The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-30
DOG HICKORY'S GHOST.


"D'ye ever neer O. Jim etupuS' uaWg
Hickory?r asked the man from over near
Dinwiddie, as he borrowed a pipe and
come tobacco and settled himself comfort
ably before the glowing fire. "Hickory
wuz th' Cutest am yit th' dawgonoest
dawg / ever see. lie want persessef with
tn fatal gift o. beauty. He wuz hom!ier
IN politeshuner after a defeat. An yit
he bad his good pi'nts. But 'twan't o.
his life I'm goin' L speak. Hickory had
q powerful ambishun T. run eroun' at
nights, an menny's tn time ] seen him
a-chansin' hisself eronlg tn road. Well,
one day Jim Stubs, while out huntin,'
killed Hickory by mistake. Jim was a
good enough shooter, an how he KEN I,
more IN could ever tell. reckon 'twuz
hickory chased hisself In th' bullets
way. Well, ennyhow, Hickory was dead;
'twan't no use ter shed tears, so Jim
packed th' dawg away in th' yerth an
got ernother purp. Erbout SIX nights
morning, Jim heard an awful rumpus out
in th' barnya'd. He grabbed his shotgun
an reshed out 4 tn yard T. see wat th'
matter wuz. There stood Humpy Che
was squatty dawg), his tail stween his
legs, his laigs a-knockirg together, an
bis years a tremblin' like leaves in gale
o. wind. Afore him was Hickory's spirit.
Hickory's ewes were blazin' like two
Goals, his lips were pulled back a-showiu
to rows % cleaning teeth, his years stood
straight up stiff as iron, his tail stuck out
like clothespin, an his laigs Were
squared off jest laik az IL he was wooden.
The sight kinder scarf linn, but ennyhow
he let's drive with his gun. Bang Bang
Thur stood Hickory jest th' same as
afore. 1t never teched him. Jim uz
derned near paralyzed, put he uz game.
He reshed hin tn house ter git more
shootin' stuff, but ZEN he KEN out ergin
II ickory want T. be seen.
"'Well, by jee, F" said Jim, ketchin' his
breath.
"Humpy howled wuz'n a grave ya'd
davg. Jim was stumped he couldn't
splsin wy tibet Hickory 'peared after
bein' dead w'ole week almos' He
knowed he want mistaken, fer Humpy
was a-raisin' sin with hisselL Ef thur
want ennything wrong tn, dawg
back into th' house ashakin' his haid an
a mutterin' to hisself. Th' mex day
while cuttin' through th' paster wat he
see but Hickory ergain. Hickory wuz
jest as ghostly as he wuz tn night afore.
Hickory want a bit friendly: be snap-
ped, lept erbcut an cut up all kinds er
didoes. Jim SHE'D stone at him, an
tn stone went clear through him. Then
Jim wuz scarf fer sure. He TUX this
heels an run laik all creation. Jee, how
Jim Stubs did run. Jim run faster
than wen he wuZ a-runnin' fer Office.
Th' next night Jim heerd th' rumpus
ergain in thu ba'nya'd, but he didn't go
out, fer he knowed wat tn matter wuz.
Thet sorter bizness KEEP up fer nigh onto
week. One day he tol' Sim Jackson
erbout ii.
"'I reckon l knows It th' matter is.'
said Sim.
"'w't dye reckon it is simG' asst Jim.
nI<l IA II Ic4t
reckon tibet Hickory Is jealous o. Humpy.
Yo' git rid o. Humpy an 1 reckon yo''ll
be rid o. Hickory.
"Thur seemed ter be heap o. COM
mon sense in this, .an, Jim kinder Feek--
oned he'd try it. He calkerlated 'ta'n't
no han tryin'. So the nex' day he gives
Humpy T. frien' OF his'n. After thet
be heeTd no more o. Hickory. Sim uz
right, fer Hickory ant nuthin' more er
less then jealous o. Humpy, though he
wuz deader'n a nail"
"Thet reminds me o. my dwag, Splin-
ter" said the man from Chesterfield
county. "Yo' see Splinter wuz mighty
uncommon dwsg. / called 'im Splinter,
cause he uster be so stuck on himself.
My frien, Randy Hill.of Washington gave
me Splinter. Splinter want nore'n a
month OF when TUX him to Chesterfield
county. He wuz English water spaniel,
an as purity dwag as yer ever see. But
in his puppy days he wuz adern fool
dawg; he uster inlertate th' chickens an
try e fly shot distances. Th' nat'ral
result wuz he'd hurt his dern fool ma
tony. After while he got o yer thet.
Then he raSod up new lice. He useter
clim' uron th' back o. one o. th' HOSES
an sit thur as If he wuz agoin' Z ride
into town on bizness. The hoss useter
laik 1t, for he'd trot eroun' th' ban
ya'd a-shskin' his haid an whinnyin' t.
beat all creation. One day Splinter ct
mighty sorry for Splinter, fer we laiked
him a heap. Sides, he wuz fust rate
company. We buried poor Splinter in th'
back y'ad an how the kids did yell wen
he wuz put outer sight The nex' day
we see tn hoss a-prancin' eroun' tn ya'd
same as he did wen Splinter wuz on his
back. Dearn IL j could uuderstan' 1t.
Mebbe it's only habit. i kinder made
myself believe. / was downright puz-
zled. Thet night he'd 'casion t. take
tn hosss into tn BAN ya'd. It wuz VERY
dark. No sooner wuz tn 'oss IN tn ya'd
~ heersd a commotion. i looked up. an
wat yo' think l see? Thur on tn hoss's
back wuZ Splinter a GRIMM at me an
fairly huggin' hisself with delight. Tn
sight o. tibet daid dwag's sperit o thet
hoss's back mace me feel kinder queer.
reshed into th' house, got my wife. She
see Splinter's ghost on tn boss. an 1t
almost scarf her outer years. growth.
"'Bill, she said we'en we got back into
th' house, 'Yo. must get rid o. thet
hoss, or We'll never have emmy rest,
9Th day after tat j sold th' hoss, an
now we amt bit bothered by Splinter's
ghost. - Washington Post.