Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-04-18
UNCLE JABE's GHOST STORY.


aav IA don't; never saw one myself;
suppose | amt spiritual enough, and l
wasn't born clairvoyant RS / knows on.
When was a boz the ghost went by the
name of spook=; and I've listened to tales
that would make your hair rise, and you'd
let the fire 20 out before you'd 30 TO the
wood pile for a stick of wood after dark
you'd be that afraid. Come to think ont
our folks had ghost once; that is, it
was sorter in the family, belonged by
rights TO a sister in-law OF my mothers
second husband, who was her second
cousin as we'll"
We we're sitting round the FIRE, Uncle
Jabe and /, one cold dismal night out ia
California. had gone out there for my
health; my throat had been troubling me,
so my careful mother had insisted on me
staying for a year; the rainy season had
begun, and Uuote Jabe had a good wood
fire in the old Franklin that he had
brought out 10 California because 10 had
belonged to his dead mother. Honest
old Jabe had taken pity on my forlorn
condition, and had invited zoe TO make
him visit; he was an old bachelor and
had come out years before and made his
fortune; and in the evening of his days
Che was 7s) was talking solid comfort IN
his beautiful home a little ont of Pasa
dena. He fancled that looked like
woman that he had known when he was
young man, ana that accounted for his
unusual talkativeness; for he was one of
the "silent" ones generally, but once set
him agoing he was very long winded as
the following story shows:-
Well, was born and brought mp in blue
Connections, IN the sleepy old town of
Lisbon, and after mothers second mar
riage I went 70 Albany and stayed 10
years. / want happy a. home, mothers
a,cond husband had a red headed darter he
brought along with him TO our farm land
his new home); she WAS two years young
or than me, and awful dlsagreeabe and
sassy; the house want big enough to hold
us both, 80 I left home.
The old man had another darter, two
years older than our beauty and just my
age; she was au awful pretty girl, and no
more like her sassy sister than ohalk's
like cheese. Her name was Thankful;
she was named for her grandma on her
mothers side, aud when abe was 2 years
old she went to live with maiden aunt
(her mothers oldest sister, who had
tidy farm and money in the bank up in
Woodbury.; and il vas an understood
thing that Thankful was TO have what
there was after her aunt vas laid away.
Thankful was her favorite; she couldn't
abide the Other sister, who was named
Mlraudy after herself, aud shs never had
her up to Woodbury. but once, aud that
visit, she sud, was "suthoient for a life
time.n
Aunt Mirandy was big woman, Il cad
full heavy footed, and sorter slow and I'M
wieldy ina her notions; and when young
Mirandy was up there on her first and
last visit, she sorter ired the old lady by
making some disparRgin illusions to
Aunt Micaudy's great SIZE and awkward
ness-by telling of her she took up
as much room "A fourteen old bureaus
and "that she needed a block and tackle
hand, in the house to hist her arouud;"
that ERE made the OLD Indy awfUl mad,
and she said abe want agoiu' TO be treat
cd with contumely in her old age, and in
her own house, too, 10y sassy gal, so she
packed young Miraudy OF home quicker,
and she never had her there again.
( was powerful fond of Thankful; and
il my affections hadn't been otherwise en-
gagged and had had an iuhling of
hog things we're Rgoiu' 70 tu-n ont,
might have been q married man by now,
perhaps with little grandchildren round
me; but IL warn't to be. Thankful was
tall as any fir tree, and as straight, she
had lovely blue eyes, ard long wevy yell
low hair that curled around her white
forehead ia the rings baby curls | called
th,m-see there is one Of them now in
my pocket book, straight nose, good
int yrb ,i.tvt ion,