The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-07-28

| ''"i" hot be-ibe tfnfih was uDlISuuIl
"hltc tonight | cast my eve alon.
IL. the eight feet at the bottom wcr.
50 White that by comparison the uppe
part looked dark. And Just rs hpsa,
to assure myself. against INV conyir
ton and the evidence Of my senses
that 1t was only imagination, nv bors,
gave a snort and made a quick tur,
with me. There was no doubt about il
now. There was something there.
got my horcs around to face tn,
situation, md as calmly ns could
considering my own feelings and thos,
or the horse, inspected the friyhtfu]
object ahead. 1t was certainly a hid.
cous thing.
ne figure was about eight feet high.
it mad white horns, and a neckless
mead that Nbbcd about in a mcnacinc
way. 1t had arms which made threat
enlnS gestures. and it moved ont into
the path as | looked and stood clear
or the tree. l held my horse with NV
right hand. and passed my left through
my hair to see if ii stood erect took
| courage from the fact that it did not !:
although why it did not | could NOT
ana cannot understand. l certainly
felt the bristling sensation that made
me want to pull down my hat
l do not like to be thought n coward
yet am not at all disposed to claim
that | was unmOvcd by the object be-
fore me. If | argued that it was not
ghost because it could not be. the
answer was indubitable that 1t was
something, and if not ghost, it ans
wered the description of one If it was
4 ghost it was apparently something
quite as Formidable
Indeed, had l know that it was a
ghost | might almost have felt relief
Still l held my horse with face to the
front. and urged him on with my heels.
The hill rose abruptly Oh one side;
deep ravine was on the other There
was only the alternative of going
ahead or turning back, and could not
quite so back
So, striking in my spurs. dashed by
the ghost. which made a lungc at us as
we passed that caused my horse to shy
On l rode little way
up the ridge, at first congratulating
myself that l was safely by. Then
was it courage, or curiosity. or cow
ardice lest l seem to myself coward?
Il turned my unwilling horse and rode
back again.
The ghost was still there, and when |
came somewhat near. renewed its !
hostile gcsticulation and approach. My
horse. which had barely got by when
headed toward home, would so no far
fher when facing away from home.
At length dismountcd. and holding
my bride in my left hand and my
in the right, approached
he ghost. The ghost ceased to come
Oward me. and seeing me still coming
IN, began slowly to retreat, still wav-
nS me back with his Tapping arms.
md his broken-ncck and bObbing head.
| would have advanced more rapidly.
low that it was retrcating. but my
dvance was impe,led by the pulling
'ack Of my horse l may as well CON
ess that while had the courage
nough. ut 4 pinch. to face the ghost,
had not enough to hitch the horse.
he horse was my final resort for 4 re-
rcat and still did not know what OBJ
rct l was facing. or into what sort of
mbuscade he was backing.
have heard that all men are cow
rds in the dark, and l partly believe I
!. Still | also believe that Il man I
ever really knows to what point his {
Owardice may be pushed back till he
tands alone in the dark and face to .
Ice with peril. 9
gained upon my ghost. At the last a
Iinutc he got tangled in his own t
hostliness and stumbled over a less i
hostly companion, and l was upon /
i'm and punched the butt Of my whip a
yainst the white. 1t yielded, and a
ruck flesh behind: and the ghost p
frank, frightened from the impact. $
Then seized the ghost firmly. He a
oppcd. but two skulking figures ran p
way, and the ghost turned and crap a
ed with me. / was at disadvan- t,
ge with only one hand, but l gave 4
m q wrench that even a ghost may Il
It have found comfortable and which c
icited n cry of pain. Fl
1t was the retreatng footsteps of his ID
mpanions, however, that most dis .
csscd him. AS soon as lie heard these, =
was as much afraid to be alone o
it'll me as had been to be alone
it'll him; and took courage from his
ar, and from his solidity as we'll
Y ghost was not past feeling the III
in of a wrenched elbow. Il
made another grab at him, and got /,
N near the throat. He shocked him d
K loose, but l held the cloth, and he a
sengag ged himself from his ghostly a:
,ppins and ran. A moment later he "
ed his pistol, and then two other in
stol shots came from his companions IL
little farther down the road. &C
rhc danger was past. There was no di
ance of his hitting me While he ran. al
d his friends shots were from Il in
fe distance. 1t was far too dark for
ything like certain aim, and | hal
real idea that they wanted to hit
). 1t was their warning that l was III