnite like a miss—bnt ;
•he thought it waa hard upon a poor ,
-ervsnt to be playing off bar jokes upon
l er and giving her double work; and
so tmm time to time did the yonng
mistress apparently disarrange her
menage.
One morning the cook came to Mrs.
Anatrnther and mid she thought, per
i»ps. she had found out who pat the
kitchen and the laundry in auoh a plight,
snd she begged her mistress’s pardon
for having thought that the bad played
tricks iipen her maids. She then de
scribed her having gone down to the
kitchen one Monday morning nt dawn,
and there mw, in the feeble light, the
figure of a woman, bar bead covered by
a sun bonnet, crouching before the deed
coals of the kitchen Am. Upon her en
trnnoe the woman mysteriously disap
peared.
“Now, ma'am,” she said, “perhaps it
is tome poor etasy orasters who gets in
somehow, and ovssoids my pans and
Bridget’s olsen olothss; hot two I do
CHARLOTTE, MECKLENBORG CO., N. C„ OCTOBER 28, 1882.
not see bow any bnt a ghost could get
in, for the house do be looked up so
dose like. I think she waa trying to
warm herself, ma’am, and however she
got ont, ma'am, I cannot tell, only she
was gone in an instant, and not a door
opened”.
Boor Mrs. Anstruther felt quite dis
turbed st the oook’s relation, and told
her husband of it immediately. Os
course he only laughed at it, said Polly
must have strengthened her tea the night
before, and hadn’t her vision qnite clear
so early Monday morning, or that she
bad not finished her dreams; to which
Mrs. Anstrnther answered warmly that
Polly was a deoent, sober woman, and
wouldn't for the wurld touch anything
stronger than tea.
Weeks pass' d by, and the household
was not tronbled by overtnrned clothes
horses, displaced pans, or mysterious
women, and the story become like a
dream, when one morning early, upon
opening his bedroom door, Mr. An
atruther found the housemaid lying out
side it in a sort of fainting fit. After
aome time, and many restoratives, the
woman was brought back to bar senses,
and incoherently told he* tale. She had
gone down very late at night to the
laundry to bring up a breakfast cap
whieh she knew her mistress would
want the next morning, and heard*
faint rustling, like the moving of olothes.
She thought it was the cat, which might
have got hold of one of the towslA so
she opened the door and went in; there
she saw the shadowy figure et a tall
woman, a snnbonnet on her bead, with
long, thin, ghastly fingers feeling of the
olothes. and drearily saying, “Not dry—
oh, not dry—they chill—-ohlll—chill mis'
so.” Then she moved the horse rapidly
and fleroely nearer the fireplaoe, over
turning it and apparently disappearing
under its folds and olothes.
Mr Anstruther went
the laundty. There he found the over
turned olothes, but not even the ghost
of a woman under them, nor in any cor
ner or part of the bouse, for he searohed
it very thoroughly, to qniet the nervous
fears of his wife and of the maids. T< e
poor frightened housemaid trembled all
day, scarcely able to stand.
Mr Atißtrnther himself bad no faith
in these spectre stones, and women are
always so apt to be nervous and fright
ened, he said; but that very night, when
he and his wife were standing by the
window, listening to the swash of the
waves on the beach, and saying how
cool snd refreshing the sound was on
that heavy August night, the sameoold,
shivering breeze passed over tbeir faees
as on that other nigbt. and a husky
voioe said slo* lv, “Oh! lam so oold—
so very oold I” They grasped one
another convulsively, but said nothing;
nur did they speak to one another of
these strange, shivering words, -bnt
seemed bv mutual assent to avoid the
subject Perhaps Mr. Anstruther thought
the remembrance of them might pass
more quickly from his wife’s memory
if not alluded to. Perhaps she thought so.
The next night he went at midnight
to the kitoben, looked oarelully an’.
cautiously in, and saw—the ghostly form
of a w< man, almost in the ashes, numer
ous pans around her, hoarsely matter
ing, ‘-They will never heat; oh, never.
