THE FIRESIDE AT FAB AWAY. Ill 



At this instant one of the protruding tines of the deer's 

 horns touched the earnest story-teller on the shoulder. 

 He looked around, and caught sight of the spectre at his 

 side. He gave a wild shriek, and darted toward the 

 door; the negroes, frightened more by his fears than 

 what they saw, came crowding in and blocked up the 

 door, when Lem jumped into the middle of the circle by 

 the fire, crouching at his master's feet, and crying, 

 "Oh, Golly! Maussa! Lord a massy, dare h'is! dare 

 h'is!" 



The spectre head continued to advance into the room, 

 when one of the horns, touching the side of the window, 

 it fell down from the pole on which it was stuck, and lay 

 on the floor. It was the head of tho buck we had shot 

 that morning. 



" That is my deer's head," said Miss Jackson. " I was 

 having it stuffed." 



" That's that are boy Scip's doin's ; he's a queer crit- 

 ter," laughed Mike. 



" Get up, Lem, and tell us something more about that 

 buck," said Jackson. 



Lem sprung to his feet, and, amid the jeers of his com- 

 rades who laughed at him all the harder because they 

 were frightened themselves he rushed out of the cabin, 

 and we heard him running around the house in pursuit 

 of the mischievous inventor of the ghost, and' giving vent, 

 as he ran, to divers threats of punishment, which had the 

 effect of rendering Scipio invisible for the rest of the 

 night. 



