Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-15
90 sro.rA
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CHANGE IN. GHOST STORIES

years, so naturally the place looked
strange to him.
What he now saw had never been part
of his physical existence, and he Won
dered IL it were not best for him to go
back to the graveyard and have confer
ence with some fresh corps who would
knew all about those things which had
thus early filled him with doubts and
na4sgfvfngs. From the newly dead one
he could obtain Information which might
keep him out of trouble. But, as ne
calculated upon 1t, such action, 1t seemed
to him, would, make him a laughing stock
for all the. fool ghosts in the neighbour
hood. III hey would deride him as jay
ghost who did not know enough about
the haunting business to set at 1t without
a guide book or q time card or letter
of advice and credit. They would gather
around and boot and jeer and shame him
half to life, for they couldn't shame him
half to- death, he having been dead for
a good 1l2 years.
q wish" ne said to himself, that had
exerted- myself q little to keep abreast OF
the times. Here l find myself with my
entire death wasted. Just Laying around
in a comfortable grave in the daytime
and spending the nighttime in disputing
with a lot of old fossilized sixteenth CEN
fury ghosts concerning things of no In
terest whatever, have allowed opportu-
mites to pass and lot of juniors who
weren't even born, much less dead. when
died, have pushed me aside and / am
just piece of old furniture. If l were
a thousand years old or something like
that Ii would be better, for l could lie
and swear and slash around retailing
stale yarns like King Arthur or Caesar or
Ahab or one, of that lot, and be interest
ing. But don't know anything about
the remote past or the adjacent present
l have fooled away my chances, but
am going to remedy conditions. am
going togo haunting around this town
and get up a reputation and go back to
them and assume my proper position In
spiritual society. Why, just think of 1t!
Dead 112 years and have never scared any
one yeti Never screeched at schoolboy
in lonesome wood or groaned around in
a deserted house, or anything.
You could see that he was ashamed
of himself and that he was determined
to rectify his error of omission. To be
sure, he was a bit nervous and dubious
about it-although, perhaps 1t isn't cor
rect to use that first adjective in de-
scription of a ghost, inasmuch as his
nervous system is generally supposed
to be compressed air or fog or something
of that. kind. He felt that it was
pretty serious undertaking for strange
and passe ghost to drift into strange
town with the avowed purpose of haunt
an insistent old spook, and buckled down
to business with determination.
LAS I have always understood it," he
remarked to himself" the thing ought
to begin with a demonstration in the
matter of blowing out lights. 1 remem-
Der when 1 was alive that they used to
talk of ghosts sneaking up behind one
and blowing out the lamp, and it always
filled me with horror. It's good trick.
I wonder who invented it? I--hello! If
here isn't chance just ready set for
me, I'm a tombstone
The city was dark 1t being midnight,
and all was very still. Suddenly, how
ever, as he turned a corner he slammed
square up against a window, out through
which a faint light streaked its way.
At a desk sat a man, doing over
book. 1t was a beautiful chance. The
ghost quietly slipped inside.
There is going to be a festival of fear
right here In about four seconds" he
murmured softly to himself.
"Oh, guess not" he thought. Just
imagine how he will feel, how his hair
will raise how his flesh will crawl, when
I lean over his shoulder and blow that
light out! Why. it almost scares me
myself
The light continued to burn steadily.
The ghost had Strengthened up ready to
give vent to a wild, demoniac laugh, as
the custom, he believed for such cases
made and provided, but he did not laugh.
There was nothing to laugh at. The
man continued to read on undisturbed
in his doing fashion.
That's funny" the visitor said to him
self. Haven't got any lungs any more
or any strength of breath? Well, here
she goes again." And once more he lean
ed down and "whoofed" at the light 1t
did not SILVER
The ghost stepped back into the middle
a nd inf
cts and started at the light. well, I'm
blamed" he said to himself Now, what
do you think of that? I blew enough
wind at that thing to extinguish bonfire
and 1t doesn't even flicker"
AS he stood intently regarding the light
the man at the desk rose drowsily, and
with yawn stepped out into the hall
way. Strange as it may seem, this rather
relieved the ghost, for he wanted to in
vestigate without the presence of inquir-
ing and embarrassing witnesses He had
now forgotten that his purpose was to
alright. He drew gingerly near the mys-
FERROUS lamp, and pulling in long breath
prepared to make the effort of his life-or
death, as it were.
Suddenly, while he was still in the act
of inhaling atmosphere, the light went
out. The ghosts hair rose.
He trembled from head to foot. 'Wha-
wha-what d-d-did that?" he TREMENDOUSLY
asked himself. Then as a thought came
" II Was Oi1e VI tIOSe 1901 new
ghosts, I'll bet. Say your addressing
space in the hope that some fellow-spec-
ter would answer. I'm haunting this
place. Go on away and attend to your
own business. Who are you, anyway"
There was no answer.
Jaw, say" pleadingly insisted the
ghost, talk up and tell fellow. What's
the use of acting that way? How did
you blow 1t out? l like to busted tryinf
1t, and couldn't He thought that bit
of fiattery wouldatempt the rival spirit to
respond, but 1t didn't. Then the full hor-
ror of it appeared to him. There was no
other ghost there. He realized it. He
was alone. Utterly. hopelessly alone.
Oh, for the cheer of some other spectral
presence! - 45-
His teeth chartered in noiseless, foggy
manner. His fingers trembled, and his
legs shook beneath him, and If he had
known or had the material to break out
into sweat, he would have broken out
into one of exceeding GOODNESS. He
thought of the man who had sat at the
desk and wondered if he would never re-
turn. He seemed so long gone Oh for