The bad master, he will kill me. No
dinner, no sapper, no fire.” Mr. An
strather rushed suddenly toward the
woman, who, throwing-ber hands wildly
ab ve her head, m lted away.
He said nothing of this to any one,
and went again the next night, but saw
nothing down stairs. He went to bed.
Boon as er midnight—he was awake—
the air of the room became very obilly,
like a graveyard, and he heard fjom
every corner of the room a smothered
voice, saying, "I am so cold—oh Iso
cold. It is so dark under the stairs; so
damp—take me out—the cruel master.”
Still, Mr. Anstrather kept a wise
silence, thinking what was his beat
course to take. There were faint
sounds heard at night in the kitchen,-
laundry, and through the halls, eold,
icfc whispers from the landing by the
arched window ot, the stairway, so that
the strrants refused to go to thoir work
until the morning was well advanced,
and Mr. and Mrs. Anstruther never
stopped now on the pleasant stairway
landing to look through the arched
window at tho moon or the stars, or to
host the delirioas swash of thowea. Bhe
looked pale and frightened all the time,
and the servants nervous and scared.
Thay stayed only for the love of the
master and mistress. As for Mr An
sirather, he was very uneasy, yet luted
to yield to what ha considered foolish,
weak, supernatural fears; still he was
exosMtagly uncomfortable.
From this time the ghostly sppear
aaoe beoeme in eon-ant. At last s friend
of Mr. Anstruther oomo to visit him,
sad thay determined to find tho ghost,
if such there was. They went every
night at midnight throughout the bowse;
oaee they saw the shadowy woman
almost in tbs ashes ot the kitchen fire,
twsvsrarafjsr&ai
seemed to become only more dead
nnder her cold breath. Sometimes she
seemed to be trying to dry the olothes
in the laundry, but more' frequently
they heard sighs, and shivers, and
whispers of oold, and the wicked mas
ter, and the cellar- stairs.
Once the faoe of the woman was
toward them when they went into the
kitohen. A fearful gash was on cne
skeleton cheek ; her hands were held
tightly over her bosom, as if to try to
bring warmth into it again. Then the
spectre, the groans, the sighs ceased,
excepting from under the cellar stairs,
whence came sounds of one supplicat
ing, “Qh, save me—so deep—so dark—
so damp. Save me—savel”
After a lime it beoame impossible to
keep the story of the haunted house
qniet. People had wondered for some
time what gave the servant Who opened
the hall door and the mistress within
so soared a look, and also at Mr. An
(truther's troubled face,' for he'and his
wife were known to love one another
very much, and to be snffiaienMy well
to do in the world. When the story
was fully told the excitement of ihe
town became intense; tho ory was that
the cellar stairs ought to be tosn away,
and then they would see wbiat waq under
them.' Alter some deliberation -it Was
thought best .toyield to tho exoited will
of the town’s people, and proper men
trere sent by the authorities to take
stray the stairs and to examine thor
oughly around and beneath them. Mr.
Anstruther, his nod some of the
gentlemen of the neighborhood were
present The stairs there removed, tho
briqk flooring taken sway, and. the earth
dug np, but there was nothing, and
they were about to lay the ground
again, when a smothered ory came, and
the, words, “Lower, deeper, darker,"
were distinctly heard. All stood aghast,
clammy drops poured from the brows
Os the stoutest of thooe square-shoul
dered men. AIIOB* TMMMftpied, and
the words came again: “Lower, deep r.
darker; the cruel master pnt 49s here I’
They fell again upon their shovel, i
deep down they dug, very deep. When,
obi frightfnl and ghastly.'sight, they
came upon the body of a woman. Her
dress was that of a servant. Upon her
head was a deep bonnet. Bhe lay on
her baok. A heavy soar was on her
faoe.
