The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-05-03
THE PHANTOM DOG.
Hal Rowland'H Story.

know what kind of yarn TO spin, as
my sailor uncle would say, unless you'd
like to hear about tho phantom dog of
Rowland Farm. You would, heyP
Well, here goes.
Our family, you know, have owned
Rowland Farm more'n hundred
years, and part of it is Just as when
they first owned it. The kitchen is.
And it's large enough for dozen New
York City kitchens-flat kitchens, l
mean--with great big Fireplace.
smoky old rafters, brick floor and enor-
nous closets. Our folks don't use it
'cept in summer, cause it's too cold
there at other times, and there isn't
any way to warm it unless we spent
fortune on tire-wood. They use the
new kitchen on the other side OF the
house, which isn't as picturesque, but is
good deal more com fort be.
And the rooms over the old kitchen
are just as they were first built, too,
with little high-up windows and low
ceilings. One of them is my den, and
the other is spare room for boys.
And there's long passageway lighted
by a skylight leading from these rooms
to the new part of the house. | chose
oi''p iOohi SOpi - Spe Oili CnOu3E W
have room to myself, cause | could
stamp round and whistle and sing as
much as | had mind to there without
somebody calling out every m mute:
'Oh, Hal! for mercy's sake do stop
that noise!" And | wasn't q bit afraid
to sleep there, though lots of old people
down in the village said thai in old
times the long passageway used to be
haunted from eleven till twelve o. clock
by phantom dog. 1t seems one of my
Observation-Disclosures was very
bad-tempered man, and very cruel to
animals, and one night poor, half
starved dog got into the house. and
whined and howled and made row
generally outside of his bedroom door.
Well, my amiable g.-g.-g. got up,
dragged the wretched beast downstairs,
through the kitchen, and out into the
back yard, and there he shot him. Aud
ever after that until my g.-g.-g. died
so the story goes-the ghost of that dog
came every night, at the hour it had
been shot, and howled at my g-g.-g-'s
door. And that ism t all Some of the
village venerables declare that it has
been seen several times since my g.-g..
G. died.
/ never took much stock in the story
myself, cause | don't believe in suct
things, neither does my mother; but, tc
tell the mp and down truth, did feel 8
Little queer on two or three very dari
nights when l was wakened out of s
sound sleep by big strange bark
Well, as | was saying, the phantom-dos
story didn't scare me much, but ont
night l pretended it did. Twas one
night in the last part of May, when my
second cousin, Hobe Horton, was visit
ing us.
Hobe had lived way off West eve
since he was a baby, aud I'd never seer
him before this visit. He's slim chap
with enormous gray eyes and curly ligh
hair, and he speaks soft as 9 rl-so;te
than lots of girls, cause there's no de
were deaf, unless they're wniSperin!
secrets l thought when they told m,
he was com ng that was 90 ng to SCI
regular out-and-out backwoodsman
chock full of fun and stories bout lear
and buiialoes and Iniuns.
But HoDe said his mamma hadn't lie
him hunt bears and bulaloes and In
iuns much. And oh! wasn't he good
He was too good for an thing. AM
my mother and my grandmother ant
my aunts--I've got five kept a-saying
Take pattern by your cousin, Hal
He never talks slang, nor shins up tire
and tears his trousers, nor blacks
friends eye, nor puts mice in the com
pany's hat, nor spills 'lasses on the doc
mat. And he always says yes, sir
and mo, SIR and yes, ma am an
mo, ma'am.' ms cad of yep an
nope, and it's pla to be seen that h
would act like a perfect gentlema
under any circumstances, and never g
yelling round, as you do sometimes
even ii the house were aiire."
Well, you know that sort of talk to
fellow bout another fellow nearly set
fellow wild, and | got to almost hat
ing that Hobe. did, and l made up IN
mind that I'd try to make him yell once
and that without Sc ting the house
fire either. And so one night went t
Hobe's ro0m-it was the room opposit
to mine and l began talking about tn
phantom dog.
"And do you know any one that ha
really seen it?" said Hobe.
1.-Two of our servants who used {
sleep in this part OF the house say the
saw something strange around her
once, and they were SO frightened tina
my mother had to give them a ROOF
.. near her, said |.
I'D you ever see it?" said he.
mo-" said l. II can't exactly 50