superstitious fears, and were in danger of becoming imbued with the error
in its grosser forms, by the aid of such experiences as that through which
they had recently passed, admitted the possibility of this. If, therefore,
it did not come as a positive revelation, it was a relief to all to be
informed, as they were at an early hour, that the initials of the monster
haunt who during the night had managed to reflect as many individualities
as there were farm-houses in the district were K. K. K. But though this
was accepted as a fact by all, seeing that no other theory was advanced,
yet the question remained, did it furnish a satisfactory solution of the
mystery, or, indeed, any solution whatever? According to the neighborhood
version, the Ku-Klux themselves were about as intangible examples of
ghostliness as were ever wrapped in loose-fitting bombazine; and if so,
wherein was gossip made the wiser? The very difficulty which the most
scholarly person would experience in seeking out the words indexed by the
famous K(u) K(lu) K(lan), was enough to evince to the world that there was
something radically wrong with its genealogy.

On the morning in question, the chore emissaries (boys and negroes) of the
farms for miles around had assembled at the neighborhood mill, awaiting
their turns of grinding, and when rumor brought the subject into the mill
council, the conflict of opinion, involving original arguments advanced
and the weight of authorities adduced, became truly Brobdignagian. The
night raiders had been seen by some of the party, and of this number all
had crossed the boundaries of persuasion, and were absolutely convinced
regarding some physical (if the term may be used) peculiarity of the
ghostly phalanx.

An urchin of twelve summers, who confessed to _sub rosa_ practices while
the paternal premises were being raided, but nevertheless claimed to get
one eye squarely on them as they rounded a hill, one and three-quarters of
a mile distant, was convinced that the heads of the rear files (front not
visible) extended above the tops of the trees. This statement was
delivered with much earnestness of manner, and at its conclusion all the
saints and martyrs in the calendar were invited to give it their
indorsement.

* * * * *

Peter Burleson, aged fifteen, who saw the party ride out of the village
cemetery (a whim of the raiders, inducing the belief that they had
undergone a partial hiberna