The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-11-07
A Booster Cured.

Reuben Dean lives in the rather sleepy
little town of B. in the state of New Jer-
sey, and he has acquired the unenviable
reputation of being an unblushing liar and
boaster Up to one night about two weeks
ago he missed no opportunity to bore some
body with a tale Of some terrific adventure
through which he had passed. taking care
to depict himself as the fearless hero of
each bloodcurdling episode He declared
he did not believe in spirits other than those
to be found at the bar of the village tavern,
tempt any one who feared ghosts or the SUI
pernatural.
Reuben lived about a mile and half
outside of the village and it was his GUS
tom each night after supper to hitch his
scrawny old white horse into his wobbly
wagon and ride down to the "howtel,"
where he was certain to meet his cronies
and spend an hour or two romancing and
Dragging. Through the day he kept the
white horse out to pasture, and one night
he found the animal had knocked out sew
eral lengths of the staggering fence and
escaped from confinement. If he spent
much time to search for the horse, he would
not get into town in time to hobnob with
his set, so he started out afoot, satisfied the
horse would not go far and no one would
steal him.
Just outside the village is the cemetery,
which Reuben passed every night. This
evening, some time before he came to the
cemetery, he fell in with two men of the
place, who were ON their way to the postof-
flee. AS the three trudged along the sub
ject of ghosts happened to come up, and
one of the men remarked that old Mother
Carey, who had the reputation of being a
witch, had been buried that day.
"Wa-al," drawled Reuben as he took
huge chew of tobacco, II s'pose folks'll be
seein spooks 'raound the graveyard naow
she's buried there. Such foolishness makes
me sick, by goshl They hain't no such
thing as spooks, and if there was they'd
never skeer me-"
Immediately one of his companions chal-
lenged him to cut across the cemetery with
them. At first he tried to get out of 1t,
but their laughter caused him to consent,
and he scaled the fence, telling them to
follow.
They had not proceeded far amid the
white tombstones, where the darkness was
gathering thickly, before one of the men
said the newmade grave of the old witch
was just ahead. At that instant a loud
"woosh' came out of the shadows, and
then up before the trio rose a huge white
figure that looked grotesque and terrible
amid the murky shadows.
A wild yell of horror pealed from the
lips of Reuben Dean, and he promptly
whirled and fled for his life He hadn't
made more than six leaps before he fell
laundering into a newly excavated grave,
where he lay grooming:
Don't touch me. Mrs. Carey I'd never
said it if I'd thought! l didn't mean any
thingl Oh, Lordl Don't touch me, good
Mrs. Ghostp'
In about three minutes the other two
men came along and pulled him out of the
grave, one Of them saying with the utmost
contempt:
Get up here, you fool! Shut up your
whining Here's your ghost, and | advise
| you to take 1t home"
Then Reuben saw before him his own old
| white horse, which one of his companions
had captured without struggle. 1t took
him about five minutes to get the thing
| through his head, and then he took the
horse by the name and led it home. Since
then he sneaks into the village surrepti-
tiously and gets out as soon as possible, but
somebody is sure to see him and ask him
about that ghost" He has quit boasting,
| and it is hoped he is cured
GILBERT PATTEN