Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1858-04-24

From the N. O.. Magnet.
4 GHOST STORY
:" A thousand fantasies
Begin to throng my memory,
OF calling shapes and beckoning shadows
dirc.n

dirc.''
Do you believe in Ghosts, frien,
Magnet MOI Well, [ canno
say but what [ do; and in dream
and preseatiments, am a firm de
votee, / think Fate casts a sI1ad
ow before us-I will relase you al
occurrence in my own life, and vol
will see that /, for one, have reason
for giving credence to the opinion
that spirits can again return 10 thi:
| Earth
! Many years ago, my father was
extensively engaged in mercantile
business, in one Of the South w est
ern States, and would frequently b.
called away from home for several
weeks at time, when I was about
nineteen. Death had again and
again entered our family, Removing
Gear ones from our embrace, until
we two were left, and father seem
ed loath 10 lose me from his sight
| even for day. When tie time
came around for bis country trips,
be proposed that I should accom-
pany him, a proposition to which |
readily agreed. 81 Pr"pare your
self and dress for a good deal Of
rough usage, Dora, for we will Oft
Ell have to encounter wild, rude life,
and don't take more than ten band
boxes, # you please, for the light
wagon will have to contain many
little articles which we shall need.n
Laughing]y telling him a carpet
bag would answer my purpose, |
got ready FIR the journey, and one
bright summers morning, we start
ed IN good spirits, foIlewed on
hoTst back hy }'ncle. Dick, q faith
ful slave, raised up from infancy
with my tather--in fact, q kintu u
foster brother to him.
Many, very laugfable incidents
occurred, but 'twonld make my
tale too long to repeat them. | en-
]oyed the trip exceedingly: hospi-
tabtT inclined, even where they
were unreilned, I found many &C.
qnaintancos Of my tAther's ready
TO give his sole remaining child a |
hearty welcome. During the sec
ond week OF our trip, father told
lie one night that our next two or
'hree days journey would be bhro'
4 region entirely unknown to him, |
and represented as wild in the ex-
rene; seconded by the kind en-
;reatles Of our host and his wife, he
aled to INDUCE me to remain where
was, and await his return but 40.
1ot for q moment would | listen.
Like Ruth, my reply was" Where
hou goest, I will go; where thou
tayest, | will stay;;'' and all his.
oersnasions were unavailing. Early
n the morning, bidding our kind
entertainers good-by for the present,
ve started upon our route; the
Dad, after the first ten miles, led
hrough a deep forest, with only
Iere and there clearing to relieve
is solitude; but in. gay chat, with
OCCASIONALLY, negro melody from t
Jncle Dick, time flew past quickly |
nth us, and it was not until our
ttention was attracted by low /
11rmuring in the west, and a deep K
o7ghlng wind, that we noticed the t
pproach Of one Of those almost I
'opical. storms 50 common in the 6
outh- " estern States. Looking G
round us, we could see no sign of 7
wing creatures save ourselves; but a
!; o. distance, across a field OF dead t
led timber, was q -deserted-]ook- t
g house, with some half-ruined J.
abins around it.: calling On Dick a
hurry, father drove on as rapidly I
the broken furrowed ground a
ould permit, determined to take c
lelter shere. s
It was truly 9 desolate looking a
'ot; the. fence broken in many Il
aces, the doors @balfhanging on /:
cir hinges; while the choice shrubs u
inging to its mouldering walls, D
I'd 9 pane of glase here and there d
in the windows, told that Il
once had been a mansion of fsone h
etension to comfort and aristoc- c]
ey. Hurriedly getting out and i