The Penn's Grove record., 1889-01-12
NUMBER "a.

zzx,
mile erhead where, perhaps, ye mought
stay" he replied, as he scratched
thoughtfully among his lank sunburnt
locks, "but they say hits full er
! haunts. An old Frenchman was killed
thar onct and hid under the floor.
Folks lows his speIit walks thar o.
nights yit, and 1 can't say how We
moight find things. The cabins thar,
eff ye've err mind ter try hit, and ef
you're afeerd 1 will stay by the camp
fire in front or hit, with your niggers.
l low the old 'oman III git erlong well
enough without me at home Tonight"
THANK you," said auntie, in a re-
lieved voice; 'tdrive On Josh, We'll try
it."
We found the building "a tumble
down affair" sure enough-a rough
pile of poles, destitute Of a fire place
and with a loose. creaking floor. But
we were thankful even for q leaky
roof.
/ The "native" camped with the ser.
wants, although could perceive my
aunt would readily have dispensed
with his services. But he helped the
negroes about the trunks, and nailed a
bench 70" us to sit upon, as we were in
want of chairs. Hetty cooked a nice
supper; and chicken. ham, and biscuit
were partaken of with a relish. after
our weary days journey. A few
crumbs fell or to the floor, and chicken
bones were thrown down with them.
We were not particularly neat in that
old cabin. The ''native" received his
portion gladly, and ate by the camp
fire with great apparent gusto. We
had one of the carriage lamps brought
in, and amused ourselves with reading
until 10 O'Clock. Then we barred the
door as best we could on the inside,
and retired.
1t was l o'clock when my aunt was
aroused by soft footsteps stealing over
the floor. She instantly awoks me.
"Do you hear that?" she said in a
whisper. SIT must be the French
mans ghost"
1 listened breathlessIy. The noise
could be distinctly heard-a soft. pat
terlng step-sometimes approaching
our mattress bed, sometimes wandering
away from it. Once or twice it pulled
at the bed covering, then fell back
with a humping sound.
What was to be donep The carriage
lamp sat on the bench at the other end
Of the room; We could not reach it
without traversing the length of the
floor, and who would attempt that,
with those mysterious, ghostly foot
steps on the creaking planks? The
servants were sound asleep; not q spark
remained of the campfire, for the rain
had eXtinguished the last ember. 1t
was pouring down In torrents. You
can imagine how weird and dreadful
was the situation. We lay and listened
and trembled through what seemed an
age to me. Finally something crawled
over us, and a rough, shaggy some
thing like a mans beard brushed my
aunt's face. She uttered Il nervous
shrek and threw herself on to the
floor. 1 followed in less time than 1t
takes to write it. We both rushed
from the horrible place out into the
driving rain.
The negroes came at our first call.
but it was a long time before the sleepy
headed NATIVE" could be aroused. He
was snoring audibly in a dry place
under the wagon. lie came forth at
last rubbing his eyes. Il tole ye how
1t wud be,' he said, "thet internal hole
is haunted fur shore" When we re-
turned to the house, armed with fam.
ing torches, and followed by u half
falnting, scared negroes, nothing was
to be found in the CABIN. We sat up
the rest Of the night, and at early
dawn left the cabin and the moulder-
ing bones of the Frenchman behind US.
Auntie declared that she was nervous,
and wanted to get as far from tie
ghostly spot as possible.
1t vas not until some days after, that
Sambo aired his opinions upon the SUBJ
ject.
dat ghosts, dat Harmed you so dat
night, Mistls, was muffin zen de round
worle, but dat yaller mans tame o
Hit crawled through dc floor after
chicken bones an sich like, an fout 1t
wud sleep on your bed, an keep out
OBJ de rain.
II knows better dan dat" ex-
claimed IIetty, who had all the super
stition OF her race. SEE dat want a
ghost what scared Miss July and Miss
Kitty, I'D like ter know what hit war?
Pshawl Sambo, yoa don't know a ting
erbout hit"
Perhaps Sambo was right, but Aunt
julia and l have meyer forgotten the
Haunted Cabin.