The body of the woman was reeog
nized as that of n Nancy Gwynn, who
had lived with a Mr. Barton, a hard
man, the former oconpant of the Grove,
and who had gone very suddenly to
Australia to better his fortunes, taking
his family with him.
It was about ten years since Nanoy
bad so mysteriously disappeared fr< m
G . But as she had always been
a queer creature, never making trien-ts,
no one thought much about her.' The
Anstruthers left the house, not wishing
to stay in it, althongh Nancy’s poor,
weary body was laid in a decent grave,
the burial servioe said over it, and
a headstone placed to mark where it
lay.
Since they left the house, it has re
mained shut up, lonely, gloomy, and
forsaken. Whether Naney’s poor ghost
is laid, or whether it still l-oams the
house, from kitohen and cellar stairs to
the arobed window on the hail stair
way, the next occupants of the haunted
house at G must tell you.
Caring a Bad Memory,
Tour memory is bad, perhaps, but 1
can tell you two secrets that will oure
the worst memory. One—to read a
subject when strongly interested. The
other is to not only read,, but think
When you have read a paragraph or a
page, stop, eloae the book, and try tc
remember the idea* on that page, and
net only recall them vaguely in yout
mind, but put them into words and
speak them out. Faithfully follow these
two rules and you ha.o the golden keys
of knowledge Beside inattentive read
ing there are other things injurious tc
memory. One is the habit of skimming
over newspapers, all in n confused jam
ble, never to be theueht of again, thn
cultivating a habit of osreless rsadin
hard to break. Another is tho reading
of trashy novel. Nothing is. so fstsi
to reading with profit as tho habit cl
running through story after story and
forgetting them as soon as read. 1
know a gray haired woman, a lifelong
lever of books, who sadly declares that
1 er mind has bean ruined by snob road
ing. - [Bt. Nicholas.
A young man started for a drive of
twenty miles with his sweetheart,
through an uninhabited tract in Minne
sota. At n point about midway of the
lonely route the pair had s bitter qusr
rel; Tbs fallow onbitohed tho horse,
mounted it and rode away, leaving the
girl alone in the wagon, where she
remained all night, and next day
walked homo.
England has thirty elretre light
00mpanics, with • eaglia! of ovae *BO,-
000,000. Nearly a# maeh money in
similarly soak la Fraaoo.
Bpoopendyke stops Smoking.
“My dear,” said Mr. Spoopendyke,
rumpling his hair around over his head
and gazing at himself in the gla-s; “my
dear, do you know I think I smoke too
muoh? It doesn’t agree wit 1 me at all.’
“Just what I have always thought I’
ohimed Mrs. Spoopendyke, “and
besides, it makes the room smell so.
Ton know this room—"
“I'm not talking about the room,”
retorted Mr. Spoopendyke, with a
-snort, “I’m not Aware that it affects
the h alth of the room, I’m talking
about my health this trip, and I think
I'll break off short. Ton don't oatoh
me smoking any more,” and Mr.
Spoopendyke yawned and stretched
himself, and plumbed down in his easy
chair and glared out the window at the
tain.
“How are yon going to' break off?”
inquired Mrs. Spoopendyke, drawing
up her sewing chair, and gazing up
Into her husband’s face Admiringly. “I
suppose the best way is not to think of
it at all.”
“The best way is for you to sit there
snd Cackle about ill’’ growled Mr.
Spoopendyke. “If anything will dis
tract my attention from it that will.
Can’t ye.think of something else to talk
about ? Don’t jo kfiow some subjects
that don’t smell like n tobacoo planta
tion?" "■ ' 1
, “Certainly," cooed Mrs. Spoopendyke,
rather n -nplussed. “We might talk
about the rain. { suppose this is reaily
.the equinox. How long will it Inst,
drarr ....
“Gast the equinox I” sputtered Mr.
Spoopendyke. ' ‘‘‘Don’t you know that
when a man quits smoking it depresses
him? Wbat d’ye want to talk about de
pressing a things for? Now’s the time
to mak* me cheerful. If ye don’t know
any oheerfu! things, haep quiet.’’
