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

Ghost II rhcrr nv" G:bos,- rbr,
~" Unhappy.
| VAS iumlnn'lnS np II, gh",lN :.rll,
| OF course. there are n s;l..n lnInLs-~-thaL
is to say nobody has ever seen onv, but
we have all come prstty near il. Several
times have almost secn ghost. The
fact is they wJn'r let yru see 'cm right fair
and square, so tha; you could syrar toIt.
visible ghost wOuidn't u" II 2uo>t, aud
an invlsiLlc ehost IL hard I" See. c~pv-
c'ally in The dark. b; ,ncrn are times
and places whCn We cant heiD irving to
see them. Now, Of course, there are no
such thing, but still they have habits
and hannts uSr like folks.
They stay around grnveyards aud up
stairs IN dark closets, and they walk the
road in dark, sw"mpy lace,. and l,ngcr
around c"uut'y mrc'ing houses IN the
night. They like dark, gloomy ,lila v
places, ami tnat makes me think that
ghosts arc unhappy. Tney have done
something bal or suiTc,cd some GREAT
misfortune before tnry were turned into
ghosts. The spirit Of good people iou't
make ghosts. 1t was hard work for the
witch of Euder to get the spirit Of Sam
uel to come up. lie dlnu't want 10
come up, and sald "whS hn~t thou dis.
qulcted me 10 bring me upf' Aud that
Is thc reason why we uic at ufra,d Of
ghosts. They are the spirns of bad yeo-
pie. Well, of course. there are no such
things, but this Is the way we think
about It. | saw ghost one dark MIG hit
as | was passing the old Farvicw chui ch,
about two miles from town. L. was
walking night towards Inc in the bio
ROAD, and was white. .peItcctly white
ana nau legs anu arms but no head 7
was about to turn my hoIac aud run. but
nc didn't want to turn--hc wanted To 90
nome, AMI he WASH scared u bit. and
SO let hlm rack ON until we met the
ghosr, and 1t WAS the miller going home
with sack of flour across his Shoulders
and his head and his white hat bent for
ward. That liked to have been IL ghos,.
La lac'. II would have been if il hadn't
been the miller. Many II time have |
thought how near | came to- seeing ~
ghost, and IN not sure yet but what il
wns ghost, and suddenly turned mo
the miller They are mighty smart, ana
rs quick rs lightning that is, II there
are any such things, which, of coursc,
there are not.
Last night ABOUT 1Oo'clock was ON
ing over the high hill that is back of our
house. | had been to see Il sick grand
child and 1t was Il near way to come by
the old graveyard. Nobody has been
buried there for forty years, but that
makes 1t all the worse ior ghosts. They
are cid experienced ghosts, and can lust
raise up the hair on mans head most
awful-thrt is, If he has any hair. That
Is one advantage ii Dald-hcaGed man has
over other people. A ghost cant raise
up his hair. | wish it could, that is II il
would stay raised. That old graveyard
has tried the iortltu3e Of my children
many time, and last. might it tried Inc
for 1t was very dark and the little piurs
were gloomy ond sighed mournfully in
the wind. | was coming down the
steep hill feeling my way along careful
~ with my cane, when just as happen
ed to glance upward to the dlstant hori-
zon IN search OF light, l saw dark
shadowy figure bob up sercneiy just be-
lore me and slop-and stopped was
Just aoont to run int" The thing, but as
1t dldent advance any | advanced step
. w N"itiouS S'cp. IL QulVCrcu Il
little, but came no nearer Again step.
pea forward and gave sweeping stroke
with my cane, as if to cut i: IN two, and
| did cut in two, but 1t never moved.
Amazed, | paused and pondcIed. and
said to myself, "Wh4t IN the dickens il
ltI' just then III the dark, dim liuht of
the murky horizon away in the east T
saw the mysterious thing take shape and
become at h,.
once 1t flashed over mc that it WAS the
steeplc Of the Methodist churcn that wa,
aquarter OF n mile away. And it WAS.
OF course | dident strike at It NV move
and l felt cheap as dirt for being such
fool, hnt comiorted myself in Thinking
how brave | was and thar | showed tinht
at ghost. Maybc it was ghost. Who
knows but what it WAS a genuine ghost
and for fear Of being caught and cxpos
cd, 1T turned Itself into that s,ccplc. No
wonder 1t scared me, for the poet SAWS.
some have mistaken Stumps andlposls
FOR Spcctrcs. apparitiOnS ghosts
Butwhcn ii turns into II Stecple
1t will alarm the most Of pcople
IL Is astonishing how big thing away
OIL can turn into little thing close hy.
and vice versa. Albert Strickland told
mo that he knew IL fellcr to shoot nine
times at coon in the FORK Of vcrv
mSh poplar tree and nobody could see
that coOu but him. Albert says that NJ
last an idea struck him, and he went
close up to the fcllcr, rs he was loudinu
his rifle for another shot, and he discov.
cred little fuZzy animal hanging to a
Aair on his eyebrow. lie brushed it off
with straw, and the fgllcr couldent find
that coon any more. The little animal
belonged in his head, but had straycd
oil on an exploring expedition, and was
teaching the young idea how 70 shoot.
Albert didn't say who the fellcr was, but
have always had my opinion.
am rumlnating about ghosts tonjpht.
because am alone in a great !wo-storv
house with seven rooms and a uarrci
! hear some thing in that gurrct now,
MY ioiEs have all gone to the show.
!hcy didnt press lie to go, and Mrs, |
Arp said: Il SUPPOSE YOU are going to |
write yonr letter tn night, and so Won
can laKe care OF ,hc house" ..Ycs |
m"hm." said |, with my accustomed |
meckness. They left the lamp burninu
IN the parl"r. | know they did, and ! |
heard the front door close. | heard 81 |
racket out there little while ago and |
went to see and fonnd the lamp ,ut ana