The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-02-06
ARP AND THE GHOSTS.
BILL TELLS OF \ MIDNIGHr AID,
MEN TURE.

II Ghn>i 1T rhcrr Nv" Ghosts Tbrs
NJ" tnhnppr.
! VAS IumiiIniIng nD ~ Ghn-l = :.rll,
Of course, there are u, s;I.n tnInts-.-thaL
is to say nobody has ever seen ono, bat
we have nll com" prstty mean il, Several
times | have almost srcn n ghost. The
fact is Trey wDn'' let vru see 'cm right fair
and square, 80 'ha; y"n could : wear lolt.
A visible ghost wouldu', hr Il 2ru,t, aud
an invisible uhosi /. hard /" svr. c,p,.
C'nlly in the dark. Il :; 'urI" are times
and places whcn We Cau,t hc!p irving to
see them. Now, Of course, tncrc are no
such tnlng., bn1 still they have habits
and hannts just like folks.
They stay around graveyard, and up
stairs in dark closets, ard they walk the
road in dark, sw"mpy ln:",. aad Ilngcr
around c"uut'y mre'ing hol-cs IN The
night. Tn"y like dark, gloomy 'lta
places, AM that makes me th,uk that
ghosts are unnnppy. Tncy have done
something ba or suiTc.cd some great
misfortune before they were turned iuto
ghosts. The spirit oi good people cont
make ghosts. II was hard work for the
witch IF Endcr ogct the spitrt Of sam
uel to come up. He Glnu't want 10
come up, and SAID "why hn-t thou dis
Quictcd me 20 bring mc upf' Aud that
Is the reason why we n,c at urud Of
ghosts. They are the epirrts of bad pc0-
pie. we'll, Of course. there are no such
things, but this Is the wny We think
about it. | saw ghost one daik night
rs | wn+ passln. the old Fuirvicw church,
about tw" miles from town. L. was
walking right towards me III the bio
road, and WAS " whItc-. perfectly white
and had legs and arms but no head. |
WAS about to turn my hon ST aud run but
he didn't want to tuIn--hc wanted TO 90
home, and he WASH scared u bit, and
so | lct hIm rack on unill we met the
ghOsf, and it WAS the miller going home
with Il sack Of flour across hi. SHOULDERS
and his head and his white hat bent Tor
ward. That liked to invr been ghos'
In fact. 1t would have been if il hudn't
been the miIIcr. Many Il time have |
Thought how near | came TO- seeing N
ghost, and III not sure yet bur what ii
WA ghost, nnd suddenly turned m,o
the m'i'rr They arc mighty smart, ami
as quick m~ l'ghthins--. that is, II there
are any such things, which, OF cuuiar,
there are not.
Last night aOOut 10 O'Clock | WAS , ON.
my over the high hlll that IS back OF our
house. had been To see II sick graud-
child and 1t was II near way to come by
the old graveyard. Nobody has been
buried there for i"r,y years, but that
makes 1t all the worse for ghosts They
are cid experienced ghosts, and can Just
rnlsr up the hair on II mans head most
nwful--thnt il, II he has any hair. That
Is one advantage bald -hradcd man has
over other people. y ghost can't raise
up his hair. wish it could, that is IT it
would stay raised. That old graveyard
has tried the iorttuie Of my chilurun
many time, and lnst, might it tried Inc
for il was very dark and the little pines
were gloomy ond sighed mournfully in
the wind l WAS coming down the
steep hill feeling my way along careful
ly with my cane, when just as happen
ed 10 glance upward to the drStant hori-
zon in search OF light, saw II dark
shadowy figure bob up scrcncly Just nc-
tore me md stop and stopped. was
just ab 'ut to run int" thc thing, but az
L
IA very cautious step. 1t quivcrcd II
little, but came no nearer Again | step.
ped forward and gave Il sweeping stroke
with my cane. rs If TO cut i. IN two, and
| did cut in two, but 1t never moved
Amazed, | paused and pUudcIcd. and
said TO myself, "Wh4t IN the dickens is
it' Just then III ,hc dark, dim light Of
the murky horizon away In the east
G l,,,, 1
become pointed at the top, and all a,
once 1t flashed over mc that it WAS tue
stccplc Of the Methodist churcn that WAS
a quarter OF Il Inlic away. Aud it was
OF course didcnt strike at 1t aIv more
aud | felt cheap as dirt for being such a
fool, hnt comlortcd myself in thinking
how brave WAS and thar showed fight
at II ghost. May be it WAS IA ghost Who
knows Dut what IT WAS IL genuine ghost
! and for fear "t being caught and expo,
cUi, 1t turned itself into that siccpIc. No
wonder 1t scared me, for The poet says
Some have mistaken srumps andlposls
| For Sr"ctr"s. apparitous, ghosts
| But when ii turns intou II Stccplc
| twill alarm The most OF people
IL Is astonishing how a big thing ava,
! OH can turn into a nt!ic thing close hy
! and VICE versa. Albert Strickland toir
| mo that he knew IL feilcr to shoot Mn,
! times At II coon in the fork Of = ycr,
/ high poplar tree and nobody cnul,i Sc,
that coon but him. Albert SAYS tina, a
last an idea struck him, and he wen
close up to the tc!icr, as he was loadip,
his rife for another shot, and he discov
cred Il little 1uZzv animal hanging to ,
halr on his eyebrow. lie brushed it of
with straw, and the fS!lcr couldcnt fin,
that coon any more. The httlc npima
belonged IN his head, but had strayc,
OIL on an exploring expedition, and wa
teaching the young idea how 20 shoot
Albert didn't say who the fcllrr was, bu
have always had nay opinion
am rumlnating about ghosts tonirht
because ! am alone in a great two-stor
house with seven rooms and Il uarrc,
| hear somt thing in that gurrct now
My folks have all gone to the show
| 1hey dldnL press lie tn 20, and MI.
Arp sal": n SUPPOSE YOU are going I
write yonr letter to might, aud 50 yo
can take care OF 'hc houSr." ''IC
mA'nm." sand |, With my uccustumc
mcckncss. They left the lamp burnin
In the prrlor. | know they did, and
heard the front door close. heard
| at