THE BEAUTIFUL LADDER. 
249 
were hardly noticed until attention was arrested 
by the gathering shades of evening. Making 
toward home with all possible speed, it was 
nevertheless quite dark when the new clearing 
was entered in the centre of which it stood. 
Just as the opening was reached, at a point 
where a number of fallen trees were yet lying, 
a hoarse sound seemed to come from near 
one of them that fairly curdled the blood. It 
seemed to the startled imagination like the 
suppressed groan of some one in great distress 
or the dread wail of some imp of darkness. 
Startled by the dread sound, a furtive glance was 
cast behind, when another groan sent the feet 
flying homeward with all possible speed. When 
safe within doors a graphic account of the dread 
encounter was given, but, instead of getting the 
expected sympathy, a hearty laugh at my ex¬ 
pense only added to my distress. After a tan¬ 
talizing of sufficient length, the more expe¬ 
rienced father said that the dread ghost would 
likely turn out to be only a harmless night- 
hawk that had a nest near at hand, and took this 
method to frighten away the intruder, in which 
the bird certainly was pre-eminently successful. 
An examination on the following day proved 
