The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-02-06
A RIP AND THE GHOSTS.
BILL TELLS OF A MIDNIGHT AID
MEN FURE.
when tie HistooH u Church Spirr tor
"a Ghost There nv" Ghosts Tbr,
IL ~ IL Inn

we have all come prsuy near it, Several
times have almost secu II ghusL. The
fact steey won't let ypu see 'cm right fair
and square, so tina; you could swear 1T.
visible ghost wouIdu't hr II gnost, aud
an invlslLlc ghost is hard IL Bee. e.pv-
c'ally in the dark. B,t 'ncre are times
and places whcn We can't help irving to
see them. Now, Of course, there are no
such thing but still they have habits
and haunts just like folks.
They stay around grnveyards aud up
stairs III dark closets, and they walk the
road in dark, swnmpy .laces. and hnger
around couutry mre'ing houses IN the
night. They hike dark, gloomy ,llta Y
places, and tnat makes Inc thIuk that
ghosts are unhappy. Tney have done
something bal or suifcted some great
misfortune before tney were turned into
ghosts. The spirit Of good people ron't
make ghosts. 1t was hard work for the
witch Of Ender to get the spirit of Sam
uel to come up. lie dlnu', want 10
come up, and SAID "why hm4t thou dis.
quicted me 10 bring me upf Aud that
Is the reason why we aiu at nfruid of
ghosts. They are the spirits Of bad peo-
pie. Well, Of course. there are no such
things, but this Is he way we think
about it. | saw n ghost one dark niph ht
rs | WAS passing the old Farvicw church.
about two miles from town. L. was
walking right towards inc in the bio
road, and was white. .pericctly white
and had legs aud arms but no head. /
was about To turn my hoist nnd run. but
he didn't want to turn--hc wanted to 90
nome, and he wash scared bit, and
so let hun rack on until we met the
ghosf, and 1t WAS the miller going home
with u sack of flour across his shoulders
and his head and his white hat bent for
ward. That liked to have been II eh0s'.
ln fact, II would have been if il hudn't
been the muller. Many Il time have |
thought how near | came tc seeing n
ghost, and IN not sure yet but what il
was ngho6t, and suddenly turned lnvo
the miller They are mighty smart, and
as quick ~ lightning that is, II there !
are any such things, which, OF COURSE,
there are not.
Last night about 10 o'clock was ON.
ing over the high hill that is back ui ,ur
house. | had been 10 see IA sick praud-
child and 1T was near way to come by
the old graveyard. Nobody has been
buried there for forty years, but that
makes 1t all the worse for ghosts. They
are "ld experienced ghosts, and can lust
raise up the hair on II mans head most
awiul-thAt is, If he has any hair. That
is one advantage Al ald-hcaded man has
over other people. A ghost can't raise
up his hair. l wish II could, that is II il
would stay raised. That old graveyard
has tried the forutude Of my children
many time, and last, might it tried me
Tor It was very dark and the little piucs
were loomy ond sighed mournfully in
the wind 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 hori-
Zon in search Of light, saw dark
shadowy figure bob up scrcncly lust be
lore me and stop-and stopped. | was
just about to run into the thing, but 40
1t dldcnt advance any ] advanced a step
a very cautious step. 1t uuivercd a |
little, but came no nearer. Again | step
ped forward and gave sweeping stroke
with my cane, rs If to cut i. IN two, and
ana cut IN two, but 1t never moved
Amazed, | paused and pondcIcd. and
Sald to myself, "Wh4t III the dickcus Is
ltI just then in the dark, dim liuht of
the murky horizon away in the east I
saw the mysterious thing take shape and
become pointed at the top, and all at
once 1t flashed over mc that it WAS the
stceple OF the Methodist churcn that was
aquarter OF mile away. And it was.
OF course didcnt strike at 1t any more,
and felt cheap as dirt for being such a
1901, hnt comlortcd myself in thinking
how brave | was and thar showed tiuht
At IL ghost. Maybe 1t was n ghost. Who
knows but what it was IA genuine ghost
an" Tor lear OF being caught aud expos
cd, 1t turned itself into that siccplc. No
"ohucr II scared Inc, for The poet Gays:
Some have mistaken stumps andlpoSls
FOR Sp"ctr"s. apparitions, ghosts.
But when II turns intOn Stecplc
1t Will alarm the most Of people
II Is astonishing how a big thing away
oil can turn into u little thing close NV
and vice versa. Albert Strickland told
mo that he knew u feller to shoot nine
times ut coon in the fork Of vcrv
high poplar tree and nobody could see
that COou but him. Albert SAYS that AT
last an idea struck him, and he went
close up to the fcllcr, as he was loadinu
his rife ior another shot, and he discoy
cred a little fuzzy animal hanging to u
Aalr ON his eyebrow. He brushed it Off
with straw, and the fclcr couldent find
that coon any more. The little aHimal
belonged in his head, but had straved
oil on an exploring expedition, and was
teaching the young idea how 70 shoot
Albert didn't say who the fcIlcr was, but
nave always had nay opinion
am rumInating about ghosts
because | am alone in a great two-story
house with seven rooms and parrct.
| hear something in that yurrct now,
My folks have all gone to the show
They didn't press NE to 20, and Mrs
Arp said: Il suppose YOU are going to
write yOnr letter t0 night, and so Won
can take care OF thc house" Yes
m"Hm, " said |, with my accustomed
mcekness. They left the lamp burning
In the P"rlor l know they did, and !
heard the front door close. heard 81
racket out there n little while ago and
went to 81" and found the lamp cut ana
the front door open. What does thar
meanI The lamp wasn't filed today | |
reckon, and the door don't shut evcry-