Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-04-24
A SPLITTING GHOST.
WHY THE SWISH OF A CHEWER An
- MOVED THE OTHER MAN.
He Tolls tho Story of His Experience With
tho Shade of an O.a Fellow Whose Wife
Objected, and With Some Success, to the
Tobacco Habit.


The man In the smoking compartment
was chewing tobacco and at intervals he
spat at the cuspitur, with the sibilant
swish inciden1 tai to tobacco Glowing, and
every time he did this a studious looking
: man In the O. rnor started nervouSly and
looked Ip from the book he was reading.
After half an hour or ST. the ohewer, hav-
ing finished bis quid, went back into the
car, and the reader looked at he, with an
evident desire to say something.
"Idon't like that" hc RI marked mildly.
tits vile habit" "sscnted ut once
"No: not that. It's ghosts"
"Ghostsp" exclaimed, and I shot .
quick glance at tie cuspidor, the reader
and the way to geI out in case my travel
ing companion should prove to be crazy.
Eyes, ghosts" he went ON calmly
enough. LET me tell you about 1t. A
little more than two years ago rented a
fine country house not far from New York
at low figure because it bore the reputa-
tion of being haunted and had not been
occupied since it's owner died, about two
years before my advent. 1t was a hand
some place, and when l had touched 1t up
q bit, put half q dOzon servants into It and
invited some friends to spend the opening
week with me 1t was anything but q
ghostly place. When they had taken their
departure, settled down quietly to my
work of writing and found al excellent
place for it in the coy library the late
owner had fitted up for his special use.
"For the first few nights did no work
there until quite late hour, and observed
nothing out of the ordinary. AS to the
ghostly visitants, 1t seemed about the last
place in the world ghost accustomed to
the disagreeable surroundings of grave
yard would care to frequent. Neither wore
there any gtostly Indications In any other
part Of the house, nor did my servants no.
tice anything to be alarmed at. One
night, however, went into the library
about O'Clock and sat down at my desk,
q new one had set in the middle of the
floor at a comfortable distance from tho
big open Crate presume had been ut
work Is minutes when heard just such
q sound as that man made in here while
ago when he spat at that cuspidor. looked
up quickly, for thought 1t was my hos
tier who knew used tobacco, but no one
was visible. resumed my work, and III
two or three minutes 1 heard the sibilant
swish again. This time it came from the
direction of q big old armchair just in front
of the fire, and fancied the splitter might
be occupying 1t and using tho fireplace for
q cuspidor. really knew that could not
be the case, but where did the sound come
fromp I waited again, watching the t1re
to $40 II 1t would give any response, but
tt. ore was none, though at intervals OF two
o. thrco minutes the sounds came from the
direction of the old chair
'Once got up and walked around the
r. I'm and out into the adjoining rooms and
ball hut nothing was visible. 1t was an
audible ghost merely, and apparently not
O, herwise disposed to be active. could
see nothing or feel nothing, and there WAS
none of the usual disagreeablo concomt-
t,nts OF the ghostly visitants l had read
about, such as cloudy presences, vague
shadows, sitting atmosphere, and oil that
sort Of thing-nothing, in fact, except that
peculiar noise, Which was really sooth-
Ing in It's effect, for l knew how much
comfort chewer could get out Of his chew
a. he drealnily chewed bofore an open fire.
At last gave 1t up and went to my work
a-ain and paid no more attention to 1t un-
ii, about 10 O'Clock, when observed that
It stopped, and I was not disturbed further
that night. The next day kept my own
counsel, and the next evening when
vent to tho library again, shortly after
dinner, I sat down In the big chair to
smoke. A few minutes later heard that
Rhostly spit again, this time from the side
OF the fireplace, where an old sofa stood.
Then thought it was rather oonioal than
otherwise, and felt US II were visitor
and the ghost was enjoying my company
and his chew at the same time. In any
event, when went back to my desk the
sound seemed to come from the direction
OF the old chair again, and I proceeded
with my work until 10 O'Clock, when the
noise ceased as before.
"Well, this peculiar ghostly visitation
continued for nearly year, varied now
and again by two noises and sometimes by
three, as II the tobacco chewing ghost had
invited q few kindred spirits In and they
were enjoying quiet quid APIECE. Some
times felt sure I would hear laugh, or
. voice, or a chair showed back, for the
splitting was 80 extremely natural that 1t
seemed impossible not to be accompanied
by other evidences of personal presence
But no such sounds ever manifested them
selves, and as the time went by began to
GROW more or less nervous. 1t was not
lear exactly, for had been sitting up OF
nights with that ghost for months, and
our relationship had actually been more
pleasant than not, and am sure ! would
have felt lonely not to have heard 1t az
worked, but there's something in the air
when ghosts are around that makes ones
nerves sensitive. don't know what 1t is,
but any man will find 1t to be true II he
ever has an opportunity to test it as did.
Finally I concluded to go 10 my landlord
and make few inquiries concerning my
predecessor In the house.
"'Queer old fellow said the landlord
In response to my inquiry as to what man
ner Of man he was. Queer old fellow.
Lived here with bis wife and servants;
wife died, and he lived alone after that as
he had no children; wife was high tenn
pered and painfully neat. He loved to
chew tobacco, she wouldn't let him chew
in the house, so he built that room you use
for library. Used to chew there every
might till 10 O'Clock; always went to bed
at that hour; sometimes he had a friend or
two in with him who chewed; mover did,
though, while his wife was alive; she