American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-03-18
A Revolutionary Story.
THE GHOST THAT APPEARED TO THE
YOUNG FOLKS.

homestead where my fathers father and
grandfather had lived and died. AL
though he and Aunt Betsy had i" no
time to waste with company" they al
ways had welcome for all the children
who bore their name.
1t was the delight of myself and two
cousins to gather there in berry and
harvest-time, "to help" as we called
it, with the farm work. Then we hunt
ed the hay-lofts and empty stalls for
eggs, rode on the hay, picked up pota-
toes as fast as Canaan, the black man,
dug them, gathered apples and rode the
horses to water, till wearied out with
work and play, and then came on those
happy "farm evenings"
Uncle Jacob and Aunt Betsy passed
their evenings in the sitting-room, on
either side of little stand, which held
:, his book and newspaper, and her work
basket. They were good and intelli-
gent persons, and it is mystery to us,
even now, how Uncle Jacob set at
naught all the rules of good English,
having had the same advantages our
father had in boyhood. As they were
very silent, we young folks chose to
pass our evenings in the kitchen, hear
ing the honest farm men, Emery Dix
and Peter Hardness, discuss politics,
or laughing while black Canaan told
stories of Southern life and sang plan
tation songs. Prissy, whom Aunt Bet
sy always called "my GIRL" a grave
woman of 80 years, always sat darning
stockings by the oil lamp, and rarely
spoke unless we laughed too loud, when
she would look over the top of her
glasses, and say, "Quit that racket,
now, or you'll disturb the folks"
One evening when election had killed
political discussion for the time, and
Canaan had gone to town, we asked
Emery Dix to tell us a story about
something that happened at the home
stead long ago. He was like grand
old story book to us.
"Miss Warner" he called out to
Aunt Betsy, "hev you any objection to
my tellin' them about that Britisher that
died here a hundred years ago?''
No, Emery, but don't frighten the
children about ghosts, or any such nom
sense, was the reply of our kind aunt
and we gathered around him with eager
eyes, hoping there might be ghost in
his story.
swell, "he began, "my grandfather
worked for your great-grandfather just
as work for your uncle. The Revo-
lutionary Var was a-ragin' round here
in them days. There was big fghtin'
goin' on over to the west of us one day,
and they all expected to be 'sassinated
by the red-coats Next mornin', when
grandfather went out to feed the cattle,
he seed a Britisher in officers uniform,
lying most dead, side of his dead
horse. He run in and told of it, and
your great-grandmother said her reli-
gion teached her that if her enemy was
a-hungered and thirsty, she must give
him food and drink and she nussed
him as if he was her own son, till he
died with his arms round her neck, and
calm herTsmother.' He died at peace
with God and man, after trustin' her to
send his jewels to his lady-love, and his
love to his mother; to plant a rose on
his grave, and never to forget him. l
will show you the grave next Sunday -
We all shed tears, and wished it had
been now, rather than hundred years
ago, that we ourselves might nurse and
comfort the young officer, and write
beautiful letters to his mother and his
lady-love, and then plant flowers ON his
grave. 49, ga
We were in very subdued state of
mind. and urging Emery to tell us
something more, when suddenly we
heard-a strange noise in the shed-kitch-
en-. as If heavy body had fallen; and
then a low, muttering sound, as of some
one pleading for help.
ssIt's only old Moses. He's fallen
asleep, and. wants somebody to help
him to bed" said Emery, as he rose,
good-naturedly, and went out.
Old Moses was pauper, who
eboarded" with our uncle, and worked
or not, as he pleased. Boarding with
farmers was the way the towns poor
were cared for in the days when there
Were no almshouses in the country.
Old Moses was very simple and very
feeble. He always muttered to HIM
self, as if thinking aloud. Our aunt
never allowed any one to treat hin
rudely, or to make sport of him, and
the old man was as happy as any one
in his condition could possibly be.
When Emery had seen the old man safe
ly to his little shed-chamber, he return
ed, and, by our entreaty, continued his
story about the British. officer.
'sThey say that every harvest moon,
while the old squire and his wife lived,
that British officer was seen riding
slowly on his wounded horse till both
fell on the spot where they were found,
and then faded away like vapor, and
left only a cold, damp atmosphere be-
hindu s--~ -~.y- -.
OF course none of us believed q word
OF this last statement; but the whole
tenor of the conversation made us all
timid, and we drew back a little when
Aunt Betsy called out
It's one minute of nine! Go right
up stairs now! Emery shall show you
the old uniform and the sword to-mor-
row.
We never argued any point with Aunt
Betsy; so we went up, and three of us,