Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-10-27
A GRANTED HANT."
Trying to Scare Black Nanny Got Billy
Into Serious Trouble.

Trying to Scare Black Nanny Got Billy
Into Serious Trouble.
Black Nanny, dear soul, believed
devoutly in chants, but Billy, whom
she had nursed and brought up to
twelve years old, laughed such things
quite to scorn. He was u 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
big gourd, inside of which he meant to
place a couple Of lighted candles. The
gourd topped a 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 ont at the sight Of it, 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 near brier- bush ready to touch
off bit of red-fre, they were simply
helpless with laughing.
1T was nine o'clock, pitch-dark and
cloudy, whom the meeting-goers came
well in view, a struggling procession of
men and women, with here and there a
lantern feebly blinking in the line. AS
it came well abreast of him. Billy un-
covered the flaming gourd head, pushed
it up, up, to the full height, giving out,
as he did it, a screech-owls cry.
Tom and black Charley were to
answer 1t with a 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
l<nowed hit all de time An dey sho
'nough hant done got Billy
Indeed, he half believed it. for no
sooner did he scramble to his feet than
he was again knocked fiat BY this
mysterious something that seemed to
his excited fancy to be veritahle giant.
And it had certainly come from among
the graves. He had stood with his
back to them, facing down hill. If
only he could reach the bottom of il,
where 10y this time Black Nanny
ought to be, unless. indeed, She had
seen and been frightened away by his
struggle with this demon of the dark
Again he got to his knees. to DC again
knocked flat with a resouuding thwack
Stretching himself in fun length.
Billy began TO roll down hin faster
than ever be had done in his life, too
spent and breathless to call aloud. but
only vowing If he escaped alive hence
forth to let hants reign supreme in the
pasture.
Fast as he rolled, his assailant kept
up with him, caidiug his decent with
more thwacks aud pushes Nor did
.hey step until Mammy's voice cried
out:
Run we're, ev'ybody Blrs, my heart
alive, Il we're amt Squire Elam's ole
fightin ram done broke in the paster
an mos Kilt somebody Wy its Billy.
Lord love yer, honey, huccame We los
in IN. a. srts - L