The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1866-02-15

He was always studying to be "lucky''
and yet he has most unlucky end
Twenty years ago knew farmer who
frequently went mile and half to the
fartherest fields of his farm, to strike fur
row or two, by moonlight on Thursday
evening, that the work might not be CON-
menced on Friday. He is living yet and
has smaller farm to- day than he had then !
In all the neighborhoods in which have
spent any time 1 have always heard of
"spooking places" Of most of these pla-
ces stories are told which make the brain
of the shallow headed tingle with wonder.
Apparitions with heads off and heads on.
Ghostly spectres in white, on horseback
and on foot Horrid wonders, yet never
with the skin of a negro or Indian O.,
you sparkling country lasses, think what
is staked on you whilst your beaux are
galloping home through the small hours
and the big hobgoblins Why knew
one such beaux to go six miles out of his
way in order to shun bridge of terror !!
The poor fellow finally quit that spark
ing ground entirely, choosing rather to
cross the Blue Ridge where he finally
married. | hope he will never tell the
story to his children, for such stories have
been handed down too far already and |
want to see a veto. l saw fellow the
other day with his vest on wrong side out,
was curious to know the reason. He
said it was the second day he had worn it
so, having made the mistake when he got
up and it would only bring, bad luck to
change it before morning. | merely said
Friday and passed on. A few days, ago
an old lady would not permit visitor to
finish the piece of work she had with her
as the old lady said it was sign she
would not come again-Friday.
How many big creatures have been
frightened out of what little sense they
had by that harmless little insect known
as the death watch The little creature
is merely calling his mate and the big
creature trembles and believes the call is
for him IF a harmless little bird hap
pens to dart in at the window or door and
lights on bed or chair there is trouble
again. If mirror gets broken, or cat
or dog act idiotic there is another ''token.'
The moon, to these weak minded people,
is sort Of half-deity. They do every
thing by order of the moon. When the
moon "points up they go heads up; if
it points down they point down. From
the shingles on their roof to the cement
on their cellar floor everything is done
with the most moonsh exactness Fri
day and the moon are powers these PEG
pie would not question. They do not
really like these powers; they rather fear
them, you could not hire them to sleep
where the moon could shine on their face
They don't want to be blind suppose
when they come to die they will want to
be buried when the moon points up, so
they will have hope of coming up too.
An enemy might be put under when it
points down.
Now you see friends, this is little too
much ''pont" for Mr.. Whackhammer.-
He would have considered himself fool
if he had not learned, long ago,
that every effect must follow a cause.
If he had stopped at a seeming effect with
out hunting after cause, he would have
been fool, just like those whom this
Lecture hits But he didn't make such
a stop. He can remember very distinctly
of half dozen occasions when Friday at
tempted to block up his path, at night,
but he never left the ground until he had
found out the cause that tried to over
power him with effect +! So strongly was
this purpose fixed in his mind that when
merely boy, he dreamed one night that
a ghostly appafition stood before his bedl
Resolving to ''do or die," he drew up his
fst-and as he chanced to be facing the
wall-he whacked away, striking the
wall, waking himself up and knocking
Mr. Ghost into nowhere? From this cir
cumstance he was called Whackhammer
Now, you old folks, l am just going to
insist my protest against your telling chill
dren those marvellous wonders which YOU
never tried to understand or explain for
yourselves. Children take superstition
in far more readily than it cat be taken
out again. We will not dispute the Fri
day question with you but we do want
you to let us teach the chrildren better
things Superstition is to be expected
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