THE FIRESIDE AT " FAR AWAY." 71 



Lem was sitting. I leaned forward, and in the darkness beyond, 

 only partially lighted up by the fire, the head and antlers of a 

 large deer appeared. 



Lem had not seen the apparition, but continued : " Down on de 

 Waccassasee dare 's a deer-parf made by dat air same buck, and 

 when de dogs cum dere, dey down tail an' take de back track, 

 howlin' all de time as if dey " 



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 

 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 massa, 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 the 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 critter," 

 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 comrades — 

 who laughed at him all the harder because they were frightened 

 themselves — rushed out of the cabin, and we heard him run- 

 ning around the house in pursuit of the inventor of the ghost, 

 giving vent, as he ran, to divers threats, which had the effect of 

 rendering Scipio invisible for the rest of the night. 



Mike picked up the fallen deer's head and examined it closely. 



"Why, Lou, child, I never heard of your dressing animals," 

 said Jackson. 



" Nor X, father, until to-day." 



" What are you going to do with it ? " 



" Make it as correct as I can, and then hang it over the front 



