American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-08-02
AN OLD-FASHIONED GHOST.

" Table-tippings and nonsense
Poohi" said Aunt Patty. "T can tel
you great deal better ghost story thar
that. When 1 was young they had the
real thing-ghosts in winding-sheets!'
"Oh, did they7 And did you see
onea" asked both her nieces at once
and both alighted like two robins on
the seats nearest Aunt Patty.
"There, don't press SO closet You
are not deaf, supposea' said the spin
ster, going on laboriously with her darn
ing.
It was the guaintest of old-fashioned
rooms where they sat. The floor was
covered with white, sparkling sand, ac-
cording to . custom inherited from
old colony" days, and the walls were
stained dull red. Antique chests of
drawers, filed with mysterious treas.
ures, stood on both sides of the room,
and in the corner licked the tall, an
Gent -solemnly, as became q SEN
tinel who had called the "All's well!n
of the hours to dead generation. Large
vine leaves fiuttered at the open win
dows; "roses in at the lattice yearned
a-tip-toe, and good-morrow bade;"
sweet throats sang in the high naples
that threw their greenness in over the
dull red.
swell, about the ghostP You have
not told Us" said Irene, eager-eyed and
impatient.
"Did you see ftp" asked Eunie.
Aunt Patty pursed her mouth.
I" Well, no." she said; "but can tell
you who did"
"Who, then, Aunt Pattya" said both
ut once.
"It was young man who was en-
gagged to Mrs. Bill Bradley. our neigh
Dor. Don't you ever tell of it, girls
The young mans name was Huntoon,
John Huntoon, and he lived over here
in Eastield. Mrs. Bradley wasn't the
queer thing then that she is now, but
full Of life, merry as a cricket, and hand
some as q wax doll. She was brought
up in Deacon Huntoon's family was
Johns father, the Deacon was-and
she was engaged to John before his
mother died. But Mrs. Deacon Hun
toon died when Lyddy Chats Mrs.
Bradley's name) was Is. Before Lyddy
and John were quite ready to marry,
the Deacon himself took q second wife,
and it was the Widow Crane of Dorset.
She was one of your high-feeling danes,
and she told John one day that she was
surprised to see him 80 taken up with
that girl when he could do SO much bet
ter for himself. But John said that he
was doing - well as he wanted to, and
went of whistling Hail Columbia.
She said something again to the same |
purport, but here the Deacon interfered,
and told his wife that Johns mother
approved the match when she was alive,
and that John thought the world of. his |
mother, and she'd better let it drop. i
"sIs that the casea' said she that had |
bean the Widow Crane of Dorset, as
serene - the moon and smooth as deep
water. is that the caseP thought
his mother could not have been aware
of the attachment. Well, she must
have known Lyddy, 30 doubtless it is all
ight-'
"She could put on the most graceful
way you ever saw, and now she began
10 make deal of Lyddy, and treated
her like q London doll, and John was
pleased enough with the change
swell, things went on 50 for some
lime. Lyddy was spinning and weav-
ing linen (for girls had to make their
own outfits out of the fax in those days),
making it up into sheets and pillow
beers, and piecing her bed-quilts as
merry as lark. 1t had got to be Oc-
tober, and they were to be married on
Thanksgiving Day evening.
IAN 1t once John grew 80 melan-
,boly that every body noticed it. He
ooked like death whenever he saw Lyd-
iy, and avoided her all he could. She
aad gone away from the Deacon's then.
"Finally John let it drop that he'd
zen ghost, and that was all they could