The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-10-24
A Ghost Story.

Messrs. EdltOrs:-As read in a recent
issue of The TIMES of the marvellous adven-
ture of "Q."-by the way, Q. has plaster Q /,
so to speak, his personality so thickly, all
over that article that there is no mstaking
his identity, but am glad to say. have
little sense of the fitness of things, and will
not initiate the exceedingly bad example of
the Reporter newspaper, of this city by
naming him. But L was about to say that
Q's ''Sinbad the Sailor reminds me of an
adventure, I'm fact of ghost story.
will premise by saying that belong to
ghOstly family, of an old New England
stock, and that it is only by the most rigid
mental training that L have been able to
emancipate myself from this superstition.
AS an instance OF my dread, in this respect,
l remember that when boy of ten years
was obliged one summer I'm driving our COW
to pasture to pass through burying ground
and If had been belated from any cause,
and the stars began to blink, my only hope
of getting through that dreaded ground
without the risk of encountering ghostly
visitant was to sieze the cow by the tail and
compel her to 2:40 gait the rest of the way
home. As an instance of wonderful animal
sagacity, may mention incidentally that so
accustomed had the COW become to this pro-
ceeding, that when we reached the borders
Of the cemetery the thoughtful old beast
would stOp, hold out her tail to me. and
then we would go kiting through the city of
the dead. But In later years wlien had
become man, i'm stature, and had, as sup
posed, put away childish things, my cour-
age was subjected to a scverer test Old
settlers will remember that forty and more
years ago there was large dense cedar
swamp, rather more than half way between
Pittsburg and Perry. Through this swamp
an opening had been made barely wide
enough for wagon track, which consisted
of a corduroy made of small poles. 1t was
dismal place even in broad daylight, but
especially SO at night to young chap who
was sure that sometime he would be carried
off by some supernatural agency.
had been or miles south of this swamp
to visit patient, and had set out for home
some hours after dark. My patient had not
got along very wel-in fact was dead; and
as had been at the business only few
months that condition of things had not yet
become monotonOus; indeed you may readily
see that everything tended to produce feel
Ing or apprehension of ghOstliness. At the
most inOppCrtune time also it occurred TO me
! that about two years before while was a stu
dent, had met In the center of that swamp,
of two hours conversation had given me
much excellent advice, and being aware
how little had prOfted by it, became full
ly impressed with the belief, as approach.
ed the spot that the doctor, who has passed
away the year before, would meet me again
In the same spot and call me to an account
which was not just then prepared to rem
der. In vain reasoned: the doctor was a
Christian gentleman, he was my friend OF
course, he has been In Heaven q year and
has forgotten me, he would have done me
no harm while living, why should he now
that he Is dead? All To no purpose. AS
approached the fatal spot every other feel
ing was overbOrne by sense of abject fear
l whipped my horse into a dead run, fool
ishly thinking, IL j thought at all, that
could Outrun "a ghost. As / approached
the spot L seemed fascinated, sure enough,
there was the ghost, white as marble, gilt
tering In the dim starlight, swaying, dane
ing In the night breeze, impalpable, weird,
devlsh, i was I'm mortal terror, my hair,
long, for such was the fashion. rose with
such a sudden, irresistible impulse that my
hat was lifted from my head and fell upon
the ground. Without much consciousness /
whipped out pistol mot revolver, Mr.. @.
be consistent-we didn't have revolvers
when you shot the peddler-the rObber,
mean) and discharged 1t point blank at the
ghost. just then, as If fate would do its
worst, my horse stuck one leg between the
loose poles clear to the knee. Here / was
handicapped In the very presence of the
outraged, insulted ghost. 1t was too much.
When i regained conciousness was lying
fortunately on my back In the soft mud
beside the causeway. The early morning
sun was shining brightly. AS ! staggered
to my feet my gaze met the ghost.--No, 1t
was dried calf skin that, as | afterwards
learned, had caught on an overhanging
limb as a peddlers wagon had passed under
it the preceding evening-that 1t was my
ghost knew. for there was my bullet hole
through it. picked up my hat, got under
my horse, lifted him out of the mire, climbed
into the saddle, shook my fist at the calf
skin and then and there took leave of
ghosts forever. &. Il. 7.