Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1880-10-12
ADAM HIMSELF SPEAKING.
Max Adeler.

~ NY "N<VV" 0SOIu WVuW VVVAvVWV
my fears and speak to it, Instead Of
burying my head under the covers, a. I
did the first time Well, sir, sure enough,
the next night, exactly at II O'Clock,
l heard faint noise by the bed, and l
looked around. There sst the spectre
in chair. sat right up and said, with
some tirmness, although my voice trem-
bled:
who are your
4 am nobody in particular now said
the ghost, but was Adam
Adam whor
Had no family uauie. There was bu.
ono family of ns, and they all knew me.
l was tie first mau, you know. You
must have heard Of me-
Yes, indeed said tho reporter.
Pm sorry can't shake hands, said
the ghost, but you might as we'll try to
shake hands with q fog bank a. with
ne. It's not sociable, l know, but l
can't help it,
oh, never mind said tho reporter,
Pm glad to see you, all the same
your name is johnson, amt itr
asked tho spectre.
No, my name is Jackson, replied the
reporter.
'Pshaw" said the ghost, Twas look
ing for man named johnson; but my
eyesight is so bad that l couldn't read
your door-plate distinctly. The worst
Of it, too, l can't wear spectacles moth
ing is substantial enough to hitch them
TO. wish some of you people would
invent an eye-g|ass that can be worn by
nearsighted ghosts. You would confer
q genuine benefaction on tho folks in
the other world
What was your business with John
son! Perhaps can
Well, in tho first place, l understand
that he is QUO of the committee appoint
ed to get up statue Of inc for the city
of Elmira. l have been in to SEQ that
statue, and l want to ask johnson
where he got the idea that ! used to
wear straw hat and side whiskers.
want to know, also, what authority he
has for giving me Roman nose
Hadn't you one of that kind?'
why, man, the Romans hadn't intro
ducod that variety Of nose in my time!
And Johnson has had me represented
with hugo serpent lying at my feet.
Now, what was the use Of bringing up
painful "reminiscences of that kind ?
Why not let the matter dropi Hanged
if like itv
It's an outrage!
Between ourselves said the spectre,
locking his misty fingers over his knee,
Il don't think much of the statue bust
ness, anyhow. Do you know what they
did? Too stingy to make fresh piece
of sculpture out of piece of marble,
they bought up a second hand statue Of
Benjamin Franklin at auction, and hired
man to work it over into me. Doesn't
look n particle like me! And, anyhow,
Franklin was no kind of a man to make
mo out of. Greenbacker or something,
wasn't hep
we consider him quite respectable
Another thing want with johnson
is to SEQ if l can't make arrangements
with some reliable spiritualistio medi-
um. Pve been crowded out in the cold
for about 1000 years, with no chance to
participate in anything. Now, I'm the
man that started this world. ! gave it
a send off, aud it really does seem hard
that can't even express my views in o
newspaper, or defend myself FROM this
calumny, just because happen to be
dead now, doesn't itF
very hard, but we didn't think you
| took any interest in such things
Certainly. often feel as if I'd like
! to express an opinion about the tariff,
or the elections, or the buzzard dollar,
or popular education, or something of
| the kind; and thon, of course, Eve
| wants to hear everything about the
fashions. l wish there was some way
for a ghost to save little money, 20
that I'd subscribe to q fashion journal
or two, just to quiet her. Do you know
Of anything could get at?'
How would it do to make an en-.
gagement at the theatre to appear az
the ghost of Hamlet's father or the
ghost of Banquo
1T doesn't strike me very favorably.
It might be considered rather undigni-
fed in the father OF the race to be hang.
ing around among scene-shifters and
tiddlers. Besides, they have too much