, 1888-11-20
Ia HAUNTED FAMILY.

Ihad ridden all day through an appa-
rently interminable pine foresto of north
Georgia, and as evening closed In both
myself and my horse, tired and hungry,
began to look out for some place at which
we could obtain rest ard refreshment for
the night. My objective point was Gala
ghan's, a stage road station where l ex-
pected to meet my friend Whipple, with
whom l had promised to stop for a day or
two. / should ave reached his place be-
fore sunset, but as twilight descended !
became conscious hat | must nave taken
n wrong branch road, and so missed my
way. In this dilemma | was glad to per-
ceive at some distance before me a faint
and uncertain light, toward which / urged
my tired horse.
A few moments brought us to n sub
stantial log house standing a little back
from the road, in the midst of a CLEAR
ing" The bars were down, in the. care
less fashion of this thinly settled part of
the country, SO, riding directly up to the
house, l raped smartly upon the door
with my whip handle. 1t struck me as
rather strange that on a warm September
evening such as this both doors and win
lows should be closed, and. as a bright
pine knot blaze was visible through the
chinks, l was still more surprised at re-
ceiving no answer to my summons. Rap
ping again, / was conscious of a stir with
in; a woman's voice broke out in a half
suppressed exclamation, and two children
began to cry.
Surmising that these might be timid
people left alone in the cabin l called out
cheerily, and AZ the same moment my
horse whinnied in a friendly manner.
Upon this the door was partially opened
by a woman whose half eager. half fright.
~ened face was made visible by the light OF
a pine torch which she held above her
head. l briefly explained the situation,
and the woman at once opened the door
wide.
Come right inl" she said almost eagerly.
"You'uns hes follered the wrong road an
lief Calaghan's morn five miles back.
Thar amt a place roun' here whar you
ii git a bed an supper less you be kin.
tent to stay here tonight. Thar's a nice
bed in Jenny's room, seem Jenny's away
TO her g~ran'f'ther's; an for vittles we kin
give you fried chicken, an bac'n-an-eggs,
if thatn kintent you. Here, Joe, take
the boss an see he's tended o."
But Joe. n boy of some 12 or 10 years,
held back. He peered a~pprehensively out
into the darkness, and at length proposed
that l should accompany him to the sta
bic, as he said, to see that the horse was
properly attended to. With this request
L COulplleu, anu Oh my return 10 the CABIN
felt considerably enlivened by the wei
come odor of boiling coffee and other
Viands which my hostess was preparing
for my supper. lnow observed that there
was a man lying on n bed in a corner OF
the neat and comfortable room-a pale,
anxious looking man, who, his wife
told me, was down with a spell O. the
the shakes" meaning chills and fever, q
complaint not in this part of
the country.
1T amt took a how'll on me for a many
years back, he said, raising himself on his
pillow, NOR wouldn't this time eff twarn't
for q considerable shake up and duckin' /
got two nights ago. Did you'ns come by
the ford four mile below here? An did
yer happen to view anything anyway out
o the common"
l had come by the ford, l replied, but
had seen nothing ut all unusual; and then
j noticed that thehusband and wife looked
Mt each other and then glanced n~ervously
toward the curtained windows.
- "Tell him bout it, Dick, the woman
said, as she turned the nicely Drowned
chicken in the frying pan. "Mebbe he'll
know more bout the nature of it than
we'uns."
At this the mar abruptly commenced.
Eye see | was down to Woods mill
with ole Hick'ry an two bags o. corn to be
ground an twas purity late when | come
to start home, Their moon was ies' risin'
outer the big pine tree atop O. Breen's
hill when we crossed the ford n come
nigh ter the landin'. The warter was
pretty deep thar an the bank high, and
jes cz we was a-wadin' through / happens
to look up, an '-pausing and regarding
me keenly-"you'uns won't skeercely be,
ieve it, but see a misty shadder of &
creeter-a man's shape it was-come
skimmin' long in an out behind the
bushes 'thout techin' O. the groun', an all
of a student melt out o sight, like
nothin' on airth could melt but a-spook. =
The woman rocked herself uneasily in
her chair and her husband put up his
hand and wiped his damp brow.
"Look-a-hyar, stranger" he resumed,
impressively, nara body kin say tibet
Dick Carney's one to blieve in spooks an
sperits an setcb like, but what l seer
thet night | seen, nor carn't make it other
ways. | seen tibet critter fly like a bird
in the air 'thout fetching anything, mol
maxim one bit O noise, but jes clawin' his
way long like he was swimmin'. An
what's more, Ole Hick'ry seen it likeways,
fur he gin a snort an backed inter the
river, an afore | could git n grip onteI
the bride over he went, AMI had a swim
fur dear life afore | .ot on t'other side.
Wal, l tramped up TO the ferry nighthree
mile above here, drippin' wet, an three
mile back this side, an was all shook w
with the chills when | got home bout day.
break. Ole Hick'ry come home safe an
SCUM a leetle later, but faint likely him
nor neil forgit what we seen tibet night. y
1 hardly knew VIII; TO say to this singu.
lar story. NY own idea was that Mr..
Carney had probably taken a drop toe
much at 'tke mil"-but not daring tc
hint at this l contentcd myself with sug.
costing an optical illusion, and explaining
- - .a-,A. --rgII- .L.-1v it'll