Rocky Ford enterprise., 1894-05-31
A GHOST STORY.


snarling at me in queer way. There
is some don't believe in Scripture, and
there's some don't believe in heaven,
and there's other some don't believe in
ghosts. Ynh!'
She was tall old woman, and she
stood in the door of her little house,
quite filling 1t up. All about her, from
bush to bush, and spread upon the
grass, were clothes drying. Within Il
fire burnt, and fiat irons were heating
upon n little stove. Old as she was,
she still earned her living by laundry
work. though she could no longer carry
home the baskets on her head. She
had condescended to "do up" certain
rufiles of mine, and had called with
them myself. A wonderful laundress
who seemed to have some secret Tor
wliteness and smoothness, was she.
.aThen you believe in ghosts! 1
asked.
"Of course. Didn't live with Miss
Rose?"
WAS Miss Rose"
"No, she wasn't ghost. Not by any
means. She was just the purtiest little
thing ever you saw. She was her
relation on earth. i was her nurse.
I'd fetched her up, you may say. I'd
done up every living thing she wore,
always. She loved me. / don't think
she loved any one better but him."
Her grandfather
"No, him. Mr.. Collins. He was n
young man; first family; rich and hand
some Fell in love with my Miss Rose
at a ball, and she engaged herself to
marry him.
..They was as fond of each other as
turtle-doves, and all was going on beau
tiful. When they married was going
to live with 'em. I wouldn't have lived
anywhere else, not for any wages.
Well, the time was coming fast. She
had lots of new clothes. i did 'ern up.
l was lust doing skirt with twelve
tucks in cluster and pulling each side
when all of n sudden hears her give
n little scream.
at was summer, and had my iron
ing table under the grape vines, and
she was reading in the garden. A min
ute before she was sitting with her
book in her hand, quiet like. Now l
saw her lump up and run toward ME.
" oh, how you frightened me!' she
said' Charles, you ought to be ashamed
of yourself
missY asked I didn't SEQ him.
".Now you are teasing me, too" she
said. How silly! Charles. come here.
You saw him. He stood just here by
you. Charles
".Miss Rose, Mr.. Collins has not been
here. 1 couldn't have helped seeing
him if he had
".You must be blind
Her face was pale, and her lips
trembled. She ran away looking for
him. calling for him, peeping behind
bushes, into the arbor. everywhere.
Then she came back and sat down.
~ won't speak 70 him when he
comes out of his corner she said.
He has frightened me-
But Mr.. Collins did not come out
of any corner that day.
THAT evening she watched for him
in vain; and at IL o'clock that night
she came to me. She put her hands
on my shoulders and said, in voice
that can remember yet;
Nurse, wake up. / can't be alone,
I am going mad. He is dead, nurse!
Charles is dead"
II jumped up in n hurry and took
her poor cold little hands in mine and
set her down upon the bed.
"Don't be silly 1 said. "A gentle
man may stay away from his sweet
heart one evening and not be dead
Says she, looking at me without a
tear:
at was not Charles that 1 saw to-
day. 1t was his spirit. He came to
me again just now. He stood by the
as white as snow. He pointed to his
breast. / saw blood upon it. He is
dead
.'Then, without a scream or even n
sigh, she just tainted away where she
lay. / knew that something had hap
pened myself. I'd heard of warnings
before"
1 said nothing, but waited quietly
while the old woman unpinned an
apron from the line and sprinkled it.
When she came back she found me
where she had left me and went on,
with a shake of her old head and a lift
| ing of her two hands:
well, mum, she was right. The
news came the next day. Poor Mr..
Collins had gone to the city to collect
some money. He rode there. His horse
came home without him. They search
| ed for him, of course, but they never
| found him.
He had been killed for his money,
everybody thought and SO 1t was no
doubt. And the road ran along the
river good way, ana probably, they
said, they had thrown the body into
it. Poor Miss Rose never had any
hope. She had n long sickness and
when she came to herself her mind was
| gone.
Miss Roses grandfather quite broke
down under it; he took to his bed and
| grew childish. 1 had my hands full,
1 can tell you; but 1 wouldn't have left
her; no l wouldn't, for any money.
And time went on and it was a year
since Mr.. Charles was lost and the
| flowers were in the garden again, when
she began to pine, and fade, and waste,
SO that there seemed no strength in
her. She stopped dressing herself up
in queer things; she stopped talking
| to herself. And one night, in the dead
middle of the night, just year from
that on which she walked me up, with
her hands on my shoulders, to say that
Mr.. Charles was dead, she called out
to me, Nurse, where are you| in heI
own voice.
Il ran to her side
"11ere l am, honey said.
"'Haven't I been Ill, nurse?' she
| asked just as she used.
"A little delirious.' said l.
"'Yes,' size said, L know. I'm well