The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-09-28
A "HANTED HANT."
Trying to Scare Black Nanny Got Billy
Into Serious Trouble.


Into Serious Trouble.
Black Nanny, dear soul, believed
devoutly in ''hants," but Billy, whom
she had nursed and brought up to
twelve years old, laughed such things
quite to scorn. He was a mischievous
fellow, and though he loved Black
Nanny dearly, thought it great fun to
scare her out of her wits.
She was very fond of going to might
meetin'." The path ran through the
pasture, at one edge of which lay an
old graveyard and there Billy deter
mined to give her glorious fright 1t
took all day to make the ghost which
was that night to confront her. For
the head, Billy cut eyes and mouth in a
big gourd, inside of which he meant to
place couple of lighted candles. The
gourd topped pole, with cross arms
tackled on, from which drapery of
white window curtains fell long and
full. Billy himself would be sheltered
in their folds, and by raising the pole
above his head, could make the spectre
at least ten feet high.
How Nanny and the rest would run,
crying out at the sight of i'll He could
hardly fix things properly IN place for
thinking of it when he had got upon
the hillside fifty yards from the path.
As for Tom and black Charley, who sat
under a near brier-bu ready to touch
off bit of red-fre, they were simply
helpless with laughing.
st was nine o'clock, pitch-dark and
cloudy, when the meeting-goers came
well in view, struggling procession OF
men and women, with here and there a
lantern feebly blinking in the line. AS
it came we'll abreast of him, Billy I'M
covered the flaming gourd head, pushed
it up, up, to the full height, giving out,
| as he did it, screech-owl's cry.
Tom and black Charley were to
| answer it with flash of red fire.
| Instead came smothered exclamation:
Lordy done lost dem matches"
Before cropping fingers could find
them, there came a patter of sharp
swift footballs behind. Something took
Billy hard in the knees, sent him and
the ghost sprawling, Tom and Black
Charley scuttling away as fast as their
legs could carry them.
Bill heard the black boy crying out;
Run, Tawmy, run! Dey is hants +!
knowed hit all de time! An dey she
'nough hant done got Billy"
Indeed, he half believed it, for nc
sooner did he scramble to his feet than
he was again knocked fiat by this
mysterious something that seemed tc
his excited fancy to be veritable giant
And it had certainly come from among
the graves He had stood with hi:
back TO them, facing down hill. J,
only he could reach the bottom of il
where by this time Black Mamm,
ought to be, unless indeed, she hat
seen and been frightened away by hi.
struggle with this demon of the dark
Again he got to his knees, to be agar
knocked fiat with a rcsounding thwack
Stretching himself in full length
Billy began to roll down hill faster
than ever he had done in his life, to,
spent and breathless to call aloud, bu
only vowing if he escaped alive hence
forth to let hants reign supreme in tn,
pasture.
Fast as he rolled, his assailant KEEP
up with him. raiding his decent will
more thwacks and pushes Nor di'
they stop until aMsmmy's voice erie,
out:
Run we're, ev'ybody! Bless my hear
alive, eff yere amt Squire Elam's oil
| flghtin ram done broke in the paste
! an mos kilt somebody! Wy, its Billy
: Lord love yer, honey! huccame ye 10:
| in de dark out yere? S'posen der
hants had er got alter We said err de oil
, RAM
e Il most wish they had" Billy sal
getting up slowly and hanging hi
e hsad-M. c. Williams in Harper
, Young People