The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-07-28
A GHOST | MET.
BY REV. VIZ. +. BARTON.

Ghosts aeem to be popular Just now
hear their noiselcss tread and fee
their delightful literary shudder in
books and stories nr,t few But once
met ghost. and he was less pleas
ant in life than in /, book.
1t was the second year Of nv teach
ing school in the mountains Of Ken
lucky. l had come to feel much at
home, and had ridden far and wide in
the hills. Horses were at my disposal,
but | broke a mule to the saddle and
rode him through Cumberland Gan, in
to Virginia and back hundred miles
and more. came to prefer a mule
for long rides over the hills, but on
shorter rides more frequently rode a
clay-bank pony.
Early in this second year | formed
the habit of spending an evening each
week with the teacher in an adjacent
district. and this gave me regularly
ride home of several miles in the
dark. 1t was made at least q mil.
longer by the angle which the road
made down to the ford.
This extra mile l grudged most of
sll, and when the water was not too
nigh, took short cut through the
WOODS, striking the creek a mile higher
up. his way was by n mere bridle-
pain, which led through an old field
ana along ridge, and thcn through
half-mile of low growing beech trees.
where one had to ride carefully to keen
oi his horse in tbs dark-and il was
dark in there.
one night heard some animal
crashing through the underbrusb
ABOVE me- and keeping near me until 4
reached the creek. The next week |
neard near at hand the pathetic, fear
some, half-human and half f-ficndish
cry OF panther. And so It,ok 70 car.
lyihg revolver with me, and for q
ume kept the main road.
Dut moonlight night Brought me !
uaek TO my short cut again, and | kent /
thenceforth, even il once or twice
Inc water was high enough to set nv
Nurse TO swimming. But the longer
,oau' dare say, would sometimes
aa'e proved the shorter way home
al least. there was one time when II
delay. '
inerc was only one house on the
snoft-cut road, If may it :, road #
was the deserted cabin belonging TO
.hc old fields, and it stood not far from
'ne l'ghway. a disasreeablc story
.''. "ss toid about It, and uncomfortable
n'nss We're alleged to have been seen
ie' these associated themselves
~. Only with the house. which stood
WIN gaping door and sunken roof and
.u.oie-aoWn '., stick chimney, but also
WIN the dead sycamore tree that stood
:. T, 'ne iofk OF the path below the
IN truth, the tree looked fcarsome
.uuugn at night. 1t stood ont so white
.nu oare. so gallowsl like and 30 me- I
ha.lns' that it alone might well have I
oeeh an object of fear. a ghost of n
az. y was-rooted in it's own grave. ,
: uicaH' white tombstone Of Il tree. l '
.'oAeu at 1t rs rode under it. with I
: certain half-expcctation OF seeing
' !. aiarmins thing happen there. |
-. - came one chill, drizzly night.
.a,e asfe were occasional angry spits Of !
,aa 49, win lons-separatel and far-dis- $
,a ,sa' slows OF lightning. 1t was y shiv- q
ing creeping night, with Il touch oil /
'Oaethins in tic air that led one to f
>. le'pate trouble l remember dis =
'r.uv ~. that my friend said to me as a
Ihost." > " . y,
!. 'hlnk l really expected to see some Il
Jug that night. The shudder OF it s
80 =. III the bones of things in general. a
nu ~ could feel it creeping into my Il
"n' I, And ] never doubted that the n
.''ee TO See it was the dead sycamore n
. 1et there was Il certain fascina-
=" ~ the prospect which made me X
AAe the short cnt. l did not want to "
- WHAT was there, yet / could not p
iihs iaySclf to avoid it. e
80 Tue tree came in sight, and at the "
=" started. There it stood, white b