The true northerner., 1872-10-25
UNCLE JAP'S GHOST.


making the world at large believe in
the future life Of the soul, than all the
sermons and treatises ever written. In
deed, the world seems always to have
been in a manner conscious of this.
Hence, the eager fascination with which
mankind, even after being fooled for
thousands Of years, still catch at any.
thing like plausible ghost story. In
fact, ghost.seeing has always been one
OF the worlds weak spots.
OF course, nobody believes in ghosts
nowadays; yet, let anything like a
decently probable story get going,
and il IS little surprising to see how
curious people will become. Take the
"haunted house of Boston, for ex.
ample. Ana almost every town or vii
lage has its specter, first or last.
| well remember the sensation which
came up n the little parish where |
used TO live, some years ago. 1t was a
quaint little neighborhood, away back
from the rest cf the world-a church
tBaptist) and parsonage, tavern
some dozen or twenty houses, with a
wild, unsettled region stretching away
on all sides.
At the period / refer to, old Elder
Mckay had just died, and the new
" Elder Mr.. Granger, a pale, grave
faced young man, had just come, bring.
ing wife as pale and grave faced as
himself. Both were Of the calm, spiritual
sert-models IN all respects.
But in marked distinction from them
was the w.fe's sister, a girl Of fifteen or
sixteen, who made her home with them.
Nell Burnhaa, as we soon came to know
her, was Of quite a different sort. In
parish Ian guage. She wasn't "profes.
so-," and most certainly not professor
of much OF that somber-vlsaged piety
more in vogue then than now, perhaps.
In short, without being in any way
bad. Nell was q trump among girls
was "hai. !ellow well met with any one
who had a spark OF fun about him, and
was always cent on a good time some
way.
The young folks liked Nell, univer.
sally-aIl the more from the fact that
she was known to be subject of the
most profound grief and solicitude on
the part Of the reverend pair AT the par.
sonage, az well as an object Of distrust
among all the deacons and deaconesses.
wherever she went there was sure to lie
& good time. and something to laugh
over sfterward.
This little neighborhood had also an.
other rather unexpected character in
the shape Of an old Mississippi negro
known as Uncle Jap tan abbreviated
form Of JAPAN. He had come to the
tavern one bleak winter evening, some
years previously-how, nobody knew
exactly; had been a passenger on the
" underground Railway" probably, sent
Z here for safe residence. For those
were the days when Abolition" raised
It's crest against the Fugitive Slave
Law" What an ancient sound these
terms have. Uncle Jap's case was
dimly understood. People sympathized
with him. He built fires at the tavern
where an attic had been given him for
lodging-place, and in process of time
came 10 be sexton at the church anC
dug graves-when anybody died. AnC
about this time one Martha wilkins
spinster, did actually die and Uncl,
Jap had the digging Of her grave OF
hand.
1t was q late October evening. moon
light, and the old fellow had gone up tc
the church yard to see something abou
it. One OF my boy friends Zeke Ed
wards, and / were playing "backgam
mon" down in the bar room, al tn,
tavern, with several others looking on
when, all at once, IL rushed Uncle jap
bayeheaded, and with countenanc,
fgescOed with terror.
"Hello Uncle Jap! What's tn,
matter? What is it?' we all ex
claimed.
He had fairly leaped behind the stov
in lis fright, and was turning the white
of his eye. toward the open door.
De Lord sabe Us ~ was his frs
ejaculation.
Why, Uncle Jap what is it ?"
" De Lord knows but 'spects it wa
spookr -
A spooll what's a spook ?'
Z" spook or a bogey," cried the oil,
darkey, shiyering. de Lord know
which
"Why. where have you been? Wher
were your asked Zeke.
Up to de church.yard only. Wa
ies looking long de side Of Gle Wilkin
lct, linking now hard de frozen groun
would be 10 break UP for ole Martha to
morrow. when tae spook riz right UP al
white, and mos cotched me-
This was the sum and substance o
his story: the main point Of which wa
that something had frightened hin
nearly todeath, and Zeke and ran on
to see what It was. There was nothin
il sight from tue tayers. so we kept OF
up to the church.yard. But all was nos
still and quiet there-motionless as th,
dim moonlight that lay upon it. W
were about going back, laughing a
Uncle Jap's stampede, when | suddenl,
caught a glimpse of something whit
fitting around the corner Of the church
=" Dye see that? 2 whispered ].
q did see something-I thought,
said Zeke. But gracious ~ exclaimed
he, suddenly, jerking my arm, +" lool
there rs
looked. Out of the dark shadow o
one side of the church O dim white form