Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-08-31

arms jest SO and cry out raj jyful, Prince
Cholly, but she ain neber say no mo-.
She drap back on her pillar, and de doc
tor say hit $ all over, and he say hit too
bad her husband ain thar, bat Miss
Charlitt's nanny she see the happy
spreshun on Miss Charlitt's face, and she
say, No; hit am bcttah he aim heah. ,
Lilly say she heerd DAT Miss Charlitt's
ha mt is yer in this house too. "
The afternoon faded into the darkness
of the evening. After my dinner l had
to remain with Nose while he finished
washing the dishes, as he was afraid to
be left alone for even moment. His
work over, we adjourned to the front
parlor, and I permitted Nose to smoke
a cigar with me. AS no ghosts seemed
to come forth, l thought they might OBJ
ject to the lights, and, much to the dis
gust of Nose, l put them out in the hall
and in the room where we sat. A soft
radiance came in from the street, and
we sat and smoked, and Nose, wishing
to appear courageous, was saying that
he guessed that half the houses that
were supposed to be haunted were not,
and l was thinking of the beautiful
Miss Charlotte when suddenly figure
passed swiftly and noiselessly from the
hall door to the fireplace and there
vanished completely.
Flo God, mahsa, jew see dat?"
cried Nose, clinging around my neck,
beseeching me in one howl to protect
him and i'll another calling on the Lord
to make him "a better niger. -
I have said that am not supersti-
tious nor even nervous, but 1 had just
seen what Nose had, and after his I'M
earthly bowling in my ear I was nearly
as much worked up as he was. We at
once lighted the gas and started an i'll
vestigation, but discovered nothing.
tried all my persuasion, but Nose
was determined to go. We, however
settled that he should sleep at Lilly's
and come to me early in the mornings.
told him there were no such things as
ghosts, and that | should no doubt soon
find out all about the apparition Of the
night before. That evening, after he
had finished his work and gone to sleep
across the way, 1 again planted myself
in such a position that could easily
watch the door leading into the hall.
was in the dark smoking. and had not
been seated long, when a tall figure,
seemingly that Of a young man, passed
hurriedly from the fireplace across the
room and out into the hall.
I cried to it to stop. My voice echoed
through the house and frightened me,
it sounded SO little like my own. I was
about to start in search of the retreating
figure when there entered from the
door two others-those of a man and a
woman. They passed slowly enough for
me to see them plainly, shadowy as
they were, and ran from the room and
out the front door to the sidewalk No;
I was not mistaken There were the
man and the woman-two negroes in
flesh and blood-and down the hill at
the corner Of Second street was an cleo
trio light. | saw it all at once. Any
one passing i'll front of the house would
cast deep shadow in my drawing
ROOM I called out to the couple who
had just passed: "Hello, therel Wait"
At my first invitation to wait they
stopped, but as they located my voice
and my figure there came howl from
the woman: go God, Ephr am! Fo'
de Lawd sake, look yonder, honey!"
Approaching them, / asked if they
would not please walk back past the
house again, as wished to see the phan-
toms float across my parlor. Twas COM
PEELED to wait for other passersby, how
ever, for the gentleman addressed as
Ephr'am and the lady under his pro-
lection had put two blocks between US
before I knew it. Upon re-entering the
house and waiting for more ghosts I
was rewarded, for when any one passed
while the room was dark correspond.
ing figure or figures would be seen pass
ing either to or from the fireplace.
A few days later Lilly told Nose that
"a ha mt what look for all de worl like
Prince Choily dun come out from dat
house last Thewsday night, and hit dun
chase Brudia Ephr am Joslyn and his
wife clean from dare to de P street
bridge, where, bein as how hit war
ha'nt; hit couldn't go no faddah.
This fattered my vanity, but it was
Inundated Immediately, for Nose ut
terly refused to believe that the elegant
figure of the ghost was no other than
my own. occupied the house q year,
rent free, and have had it for six years
at. minimum figure, but Nose still
goes across the way to sleep every night.
Sidney Austin Witherbee in Romance.