The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-11-11

blowing in her face. and something was
whispering in her ear; "And oh, Nell!
let's run down to mothers ROOM"
Jane charged the girls to say nothing
OF what had happened, and determined
to watch the next night in the attic
chamber. Now Jane Curtis isn't the
least bit superstitious and has plenty of
nerve and courage, and she wouldn't
tell a lie to save her life, so what she
says happened in that room, I know
it happened as we'll as if I had been
there myself.
She put her lamp on the table, she
said, and sat knitting for half an hour.
1t was near midnight and the house
was still. All at once, around and
above her she felt a rush of cold air, so
cold it made her shiver. There was
not bit of wind outside, the door and
window were shut, but this wind stirred
the lace string of her cap and lifted a
bit ofmuslin lying on the table. Twice
this breeze as cold as ice swept past
her, and then close to her ear there
was a loud, earnest whisper. She
couldn't catch word. It was inartic-
ulate but quick and anxious, just as if
some one had lost the power of speech
and was struggling to make himself un-
derstood. This went on for while, and
then ended in long sigh.
She took the lamp and walked slow
ly round the room. the voice following
her all the way. It seemed so close
that if what was speaking had lips they
must touch her cheek,-but when she
looked there was nothing. Thewhispering
at times got angry and impatient, and
then would sink low down and end in
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, as have told you is a brave
woman, but she said she had no words
tc describe her feelings because Of this
unseen presence. She could have
borne it better if it had taken visible
shape or spoken in language to be un-
derstood, but to know that it was beside
her, its cold breath on her cheek. it's
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 a 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 ~ 'Taint a 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, I 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 a spell
woke up all ola shiyer with 81 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 I got was -swis-swis-
cant We speak palmer? says I. don't
understand ye.' 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,
Speakin' may relieve ye.'
But it was no use talkin'; that crittur
wouldn't do nothin' but whisper. Arte1
a spell I got clear out O patience.
"'Yer ought to be ashamed of yer
SELF says I. 'Aint yer got nothin' bet
ter to do than to keep poor hard,
working woman from her natural rest:
I must say we don't show good man.
ners whoever We be, BLOWN cold breaths
In a bOdy's face, an sWis-swis- swisin
in their ears. believe yer do it out
of pure cussedness. Now Jest 20 back
ter where yer belong, an snuggle down
an keep quiet; do yer heo'? There
we are off again with yer everlastin
CAB that don't mean nothin'! Great
Moses! I 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 I stepped on a rotten
board in the floor an broke through
then I 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 I see somethin' shlnin
down there. I poked round in the
rubbish an picked up silver dollar
on, fl,af cot mo looEin, oloco,. an