Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-01-23
The STORY Teller.
HAUNTED.
A CALL ON THE OLD GHOST.

| A CALL ON THE OLD GHOST.
remember very we'll indeed what
a shock it gave the boys of Nowellton
when they heard for the first time that
the old Shattuck place was haunted.
Charlie Gibbs and his father had
driven in from Lacy late on the pre-
vious evening, and just asthey reached
a point on the road opposite the Shat
tuck house they were startled by
strange sounds that seemed to come
from the sashless windows of the
old building. Charlie, who was a
little sharp.eyed fellow, whose ideas
flowed 80 fast that he often found diff
Guilty in expressingthen without STAN
merfng and sputtering, told sabout the
adventure the next morning as soon
as he reached the schoolhouse.
"Father tied the old mare" he said, /,
"and we walked up to the house.
Just before we reached the porch we
heard a scurrying sound, as if some
one was running about inside. But
when we stepped into the hall, there
wasn't a thing to be seen-not even q
bat nor an owl. Father, walked to the
middle of the kitchen. He was just
going to say something, when we
heard three or four hard raps on the
floor right under US. Perhaps we
didn't jump! Then there was sud
den screeching, halfway between a
groan and laugh, but father and
didn't wait to see what it was. We
ran as fast as we could for the road,
and at every step it seemed to me just
as if fsometbing was trying TO. get hold
| of the tail of my jacket. And once
(here Charlie's voice sunk te.a whis:
perl I looked over my shoulder and
saw" %.'., - ss..s.ss5
t'What did you see, Charlie ?"asked
Dave Curtis, in an awed voice.
"a figure all in white-yes, sir, !
did :" and Charles sharp little eyes
stuck out with excitement.
"I tell you what we can do" ven.
tured Nat Price. "This is Friday
night, and we can 90 down, whole
crowd of us, and make a call on the
old ghost"
"You better not" exclaimed Char
lie Gibbs, shaking his head; ''1've
seen 'em, and I don't want anything
more to do With 'em.n
1t was dark that evening when we
started. Nat led the way, telling US
i in loud voice how foolish it was tt
believe in ghosts, and boasting that he
had yet to see the haunted house
which he didn't dare to 60 into at any
time of day or night.
The shadows lay deep in the north
road as we walked rapidly up toward
the Shattuck place. The gable end Of
the building came first into view above
the roadside bushes, and then, as we
drew nearer, the whole gaunt, forlorn
old house stood outlined in inky black
against the moonless sky.
"Where's your ghosts ?" asked Nat,
turning to Charlie Gibbs.
"I-I don't know, wait till you g-get
to the house," chattered Charlie, in re-
ply. He was evidently badly fright
ened, and that helped to frighten some
of the younger boys. Even Nat was
a little subdued.
"Come on" he said and we fol-
lowed in knot, budding around Nat
who was talking in boastful tone as
if to assure himself that there was not
the least danger in the world.
At the front porch of the old house
we paused again. The vacant win
dows fairly seemed to yawn with dark
ness, and we had never felt before what
a terrible thing plain pine lumber
when built into a haunted house
could be.
Nat advanced to the porch, and his
first step on it sounded hollow and
heavy. Still, we heard no sound from
within, not even the signing of the
wind through the open doors or win
dows.
"Where's your ghosts?" called Nat,
in harsh voice, from the doorway.
1t didn't seem like Mats voice to us
at all, but rather an echo Charlie
Gibbs was evidently about to answer
when somewhere from within came q
long low wall that brought us to sud
den standstill in the middle of what
had once been the hallway to the old
house. Dave Curtis seized my arm and
pinched it hard, and we were all
breathlessly quiet for fully minute
Then Nat spoke-this time in faint
whisper, but still with his boastful all
-"No ghosts around here-it's all
foolishness.
Then he began to advance again, but
at the first step he took into the sitting
room there came the wall again, hall
groan, half laugh, as Charlie Gibbs
described it, only louder now and more
distinct.
"Let's co." whispered Dave Curtis
i in q voice that choked with fear.
"It's haunted-don't you see ?''
gasped Charlie.
"Taint," answered Nat, aloud,
"taint;;" and he tramped entirely
across the sittingroom to the edge OF
the little kitchen.
wanted to run, and was sure that
Dave Curtis did, too, but someway
Mats bravado bore us up. Indeed, we
felt afraid to leave him. We did not
know what might happen if once we
started to run toward the road. In
the the kitchen we paused again and
listened.
"I'm going to strike a MATCH" said