There seemed to be present a sad air of gloom,
Befitted a place that was nightly the scene
Of gambling and cursing, of fighting and spleen ;
While shadows that flitted the walls seemed like ghouls
Or demons, that horridly grinned at the fools
Who, night after night all regardless of &les,
Exultingly gloated o'er flushes and straights, .
'Twits midnight, that hour of infinite use
To those who're addicted to visits from Muse,
The cards had boon shuffled, the hands dealt around,
And yet from the three there scarce issued a sound,
For they swore and they raised, each anted and played
As though they wore all intensely afraid
Of waking the spirits of those long since dead,
Who in those same quarters had lost their last red. •
A hand had been dealt, 'Mae a jackpot, as yet
Not one had the cards upon which ho could bet ;
And each with a curse his ill intik did declare
When issued a voice from the vacant fourth chair, •
"I'll open for ton," wore the sepulchral strains
Which caused them to start and the blood . in their veins
To chill ;—for with hair standing stark upon end
They gazed—they'd a phantom with which to contend.
Ills clothes were all tattered and covered with mould,
Ile constantly chattered and 'shivered with cold ;
His hair hung unkempt and uncombed 'round two eyes
Which, sunk deep in his head and monstrous in size,
Seemed to glare at the three with a hatred intense,
As though he would Olean them of dollars and cents.
Ile drew from his pocket an ancient worn 011110,.
All dented, all baticred, all ravaged by time;
And when thelhree saw it, full loud were their sneers,
All greeting his first bet with sallies and jeers,
As though they considered 'Mere but a small feat ' . ,
To render the phantoms bankruptcy complete.
They played, and thoy cheated, they anted, and swore,
And the more the ghost won, they cheated the more ;
Naught, naught said the spectre but played on intent,
Meer borrowed, ne'er cheated, but sparingly lent,
But flushes , full houses and straights seemed to vie
To see which could most in his clam hands lie.
Ile won all their copper, their silver, their gold
'Till his broad spectral pocket would scarce the pile hold ;
Ho won all their watches, their knives and their keys
Their collars and clothing, with nonchalant ease.
At last came the morning, and not until then,
When first its rays lighted the dull gloomy don,
'The game did they cease ; it had cost them so dear
They'd have to cult cigarette smoke for a year ;
Then up rose the ghost with a sneer in his mein,
Ills pockets all bulging with things that had been
Their property once, and ho tore his long board,
Qave a loud fiendish laugh and slow disappeared,
THE WINTER MEETING OF
.BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
We copy the following account of the meeting
from a Philadelphia raper.
THE. FREE LANCE.
"Minimm, Jan. 26 (Special).—The winter meeting
of the Trustees of the Pennsylvania State College was
held last night in the office of the Superintendent of
Public Instruction. It was nearly midnight before all
the business was disposed of. This morning the ac•
counts of John Hamilton, Treasurer of the institution ,
were audited. The general fund shows receipts of $lll,-
969.52, and expenses $110,947.50.
Among the most important business transacted was
the changing of the time of the annual commencement
by shortening the college year by two weeks. It will.
hereafter consist of thirty-six, instead of thirty-eight
weeks. The next commencement will be , held on
Wednesday, June 15. The election of Trustees• will
take place on June 14.
The Executive Committee was authorized . to. grant
the right of way through the college grounds to the
Bellefonte Central Railroad, fortnerly the •Buffalo Run
Railroad, which will be extended from its present ter•
minus to the village of State College. This will
,afford
direct connection with Bellefonte.
The President of the college, Dr. George W. Adler.
ton, the Director of the Agricultural Experiment Sta
tion, Dr. 11. P. Artnaby, and the Professor of Agri
culture, Professor H. F. Walters, were authorized to
formulate a plan of instruction in agricultural science
for farmers at their homes, according to the Chau
tauqua or University Extension system.
The Executive Committee, of which ex• Gov. Beaver
is chairman, was authorized to employ a Physicil Di,
rector to take charge of the college athletic exercises.
, It was also agreed that the College should be rep.
resented at the World's Columbian Exposition.
; Suitable resolutions in reference to the death of Pro.
lessor Jas. Y. McKee, late Vice President of the Col.
lege, and Professor of English ,Literature, were adopted ;
and the filling of theixacuncy was postponed until the
next meeting of the Trustees in June.
Ex-Gov. Beaver reported that the new engineering
building will likely be °finished by the time of the open•
ing of the next college year. It will be the handsom
est building on the college campus, and will have 'a
greater frontage than the main building. The latter
has a.front of 234 feet. The new building will have ' ` a
frontage of 209 Net and it depth of 200 feet. •
Hon. Francis Jordon presided 'at the meeting, Ind
Dr. 'G. W. Atherton officiated as Secretary,