“Os course,” assented Mrs. Spoopen
dyke, “you want suojeots that will draw
your miu,d. away frofn the MWWf snjok
ing like you used to. ' Won’t It b» nice
When, the. long winter evenings come,
and the fire is lighted and yon have
voor aiiDDeraand paper—- M
VTluttrsrjjiMMlw Utnol wanU «garl”
roared MI. Spoopendyke. bounding
around in his chair and aoowling at his
wife “Ain’t ye got sense enough to
shingle your tongue for a minute? The
way you're keeping it up you'll drive
me bock to my habit in less'n an hour,”
he continued solemnly, “and then my
blood will be on your head 1”
“Oh, dear 1" sighed Mrs. Spoopen
dyke, “I didn’t mean to. Did you notioe
about the comet ? They say it is going
todrop into the sun and bum up—”
“There ye go again I” yelled Mr.
Spoopendyke. “Ton osn’t open- your
mouth without suggesting something
that breaks me down ? What d’ye want
to talk about fire for ? Who wants fire
when he's stopped smoking? Two min
utes more and I’ll have a pipe in my
mouth!” and Mr. Spoopendyke groaned
dismally in contemplation of ihe pros
pect. ', 1
“I'm glsd you’re going to stay at heme
to-day," continued Mrs. Spoopendyke,
soothingly. * Ton’d be sure to oatoh
bold if. you went out; and by and by
we’ll have a piping hot dinner—’’
“That's itt” squealed Mr. Spooken
dyke, bounding out of his chair and
plunging around the room. “Ton'd got
to say something about s pipe t I knew
bow it wonld bet Ton want me.to dul
Ton want me to smoke myself into an
early gravel’ Ton’ll fetch it I Don’t giTe
yourself anv uneasiness I You're on ih«
track 1" and Mr. Spoopendyke buried
his face in his hands and shook convul
sively.
“I meant it for the best, my dear,”
murmured Mrs. - Spookendyke. “i
thought I was drawing—”
“That’sitl'’ ripped Mr. Spoopendyke
“Drawing I You’ve driven me to it in
stead ot keeping me from it. Ton know
how it’s done? All you need now is a
lightning rod and a dish of milk toast to
be an inebriates’ home I Where’s that
ob nr I left hereon the mantle? Gimme
my death warrant 1 Show me my im
ported doom I Drav forth my miniature
ei-ffiot” and Mr. Spoopendyke awept
the oontents of the shelf upon the floor
and howled dismally.
“Isn'tthat it?" aakod Mrs. Spooken
dyke, pointing tqn small pile of snuff
on tlie obair in whioh Mr. Spoopendyke
had been silting. “That looks like it.''
“Wahl” yelled Mr.- Spoopendyke,
grasping bjs hat and making (or tho
door. “Another time I swear off von go'
into the country, yon hear?” and Mr.
Spookendyke dashed ont of the boose
snd steered for the nearest tobacoo shop.
“I don’t oare,’’ mattered Mm. Scoop
endyke ; “when be swrars off again I’m
willing to leave, and in tho meantime 1
suppose he’ll be healthier without his
pipe, so I’ll hang it np on the wall where
he’ll nevar think of looking for it.’’ and
having consigned tbo too*ooo to the
flames, Mrs Spoopendyke gathered her
sewing materials around h* r and double
elinebed an old raaoluttow nave* to
1-mo bor temper, no matter vhM hap
pened.—[Brooklyn Eagle.
f. C. SMitd, F
Best.
Ont from the great world’s orush snd din;
* Ont ftom the pain, and wroag, and sin;
Ont from the ambition’s ornel strife;
Oat from the bitter rsoe of life;
Oat from it honors and affairs;
Ont from its honors audits sarea,
Again a ehild, he lay at rest;
in holy peaee on his mother's breast.
