Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-12-01
a NIGHT of TERROR.
Mistaking n Cat for a Ghost In Old
Kentucky.

1t WAS at the close of warm day In
June that a Methods. preacher and his
son. IL years old, drove up to the
"stile" of an old Kentucky home. The
good old farmer and his wife extended
warm welcome and the visitors were
soon at home. After supper the boy,
tired and sleepy, was sent to room or
the second door, candle in hand, to re
tire for the night. For many months
the room had been unoccupied. A fond
son of the couple had died in this room
years before, and the neighbors all re-
ported that the dead boys spirit was
occasionally seen and often heard IT,
the room. The guest of the night had
heard such reports often, and was a
trifle slow about extinzuishIng the
light and going to bed. Every nook
and corner of the room was examined.
The latch Of the door was securely
fastened, and the floor beneath the bed
had been carefully surveyed before the
youth extinguished the light and leaped
into the depths of the old-fashioned
feather bed. Resigned to the situation
and hiding his head under the bed
spread, the preachers boy was soon
asleep. But he was not permitted to
be quiet long. The gentle touch of
some strange finger or foot on the COW
ering reused him, and when he raised
his head a white object glided quickly
away from the bed. Startled, but reso
lutte. he arose, lighted the candle and
searched the room, but discovered
nothing. He tried to believe that it
Uaa oil n draar, apJ a~afn ro.irod huf
not to sleep, as he was too much
frightened to court sleep again. Pres
emily he felt the same strange touch,
now it seemed that delicate hand was
slowly tracing the outline of his tremb
ling frame, till ut last he could feel the
warm breath of an approaching crea-
ture Oh his face, and hear the breath
ing, as if it We're ready to throw back
the bed-clothes and attack the helpless
victim of a real live ghost.
lie was SO terribly affrighted he
could not move. He tried in vain to
scream. He was paralyzed-put for a
moment. In his desperate strait he
threw back the cover and arose to a
sitting posture. As he did so he was
startled beyond measure to see a small
white object glide away as if in the al
and disappear al the window. Until
the candle was burned 'eut the youth
sat, trembling and afrair to move, by
the table. Then, hoping for daylight,
he yentured TO lie down again. Sleep
scon relieved hirn, and when he related
hIs experience at the breakfast table he
was rot as nervous as when lie retired
the third time IN haunted room. The
old fan '>r smiled; the preacher listened
wilhs,o. .,astonishment. and the good
= = "a RS wife seemed deeply af--
sPsctea u the suggestion of the haunt
ing presepee of a departed spirit, TIE
matter was nes; paycls iisens S,s U 8, (
Aifer breakfast the farmer took his
youthful guest to the room. From
broken window pane to the end Of the
WIDE foctboard of the old bedstead was
found a smooth board, which was used
for drying fruit. The window was usu-
ally hoisted during the sunny hours, and
this board, covered with fruit, was pro-
iected from the window to the edge Of
the roof adjoining. AT night one end
rested On the inside of the window, the
other on the bed. The window opened
d3dIHSI large StOnc CuiHHc1. d3aiuoe
which a farm ladder rested. Up tins
ladder and on TO large window
cat, with black head and feet and one
side all white, usually found its way
to the broken pane and down the board
to the comfortable bed, where she slept.
Finding strange bed-fellow, the cat
had examined him 'from the outside"
and when the boy arose or moved she
glided swiftly away along the board
and out of the windo3, only to return
again when all was quiet. But for tins
explanation the preachers son would
have always believed in ghosts. He is
now Methodist revivallst IN this state
and one of the most sarcastic critics of
Superstitious stories and ghost tales.