The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-02-05
ARP AND THE G V0STS.
BILL TELLS OF 4 MIDNIGHT AD-
VENTURE.
When lie Mistook r Church Spire for
Ghost-If There arc Ghosts Thcy
are JRiiapDy.


.Vhen he NIistook Church Spire for
n Ghost-If There arc Ghosts They
are Unhappy.
I was rauiaatlne about ghosts-"ei!,
of course, there are no such things-shat
is to say nobody has ever seen one. but
we have all come prst:c H"ar it. Several
times have almost seer a 44o.;. The
fact istEey won't ies you see 'em rlsn: i':iT
and square, SO tha: you could swear to II.
4 visible ghost wouldn't be a ghost, and
an Invisible ghost is hard to see, espe-
c:ally in the dark But there are times
and places when we can't help trying to
see them. Now, Of course, there are no
such thiogs, but still they have habits
and haunss just like folks.
They stay around graveyards and up
stairs in dark closets, and they walk the
road in dark, swampy places, aud linger
around country meeting houses IN the
Dight. They like dark, gloomy solitary
places, and that makes me think that
ghosts are unhappy They have done
something bad or suffered some great
misfortune before they were turned into
ghosts. The spirit OF good people don't
make ghosts. It was hard work for the
WITCH of Eader to get the spirit of Sam
uel 70 come up. he didn't want to
come up, and said "why hast thou dis
quieted me to bring me up2" And that
is the reason why we are all afraid of
ghosts. They are the spirits Of bad peo-
pie. Well, of course, there aTc no such
;hings, but this is the way we think
about it. I saw ghost one dark night
as I was passing the old FairYiew church,
about two miles from town. 1t was
walking right towards me III the big
road, and was white perfectly white
and had legs aud arms but no head. |
was about to turn my horse and ron, but
he didn't want to turn-he wanted to go
home, and he WASH t scared bit, and
so let him rack on until we met the
ghost, and it was the miller going home
with sack Of -four across his shoulders
aad lis head and his white hat bent for
ward. That liked to have been shoS..
Ia fact. 1t would have been if IL hadn,t
been the miller. Many time have
thought how near came tc seeing a
ghost, and I'm not sure yet but what 1t
was ghost, and suddcsly turned into
the miller They are mighty smart, and
as quick as lighting that is, If there
are any such things, which, OF course,
there are not.
Last night about 10 O'Clock l was COM |
ing over the high hill that is back of our
house. had been to see q sick grand |
Child and 1t was near way to come by |
tie old graveyard. Nobody has been |
buried there for forty years, but that
makes it all the worse for ghosts. They |
are cid experienced ghosts, and can just
raise up the hair on mans head most |
awful-that is, if he has any hair. That
is one advantage bald-headed man has |
over other people. A ghost can't raise
up his hair. l wish it could, that is if 1t /
would stay raised That old graveyard |
has tried the fortltude of my children
many time, and lastsnight it tried me
for it was very dark and the little pines
were gloomy end 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 to glance upward to the distant hoEi-
zon in search of light, saw dark |
shsdowy figure bob up sereneiy just be-
fore me and stop-and I stopped. was
Just about to run into the thing, but ss |
it dident advance any I advanced step
"a very cautious step. 1t quivered q |
little, but came no nearer. Again l step
ped forward and gave sweeping stroke |
with nv cane, as if to il in two, and |
did cut in two, but it never moved.
Amazed, I paused and pondered, and
said to myself, "What IN the dickens is
it?" Just then in the dark, dim light of
the murky horizon away in the east l
saw the mysterious thing take shape and
become pointed at the top, and all at
once 1t flashed over me that 1t was the
steeple of the Methodist church that was
quarter of q mile away. And it was. |!
OF course I dident strike at it any more,
aud felt cheap as dirt for being such
fool, but I comtorted myself IN thinking
how brave was and that showed fight
a: ghost. Maybe it was ghost. Who
knows but what it was genuine ghost,
and for fear Of being caught and expos
ed, it turrcd itself into that steeple. No
wonder it scared me, for the poet says:
Some have mistaken stumps and posts
For spectres. apparitions, ghosts
Butwhen il turns into a steeple
twill alarm the most OF people.
1t is astonishing how = big thing away
| of can turn into little thing close by,
aud vice versa. Albert Strickland told
mo that he knew feiler to shoot nine
times at coon in the fork of = very
high poplar tree and nobody could see
that coou but him. Albert says that at
last an ide: struck him, and be went
close up to the f.ller, as he was loading
his rife for another shot, and be discov-
cred little fuzzy animal hanging to a
| hair on his eyebrow. He brushed 1t of
with straw, and the feller couldent find
that coon any more The little animal
belonged in his head, but had strayed
of On an exploring expedition, and was
teaching the young idea how to shoot.
Albert didn't say who the feller was, but
have always had my opinion.
| am Illuminating about ghosts toclsht,
because I am alone in great two-story
house with seven rooms and a garret.
! hear something in that garret now.
Ny folks have all goae to the show.
They didn't press me to go, and Mrs.
Arp said: Il suppose you are going to
write your letter to night, and 50 you
eau. take care Of ,he house. Yes
- u zi.n ancnst0 t0med