Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-11-05


the lace string Of her cap and lifted 4
bit ofmuslin lying on the table, Twice
this breeze Is cold as ice swept past
her, and then close ~ her ear there
was loud, earnest whisper She
couldn't catch word. II WAS iuartic-
ulate but quick and anxious, just As il
some one had lost the power of speech
and was struggling 10 make himself nm
derStood. This went on for while, and
then ended in Il long sigh.
She took the lamp and walked slow
IL round the room, the voice following
her all the way. II seemed So close
that ifwhat was speaking had lips they
must touch her cheek, but when she
looked there vas nothing Thewhispering
at times got angry and impatient, and
then would sink low down and end III
a half sob;-and whether She sat or
stood or walked about it was always the
same there was the cold wind, the
whisper without words and the sigh,
Jane, rs | have told you is Il brave
woman, but she said she had no words
tc describe her feelings because of this
unseen presence. She could have
borne il better if il had taken visible
shape or spoken in language 70 be UNI
derstood, but 10 know that II was beside
her, It's cold breath ON her cheek. its
voice close to her ear yet neither to
be seen or touched, was more thnn She
could endure. So like the simple
Molly and her own girls Mt whose fears
she had laughed Jane fairly ran away
from the ghost
After this the room was vacant for Il
while, then there came from the
country good woman who had hecna
nurse in James family. She had found
work in the city and wanted ! lodging
room, but the only empty room II the
house was the attic chamber.
III take it, says Nancy Flint. "A
ghost M there is there? lor, its the live
folks that do the mischief i'll the world
to my thinkin. I'll have to be Il
ghost myself sometime, then LII have
to keep company with other ghosts
shan't ~ .Taint bad idet to kinder
git acquainted with one afore hand.
SO her hair-trunk was carried up
stairs and Miss Nancy established her
self in the attic chamber. She used to
tell her adventures with the ghosts
somewhat on this wise.
wv ell, looked to the door an Win
der, an made sure there wasn't any
body hid in the closet nor under the
bed; an then | read Il chapter in my
Bible an said my prayers and went to
bed an to sleep. An after spell |
woke up all Ola shivcr with blast Of
cold air in my face an something
whispering in my ear, an says l. who
be We, an what do We want2 an all the
answer | got was 'swis swis swiS--'
can't We speak plainer?' says | | don't
understand We. Swiss wis-Swis.
says the ghost, For the lands sake
says |, don't whisper You make me us
nervous rs witch. Speak right ont
loud, now, and mebbc can sense what
We say.
Speak an let Yer wants be known,
Speakin may relieve yc
But ii was no use talkin' that Clittur
wouldn't do nothin but whisper. AFTER
4 spell got clear out o patience.
"'ler ought 10 he ashamed Of yer
self, says | 'Aint yer got nothin' bet
ter to do than to keep poor hard
working woman from her natural rest?
! must say yc don't show good man
ners whoever We be, BLOWN cold breaths
in Il body's face, an swis-swis swisin'
III their ears. | believe yer do il out
of pure cussesness. Now Jest go back
ter where yer belong, an snuggle down
an keep quiet do yer hear There
We are off again with yer everastin'
Cab that don't mean nothin' Great
Moses, jumped out O bed nm went
stompin' round the room as mad rs ]
could be, an that erittur follcrin' close
an whispcrin' all the way.
"All ut once | stepped on u rotten
board in the floor an broke through;
then | was madden than ever, for
reckoncd I'd twisted my ankle an like
as not would be laid up with it for a
fortnight; an | reached for the lamp
an was lookin' for the hole my foot had
made, when | see somethin' shrnin'
down there. | poked round in the
rubbish an picked up n silver dollar
nm that set me lookin closer, an
found another An then if you'll be-
lieve it, right out Of that hole, covered
al! over with dust an cobwebs, an so
rotten with age it most fell to pieces in
my hands, | pulled up an old stockin',
the foot chuck full Of silver money
dollars an halfdollars an quarters,
kinder old fashioned an queer lookn',
but reel good money. Twas so took up
with il, sortin on it out an countin il
over, that forgot all about the ghost;
an when did remember, if you'll be-
lieye me there wasn't no ghost there.
An what's more there ha'n't been,
from that day TO this. tied the
money up in an old handkerchief an
put it under my piller an went to bed
an 70 sleep an I've slep' in the attic
chamber ever since, an don't ask for
a quicter lodgin'.
i do suppose il Was MI along Of the
money hid in stockin that the ghost
pcstered everybody 50, an jest as quick
a. laid hold on ii, il see tho silver was
in good hands an went away quiet an
peaceable to wait for the day Of judg-
ment
We'll, gin some of that money to
the missionaries. an me an Jane Curtis
had the rest. .Wdry Spring Corning, n
Good Compdnn