A TASTE OF MAINE BIRCH. 51 



opinions upon any subject at all polemic, but he would 

 tell you what he had seen and known. What he had 



seen and known about spooks was briefly this : In 



company with a neighbor he was passing the nio-ht 

 with an old recluse who lived somewhere in these 

 woods. Their host was an Englishman, who had the 

 reputation of having murdered his wife some years be- 

 fore in another part of the country, and, deserted by 

 his grown-up children, was eking out his days in pov- 

 erty amid these solitudes. The three men were sleep- 

 ing upon the floor, with Uncle Nathan next to a rude 

 partition that divided the cabin into two rooms. At 

 his head there was a door that opened into this other 

 apartment. Late at night. Uncle Nathan said, he 

 awoke and turned over, and his mind was occupied 

 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 whatever 

 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 foom 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 w^as not thunder, I know 

 that ; " and then added, " I was no more afraid than I 

 am this minute. I never was the least mite afraid 



