West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1902-09-11
Old ZEB WHITE
The Aged Postum Hunter. Tells
What he Caught in q Trap.

the Cumberland mountains as l sal
with Zeb White before his big
kitchen fireplace, and now and then
the wind walled among the pines in
way to make one feel bit creepy.
We had roasted and eaten the chest
nuts and lighted our pipes for a
smoke when / asked the old man il
it wasn't good night outside for
spooks.
."It's jest the right sort of night,
he replied, "but l amt skassly ex-
pectin' one to visit us. One did call
on me one night, though, six or
seven years ago."
begged him for the story, and
as the doors and windows ratified
and the wind moaned in the big
chimney he continued:
81 got home one evehin' to find
my ole woman so skeered that she
was whiter'n snow. reckoned she
had been struck dumb for awhile,
but bimeby she got the use of her
tongue and seq to me:
"Zeb White, git out that Bible
and begin to sing and pray, fur our
time has surely come to leave this
airthl'
whats bin a'gittin1' seq /.
"a ghostl l sot in the open doah,
waiting fur you, and ghost walked
out from behind the mewl shed and
looked at me. Zeb, the Lawd has
sent a warning to git readyl'
al don't believe no SIGH talk, "
said the old man, ''but she was so
sot that she had seen a ghost
and was powerful skeered. We
went to bed, and iong about mid
night she yelled out and woke me
up. Then ! seed the ghost myself
He was looking inter the winder
over thar, and fur two or three
minits / couldn't move finger"
"Then it was he ghost1" asked.
eyes, reckond it was. Yes, as
nigh as / could make it out it was a
he ghost. 1t had face like a man
who'd suddenly met bar and got
dreadfully skeered. His eyes was
rolling and his jaws working, and /
felt chills go over me as said to
the ole woman:
"Pears to ME that our time on
this airih is powerful short, but I'm
going to git up and make a fight fur
it with the axl'
Don't do it, Zeb, says she as she
shakes from head to heel. IF you
make that ghost mad, we're dun fur
fur suah. Look al his eyes, will you
81 am a-looking, but amt gwine
TO lay yere and let no crit,er of a
ghost make up faces at me even il
he is 10 feet hight
"When | got outer bed the ghost
vanished, but didn't sleep no mo-
that night. The ole woman was fur
believing that death was at hand,
and most Of the next day she was
reading the Bible and singing hymns
dldn't take il as no sign sent by
the Lswd, but ] was mighty puzzled
10 know just what it was. That
evening sot in the doah with my rifle
till 10 O'Clock, but nuthing showed
up. Then we went TO bed and
nebbe IL was O'Clock in the mawn-
ing, when my ole woman hooted
SIGH hoot that every h'ar on my
head riz on end. The ghost was
looking through that same winder
again, and was upset that | could
not stand up when rolled outer bed 4.
Before / could git my rifle the
thing was gone and the ole woman
was in TT. When she Gums out of
II, she begins to sing and pray, and
] recond ] was almost as big an idiot
as she vas. All could do was to
stand and stare and wonder IL these
old mountaings had finally come TO
turning out spooks and ghosts as
well as bars and wildcats. Bimeby
when she could speak, she was fur
running away and leaving the house
and everything behind, but / was
getting rIled up, and I says:
1--WE don't stir a foot till that
ghost proves hisseIf bigger man
than ] am. You kin huddle up on
the bed, and I'll watch fur the crit
ter the rest Of the night out
That's what I says. and while
she whimpers and groans sot down
on a cheer and kept my eyes peeled
and my finger on the trigger"
"And you believed il vas a ghost9"
] asked.
"Csn't skassly say what believ.
ed" he replied. 81 had heard
heaps Of talk about spooks and
speeriis and reckOnd one might
hey bizhess with me. When il cum