Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1902-10-29
LAND OF GHOSTS
whits-Robsa spectre. WEAK Abroal
Uhdlstarbed on the Islahd q Sc
ThOmA West indies.

~
ton and don't count" said q young
woman who has been at ST. Thomas,
In the West Indies" relates the De-
.troit Free Press. Il went down
there with q friend and she found &C.
commodations for Is in an old stone
building perched on the cliffs, 30
near the sea that the waves shook
Il. We had separate rooms, but mo-
body said anything to as about
ghosts. Indeed, there was hardly
time for that because on the very
first day, and not very long after I
had unpacked my things and settled
down TO rest q moment and enjoy the
view, I had my first visitor Of the IN
canny sort Az is the custom there,
the door Of the room was not locked,
but to prevent too sudden Intrusion
By callers (they never think OF
kOcklng), q : e set up in front
Of the door. I was sitting By the
window (the sun was shining bright
" At the timel, when, from behind
the screen, very quietly walked q
n~ice-lOOking young girl Of IS or 70,
dressed in white, and with two long
braida of very black hair hanging
down over her shoulders in front. I
did not notice further particularly,
thinking she was a maid, as / had not
yet become acquainted with the
household. She stood at the foot OF
the bed, just away from the screen,
as II awaiting orders and / asked her
what she wanted. She did nit reply,
but turned and went behind the
screen again, and, thinking it rather
strange. I went TO see what she was
doing.
There was nothing behind the
screen and the door was shut. I had
not heard IL close, and. somewhat
surprised, though not thinking OF
ghosts, I opened the door aN1 looked
out in the hall to see where the girl
had gone. A maid was sweeping
some distance down the hall, and 1
asked her If she had seen anyone go
out, and she said she had not. That
made me a little nervous, but I kept
my own counsel. / was not going to
start a ghost story for a beginning,
anyway. Later in the afternoon I
wanted>a Bible and went to the land
lady for it. She told me I would find
one on the shelf in my room. / went
after it. and in getting it down, as I
had to climb for it, dropped it ana
a photograph fell out. / picked It
up, and much to my surprise I saw
that it was a picture Of the girl who
had visited me. I went right away
to the landlady.
"'Who is thisT' I asked, quite care
lessly.
"'It's a picture of a young lady
who died in that room three months
ago. said the landlady, taking it
from my hands.
"'Died?' I almost screamed at her.
Why, ] saw her in my room only
this afternoon
"'Oh, yes smiled the landlady,
quite unconcernedly; I'VE have all
seen her 'about the house, but she
does no harm
II was in a quandary. 1 didn't
want TO show the white feather, and
l didn't want to live in the same
Don with a ghost, I didn't care if
she was harmless. We didn't do that
way with ghosts at home, and I
wasn't used to 1t. At the same time,
if the people in the house were not
afraid, why should I be? But I was,
just the same, and still / made up my
mind to stay in that o / confess
when dark came 1 was decidedly
nervous, but l reasoned that possibly
a ghost which visited in the daytime
stayed away at night; and as far as
l could see, my reasoning was cor
rect, and I got to bed without seeing
anything. l hadn't been there,
though, nor than a few minutes
when i felt something pull at the
cover on the bed. I thought it might
be a dog, and spoke to it, but re-
ceived no answer l got up and light
ed my candle, but saw nothing and
went hack to bed, blowing out the
light. Again 1 felt the tug at the
covers, and they went down to the
foot Of the bed. 1 pulled them up,
and I don't know how many times it
was repeated, but I vowed and de-
clared that l would not be chased
away by a ghost. And I wasn't, for I
was there in the morning, though /
had not slept much, and was feeling
very uncomfortable. I was out all
that day, and when night anne I still
felt like holding the fort against my
uncanny visitor. I went to bed as
usual, but / guess my nerves were
overweight, for at the very first
pull on the covers, IS had happened
the night before, I just could not
stand 1t; and, making q flying leap
from the bed, I went with 9 wild
rush to the room Of my companion
further down the hall, and, boiling
right through mosquito netting and
everything else, / landed on the back
part Of her bed, with her between me
and what I had left behind, and there
I stayed until morning. Next day ]
changed my room and there the