Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-09-22
A aHANTEp 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
devoutlv in "hants." but Billy, whom
she had nursed and brought up 70
twelve years old. laughed such things
quite 20 scorn. lie was a mischievous
fellow, and though he loved Black
Nanny dearly, thought ii great fun to
scare her out of her wits
She was very fond of going TO might
meetin'n 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 IL
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 10
place a couple of lighted candles. The
gourt topped pole, with cross arms
tackled on. from which a 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 mummy anu AiAf iNNN NtGAA AAf
crying out at the sight Of it! He could
hardly fix things properly IN place for
thinking of II when he had got upon
the hillside. fifty yards from the path.
As for Tom and black Charley, who sat
under a near brier-bus ready to touch
off bit of red-fre, they were simply
helpless with laughing.
nina D-nl,alr v,ffoh-darlr aud
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
il 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-owrs cry.
Tom and black Charley were to
answer it with flash of red fire.
Instead came smothered exclamation:
Lordy done lost dem matchesf"
Before cropping fingers could find
them, there came patter OF sharp
swift footballs behind. Something took
Billy hard in the knees. sent him and
the ghost sprawling, Tom and Black
Charley seuttling away as fast as their
legs could carry them.
Bill heard the black boy crying out:
''Run, Tawmy, runl Dey is hants |
lnowed hit all de timel 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 a veritable giant.
And it had certainly come from among
the graves. lie had stood with his
back to them, facing down hill. II
only he could reach the bottom of it,
where by 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 be again
knocked fat with a resounding thwack.
Stretching himself in full length,
Billy began to roll down hill faster
than ever he 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
MP with him, uaiding his decent with
more thwacks and pushes Nor did
they stop until lMammy's voice cried
out:
Run yere, ev'ybodyl Bless my heart
alive, eff yere amt Squire Elam's ole
fightin' ram done broke in the pastei
an mos kilt somebody Wy, its Billy
Lord love yer. honey huccame ye los
in de dark out yere? S'posen dem
hants had er got alter ye said er de ole
| ramp
Il most wish they had" Billy said
getting up slowly and hanging his
head-M c. Williams, in Harper's
Young People