Her gentle hand toyed in Us hair;
Her sweet, dear voice dispelled bia car:,
Her loving eyes shed light divine;
Her very presence made a shrine;
His throbbing arteries ohased to teem;
The madding world a sad, past dream;
Again, a ohild, he lay at net.
In holy peaee on Us mother’s breast.
.1 WAgUgifiS. ! U tfi
Men and poises differ. The latter
are useless Unless broke, and a man is
good for nothing if he is broke.
An Illinois oow swallowed *6B* in
greenbaokp. She was killed afid tho
money reeovered. .
Seventeen tl ousand five hundred and
forty-five stray dogs were taken into
custody in London during'lMt.
A Boston deacon is to be pat under
discipline for inserting in nis drygoods
Advertisement the'line: “High, low,
jack, snd the game.” <" - V* - '
Laziness grows an people. It begins
in cobwebs and ends in iron cheras. Tho
more business n man has to do the more
he is sole to accomplish, for he learns
to economise his time.
Nearly all bf the New York preachers
are discussing the political situation in
their sermons. As there is a great deal
of the devil in politici it is probable
that most of the preachers are on the
right track. ™
The owner of' a brood, four-story
brick hotel at Bristol, Conn., advertises
that he will demolieh,rti on April Ist,
1883, unless in the meantime the town
reverses its vote of. no lioense to sell
liquor. ” “
The Prinoess Beatrice has become an
honorary member of the Institute of
Painters in Water Colors. Tho Grown
Princess of Germany has been a member
for some years, and has sent pictures to
more than one oi the sooiety'sexhibitions.
Glue, when mixed with one fourth
part glyoevine, is found to have an
elasticity and pliability whioh prevents
its cracking when dry. A G naan
chemist in Nurea berg has called atten
tion to this.
A nobleman built a handsome grotto,
and caused this inscription to be plaoed
over it: “Let nothing enter here but
what is good.” A wit, to whom his
lordship was showing the plsoe, asked:
“Then, where does your lordship
enter ?’’
Tee shook of finding out that her
lover was a horsethief, instead of the
rieh gentleman that he had represented
himself to be. destroyed, the reason of
a girl at Dallas, Texas. A week later
her father followed her to the agylum,
crazed by sympathy and grief.
No more touching compliment oould
be paid than that of the ohild who had
oveiheard a conversation at the table
on the qualities of a wife. A-i he
stooped over to kiss his mother he
remarked ; “Mamma, when I get big
In g&ing to many a lady just 'saotly
like yon.”
A Canada newspaper has started a
new branoh of society mention. It
advertises the names of all tho mar
riageable ladies in the town whore it is
published. If A list of the oharma and
the cash were attached to the name ot
Miss or Hadsme nothing oould be more
oomplete.
Bloodhounds m the Batsian Aran,
The Russians have strengthened their
army by the novel addition to each com
pany of a pack of powerful aodoaiefutly
trained do h. These watohful animals
are sent ont with the sentinels eh picket
duty, where tbeir sharp ear and still
keener seent prove sn impregnable bar
rier to the larking spies of the eueaty.
The dogs used are s' species ot blood
hounds from the ITrsl'MoanUtns. The
dog is Stlreted because of its habitnal
silenoe. It growls, but never berks—s
matter of tho first importance Mjroldists
near an enemy's camp. The Ural hound
is gifted with sn exceedingly fine seent
of smell, keen ears, and is ovsr alert.
Most oomforting of all to tbo lonely
pioket the dog is said to be especially
oooiageons in defending its master. A
is curious thdt, with the example Os the
King Charles spaniels before us, no ms
thought before otusingtheae intelligent
animals as sentinels. The vulue of the
plan is self-evident The Muscovites
have gone farther, and on training
swift huunds as well as these samp Oral
dogs, to Mtpadiapotah'bearors, much as
the carrier pigeons were employed'th
1871. They oartatnly •wonld tit hard
tbrou^hthowoods at night.— Boston 4,