The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-06-21

Of the horse, Inspected the frightful
object ahead. 1t was certainly a hid
eous thing.
The figure was about eight feet high.
1t had white horns, and a reckless
head that bobbed about in menacing
way 1t had arms which made threat
ening gestures, and it moved out into
the path as l looked and stood clear
of the tree. l held my horse with my
/ right hand, and passed my left through
| my hair to see if it stood erect | took
courage from the fact that it did not;
( although why it did not l could not
and cannot understand. l certainly
| felt the bristling sensation that made
me want to pull down my hat.
| l do not like to be thought coward.
yet | am not at all disposed to claim
that l was unmoved by the object be-
fore me. If | argued that it was not
ghost because it could not be. the
answer was indubitable that it was
/ something, and if not ghost it ans
/ wered the description of one. If 1t was
ghost, it was apparently something
i quite as formidable
! Indeed, had l know that it was
| ghost l might almost have felt relief.
+ Still | held my horse with face to the
front and urged him on with my heels.
The hill rose abruptly on one side: a
deep rayine was on the other. There
was only the alternative of going
ahead or turning back, and 1 could not
quite go back.
So striking in my spurs, l dashed by
the ghost. which made a lunge at US as
we passed that caused my horse to shy
dangerously. On l rode a little way
up the ridge, at first congratulating
myself that l was safely by. Then
was it courage. or curiosity, or cow
ardice lest | seem to myself coward?
i turned my unwilling horse and rode
back again.
The ghost was still there, and when
l came somewhat near, renewed its
hostile eesticulation and approach. My
horse, which had barely got by when
headed toward home, would go no far
Their when facing away from home.
At length | dismounted, and holding
my bride in my left hand and my
riding whip in the right, approached
the ghost. The ghost ceased to come
toward me- and seeing me still coming
on, began slowly to retreat. still way
ing me back with his tapping arms.
and his broken-neck and bobbing head.
| would have advanced more rapidly,
now that it was retreating, but my
Il "a Wv
back of my horse | may as well con
fess that while l had the courage
enough, at pinch. to face the ghost,
| had not enough to hitch the horse.
The horse was my final resort for n re-
treat, and l still did not know what OBJ
ject l was facing, or into what sort of
ambuscade he was backing.
have heard that all men are cow
ards in the dark, and | partly believe
it. Still | also believe that a man
never really knows to what point his
cowardice may be pushed back till he
stands alone in the dark and face to
face with peril.
gained upon my ghost. At the last
minute be got tangled in his own
ghostliness and stumbled over a less
ghostly companion, and l was upon
him and punched the butt of my whip
against the white. 1t yielded, and
struck flesh behind; and the ghost
shrank, frightened from the impact.
Then | seized the ghost firmly. He
stopped, but two skulking figures ran
away, and the ghost turned and Crap
pied with me. | was at disadvan-
tage with only one hand, but | gave
him a wrench that even a ghost may
not have found comfortable and which
elected cry of pain.
1t was the retreating footsteps of his
companions, however, that most dis
tressed him. AS soon as he heard these,
he was as much afraid to be alone
with me as | had been to be alone
with him; and l took courage from his
fear, and from his solidity as well.
Ny ghost was not past feeling the
pain of a wrenched elbow.
l made another grab at him. and got
him near the throat. He shocked him
self loose, but / held the cloth, and he
disengaged himself from his ghostiy
trapping and ran. A moment later he
fired his pistol and then two other
pistol shots came from his companions
little farther down the road.
The danger was past There was no
chance of his hitting me while he ran,
and his friends shots were from a
safe distance. 1t was far too dark for
anything like certain aim, and l had
no real idea that they wanted to hit
me. 1t was their warning that was
not to follow them farther.
l had no thought of following them.
turned to inspect my capture. 1t
was made of two sheets and some light
poles. The two main sticks were cross
ed, and the upper part made the horns,
while the lower part was either held
by, or fastened to, the chief ghost.
The head was blown up bladder, and
l must say that its hideous bobbing
between the horns was frightful out
of all proportion to its real character.