A TASTE OF MAINE BIRCH. 123 



with various things, when he heard somebody behind 

 the partition. He reached over and felt that both of 

 his companions were in their places beside him, and 

 he was somewhat surprised. The person, or what- 

 ever it was, in the other room moved about heavily, 

 and pulled the table from its place beside the wall to 

 the middle of the floor. " I was not dreaming," said 

 Uncle Nathan ; " I felt of my eyes twice to make 

 sure, and they were wide open." Presently the door 

 opened ; he was sensible of the draught upon his 

 head, and a woman's form stepped heavily past him ; 

 he felt the " swirl " of her skirts as she went by. 

 Then there was a loud noise in the room, as if some 

 one had fallen their whole length upon the floor. 

 " It jarred the house," said he, " and woke everybody 



up. I asked old Mr. if he heard that noise. 



* Yes,' said he, ' it was thunder.' But it was not 

 thunder, I know that ; " and then added, " I was no 

 more afraid than Lam this minute. I never was the 

 least mite afraid in my life. And my eyes were wide 

 open," he repeated ; " I felt of them twice ; but 

 whether that was the speret of that man's murdered 

 wife or not I cannot tell. They said she was an un- 

 common heavy woman." Uncle Nathan was a man 

 of unusually quick and acute senses, and he did not 

 doubt their evidence on this occasion any more than 

 he did when they prompted him to level his rifle at a 

 bear or a moose. 



Moxie Lake lies much lower than Pleasant Pond, 

 and its waters compared with those of the latter are 



