American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-11-28
THE GHOST THAT LUCY SAW.

night, Martha wakened wide up. And no
wonder, for the bed-clOthes were drawn
! up over her face SO that she could hardly
breathe. She threw her arm over on
Lucy's pillow, but instead of the curly
| head there was only big, round ball,
made by that same curly head having
the covering all tightly pulled up over
and drawn down under it. The instant
Martha's hand touched the big, round
| ball 1t shrieked out, 80! or" as if some
| body had taken it for q football and
given it kick.
Then Martha sat up and commenced
| vigorously pulling the sheet and counter
pane away from the little, clinging hands
that were holding them down so tightly,
excIaiming as she tugged and pulled:
What haze you got your head all rolled up
in this way for? You almost smothered
usr'
"Oh, MARTHA" piped the little girls
trembling voice, as she cuddled closer to
her sister, 81 am SO glad you're awake.
But don't speak SO loud; there's some
thing in the room!' And down went
the little head under the covers again,
and the little hands, by this time cling
ing around Martha's neck, pulled her
head under too, while Lucy continued in
an awful whisper.
az thought, when I felt your hand,
that it had Topped right down on my
head, and didn't know but that l was
going to die right straight off, without
ever bidding anybody good-by, and, oh!
l had such dreadful thoughts, all in a
fash"
"Why, Lucy, child" said Martha
martha was eleven years old and Lucy
was ten), "yOu have been having bad
dreams. Why didn't you call mc!"
81 was afraid it would she hear"
whispered back. "Please, Martha, don't
speak so loud Indeed, there is some
thing in the room"
"Of course" said Martha, sitting up
in bed again and speaking louder than
ever "Of course, we are here"
"Oh, don't, Martha; do lie down." en-
treated poor Lucy, almost beside her
self with terror 1--WE been watching
it ever SO long, and it gets bigger and
bigger It's just down there in the cor
ner of the room, near the foot of the
bed.r
"Where." said Martha, anxiously,
opening her eyes wide and straining
hem hard to see in the faint moonlight.
down there; l daren't look again.
Last time it seemed like it nodded to me
and got nearer this way"
Lucy Brown, l don't see one single,
solitary thing that l haven't seen hun
dred times BEFORE" said Martha, in loud,
emphatic tones. And her voice was SO
hearty, and her manner so fearless, that
Lucy herself began to feel differently
and less afraid of the terrible something
which she somehow still thought must be
there, and which it seemed very strange
to her that Martha could not see.
Once more she whispered, half inter-
negatively:
Something tall and dark, with a white
head" and then, in a sudden burst OF
confidence, 40 Martha, think
thought didn't know, but maybe it
was ghost"
"Ha, ha, hal" laughed Martha. loud
enough and merrily enough to have made
a ghost itself laugh, if there ever could
possibly be such a thing, but as there
was not, and could not be, the laugh did
some good, anyway, as every honest and
merry laugh always does.
1t put to rOut Lucy's shadOwy fears,
and brought her sitting bolt upright in
bed but not by the side of Martha, for
that merry little girl was fitting around
the ROOM touching first one object and
then another, shouting out, "Am hot or
cold?" in a vain attempt to ind the
ghost.
Lucy actually laughed aloud at this
new way and time for playing hot
butter beans please to come to supper"
and it was not long after that that she
grew so bold as to herself run up to the
ghost and take off its white head, which,
after all, was nothing but her own little
white sailor-waist hanging upon the high
back of an arm chair. So that put an
end to the ghost. But new fear rose
Martha would tell Z" the boys" and she'd
" never hear the last of it,"
But Martha promised she would do no
such dreadful thing; SO Lucy in turn was
very ready to promise that she would
never be SO foolish again, and to declare
she knew there was no such things rs
ghosts, and that if there were they |
couldn't possibly want anything from
her, and that the very next time and
every time she was frightened she would |
not wait a minute, nor half of minute, |
but march right up and see what it was. |
And she always has kept her promise. |
To this day she has never found ghost |
for very good reason which l am
sure you will think of-nor has she ever |
found a trouble of any kind that did not |
either disappear altogether or grow con
smaller when she marched |
right up to it, and saw what it really was. |
Maria W. Jones, in st. Nicholas.