Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1894-05-17
A GHOST STORY.

Don't believe in ghosts" she said,
Enarling at me in queer way. There
some don't believe in Scripture, and
here's some don't believe in heaven,
md there's other some don't believe in
hosts. Yah!'
She was tall old woman, and she
TODD in the door of her little house,
butte filling it up. All about her, from
bush to bush, and spread upon the
rass, were clothes drying. Within Il
6re burnt, and fat irons We're heating
1pon Il little stove. Old as she was,
Bhe still earned her living by laundry
work. though she could no longer carry
home the baskets OIL her head She
bad condcscended to do up certain
tuttles of mine, and had called with
hem myself. A wonderful laundress,
Who seemed to have some secret for
whiteness and smoothness, was she.
Then you believe in ghosts?" I
bsked.
of course. Didn't I live with Miss
Rose?"
Was Miss Rose"
NO, she wasn't ghost. Not by any
MEANS She was just the plrtiest little
thing ever you saw. She was her
Wandfather's pet, and hadn't another
telation on earth. / was her nurse
I'd fetched her up, you may say. I'd
lone up every living thing she wore,
blways. She loved me. 1 don't think
Ehe loved any one better but him."
Her grandfather?"
NO, him, MI. Collins. He was a
Eoung 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 us fond Of each other as
hrtle-doves, and all was going on beau
tiful. When they married was going
10 live with 'em. l wouldn't have lived
anywhere else, not for any wages.
We'll, the time was coming fast She
had lots of new clothes. I did 'em up.
p was just doing a skirt with twelve
|tucks in cluster and putting each side
when all of sudden I hears her give
10 little scream.
ut 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 I
saw her jump up and run toward me.
oh, how you frightened me!' she
said Charles, you ought to be ashamed
| Of YOURSELF
"Mr. Collins amt come. has he,
miss" asked. I didn't see 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. I couldn't have helped seeing
| him if he had
You must be blind
Her face was pale, and her lips
rembled. 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 TO 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 II 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. 1 can't be alone,
am going mad. He is dead, nurse!
Charles is dead"
i jumped up in 4 hurry and took
her poor cold little hands in mine and
set her down upon the bed.
Don't be silly said. "A gentle
nan may stay away from his sweet
Aeart one evening and not be dead
Says she, looking at me without
tear:
1t was not Charles that I saw to-
aay. 1t was his spirit. He came to
me again just now. He stood by the
long window in the hall. His face was
az White as snow. He pointed to his
breast. saw blood upon it. He is
dead.'
linen, without a scream or even a
s,lsh, she just tainted away where she
n.y. l knew that something had hap
before"
-. l said nothing, but waited quietly
while the old woman unpinned an
apron from the line and sprinkled it.
Mhen she came back she found me
, where she had left me and went on,
WIN shake of her old head and a lift
lng OF her two hands:
We'll, mum, she was right. The
Jews Jews came the next day. Poor Mr..
collin collins had gone to the city to collect
some money. He rode there. His horse
ame home without him. They search
~ Tor him, Of course, but they never
lound him.
He had been killed for his money,
everybody thought and so it was no
s s And the road ran along. the
syer good way, and probably, they
iSa'd, they had thrown the body into
~ \. Poor Miss Rose never had any
u uSp She had long sickness and
" nueh she came to herself her mind was
Miss Roses grandfather quite broke
aowh under It; he took to his bed and
fftew childish. l had my hands full,
ho Gun tell you; but wouldn't have left
Aasr; no wouldn't, for any money.
. Hnu time went on and it was year
''nce Mr.. Charles was lost and the