Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-01-01
UNDER TEE MISTLETOE;
OR,
HOW a Ghost was Caught.
BY LORRAINE LESTER.


Keith Nugent was very practical
minded man. He did not believe in
ghosts or wraths or warnings or, in
fact, anything connected with the
marvellous. But he once saw a ghost
and laid it out. and very proud was
he of the exploit.
1t was his fortune once to rent with
some fellow engineers a semi detached
house near the village of Sanford.
The other half was occupied by Mr..
Leonard and his daughter Kate.
After they had hired an ancient
colored woman to cook for them she
informed them that the house was
haunted, and nothing would induce
her to stay there at night.
''Bless yer SOULS" she SAID, ode
hull town knows dat ar story, and
mighty glad was ole John Johnson to
git rid OBJ de house. Dis chile amt
feared in de day, but wiz bosses don't
drag me here in de night. You see
dar was a violent man liv here as tu'n
his YOU wife out OBJ do, and she
wander in the snow till she done
frcza, and she come an tap at de
winder and cry. Let me in, Charlie
oh, Charlie, let me in, till she fall
stun deal"
''But what in thunder does she
want to come back for?" said Keith.
DE good Lord knows" said Dinah,
shaking her woolly head. ''But she
do walk, sho's yer born"
On the second night of their So
lourn, the four men were smoking in
the front room, when Frank Osborn
ran up stairs for his tobacco. He
came !own almost Immediately look
ing little scared.
'Hello what's up9" cried Keith.
There's something very queer up
stairs" he answered with shiver.
''What sort of something's
Il think it's ghost!" he stammer-
ed.
"A what2"
''Well, il was a white thing outside
of my window tapping and moaning.
1t seemed to me like white iuttering
and two cleaning eyes,.
Keith Nugent ran upstairs and
flung open the window in Frank
room.
OF course there was nothing to be
seen.
He shut down the unoffending win
dow with an awful bang. saying to
himself: "What fool that fellow is.
He'll be getting in to an asylum some
day with his spiritualistic bosh. It's
only the shadow of that tree"
He went downstairs and chaffed
Frank not little.
The latter seemed nervous and did
net care TO sleep IN his own room,
though he would not own it.
Il say, Frank" said the good-natur-
ed Dick Gordon, Il don't half like
sleeping alone. I wish you'd come
and share my ROOM l can take a
shake-down on the sofa"
Keith went to his own room and
laid awake for awhile thinking Of
Frank and his fancies.
He was reused by the sound of the
church clock striking ID. When
silence prevailed he suddenly sat up
in bed listened attentively, for some
one or some thing was tapping at the
window.
He crept very cautiously out of bed
and peeped between the curtain and
the window frame.
Yes, there was something.
v
figure ID white garments that beat and
fiuttered in the breeze.
It did not seem to have much shape.
but very distinctly he saw two dark
cleaning eyes peering out froa a
mass of dark hair. 1t was certainly
ghostly looking being.
1t leaned against the window with
one hand while it tapped with the
other, moaning and sobbing LET me
IN. Charlie, let me in"
Keith Nugent stood for moment
awestruck, not frightened. But it
was an uncanny thing.
to stand as lightly clad as he was at
midnight in December is not calculat-
ed to promote warmth, to say nothing
of having a ghost within yard of
you.
He pulled aside the curtain with a
jerk and the ghost vanished.
A few nights after that Keith came
home rather late and went into the
dining room to look for his cigar case.
While feeling about for it he heard
tie moaning at the window again and
the voice:
LET me in! Let me inis
There had been considerable fall
of snow that had drifted up on the
veranda.
Without a moments hesitation he
threw up the window, just in time to
see the ghost vanish at the further
end of the veranda. STOPPING down,