The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1880-11-11

shape or spoken in language to be UNI
derstood, but to know that it was beside
her, its cold breath on her cheek. its
voice close to her ear, yet neither to
be seen or touched, was more than she
could endure. So like the simple
Molly and her own girls at whose fears
she had laughed Jane fairly ran away
from the ghost.
After this the room was vacant for a
while, then there came from the
country good woman who had been a
nurse in James family. She had found
work in the city and wanted lodging
room, but the only empty room in the
house was the attic chamber.
"I'll take it," says Nancy Flint "a
ghost up there is there? Lor, its the live
folks that do the mischief in the world
to my thinkin'. I'll have to be a
ghost myself sometime, then I'll have
to keep company with other ghosts
shan't L? 'Taint bad idee 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.
"Well, l 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 I read chapter in my
Bible an said my prayers and went to
bed an to sleep. An after spell l
woke up all ola shiver with a blast of
cold air in my face an something
whispering in my ear, an says I. who
be We, an what do We want? an all the
answer l got was 'swis-swis-swis-'
cant We speak plainer?' says I. I don't
understand ye.' 'Swis-swis-swis. :
says the ghost. For the lands sake
says I, don't whisper you make me as
nervous as witch. Speak right out
loud, now, and mebbe I can sense what
We say.
Speak an let Yer wants be known,
Speakn may relieve ye.
But it was no use talkin'; that crittur
wouldn't do nothin' but whisper. AFTER
a spell got clear out O patience.
eyer ought to be ashamed Of yer
SELF, says /. Amt yer got nothin' bet
ter to do than to keep a poor hard
working woman from her natural rest?
l must say We don't show good man
ners whoever We be, BLOWN cold breaths
in body's face, an swis-swis-swisin'
in their ears. l believe yer do it out
of pure cussedness. Now Jest 90 back
ter where yer belong, an snuggle down
an keep quiet; do yer hear? There
We are off again with yer everlastin'
CAB that don't mean nothin', Great
Moses. l jumped out O bed an went
stompin' round the room as mad as |
could be, an that crittur follerin' close
an whisperin' all the way.
''All at once l stepped on rotten
board in the floor an broke through;
then l was madden than ever, for
reckoned 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' shlnin'
down there. l poked round in the
rubbish an picked up silver dollar,
an that set me lookin' closer, an I
found another An then if you'll be-
lieve it, right out Of that hole, covered
all 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 half-dollars an quarters,
kinder old fashioned an queer lookin',
but reel good money. Twas so took up
with it, sortin' On it out an countin' it
over, that I forgot all about the ghost;
an when did remember, if you'll be-
lieve me there wasn't no ghost there.
An what's more there ha'n't been,
from that day to this I tied the
money up in an old handkerchief an
put it under my piller an went to bed
an to sleep; an I've slep' in the attic
chamber ever since, an l don't ask for
a quieter lodgin'.
II do suppose it was all along of the
money hid in stockin' that the ghost
pestered everybody so, an Jest as quick
as 1 laid hold on it, it see the silver was
in good hands an went away quiet an
peaceable to wait for the day of judg-
ment.
"Well, 1 gin some of that money to
the missionaries, an me an Jane Curtis
had the rest. MARY Spring Corning, of
Good Company.