Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1905-12-15

. The
: Double Scare

/: Double Scare /:
!: BY j. r. Hammond. ::
Observation-Disclosures
>1s6oS<. ABRIEL SHOBE was seat
n ed astraddle of a log, at
Q " Q the end of which was
q hollow, out of which he
S9o< had just taken a gallon
jug. Extracting a corn
cob from the mouth of the jug, he APP
piled his lips to the orifice from which
the cob had been taken, elevated the
jug, threw his head back, and. with
his gaze directed heavenward and his
thoughts fixed on the crossroads gro
Gerry store where the nectar had been
obtained, allowed portion of the pre-
cious contents of the jug to gurgle
down his throat Having tested the
utmost capacity of his interior for re-
ceiving and containing liquids, with
out, however, in the least appeasing
his appetite therefor, ne lowered his
jug, and, inserting the cob in the
mouth, replaced it in the hollow stump.
and, covering it with leves, resumed
his seat on the log, and soliloquized
thus:
EFF Jim Peters thinks I'm gwine to
LEI him and Sue marry, he's mighty
mistaken. I'd like to know how Bets
and me and the children would git
along without old Brindle. We'd
starye, that's what we'd do."s
Old Brindle, as Shobe called her,
though she was only six years old, had
been given to his daughter Susan when
calf by one of her uncles, with the
express understanding that it was to
be hers, and hers only, to do with as
she pleased. The calf had grown to be
a fine COW, whose milk and butter
formed about half the living of Shobe's
family.
Jim Peters was one-horse school
teacher, who divided his time about
equally between teaching school, loaf
ing around Bill Stickney's grocery, and
hunting and fishing. 8& -
'"The ornery cuss," continued Shobe,
'he's ashamed to show his face In day
light. and so he comes a sneakin'
around in the night. 'Feard Nv ghosts,
too. Wish | had lookin'- glass here
to see what sort Nv ghost I'd make;;p
and, picking up sheet that he had
brought with him, he wrapped it
around him in the most approved
ghost style W a
II guess III make q bully old ghe st
In the dark" said he; and, resuming
bis seat on the log in his ghostly at
tire, he awaited the approach of dark
ness. which was now at hand. sfa|
TIE earth having at length donned
its mantle of darkness, Shobe came to
a perpendicular, remarking at the
same time: ar ss@.
Il guess it's about time Jim wuz
navigatin' along this way"
Starting for the road along which
he expected Jim to- navigate" on
reaching the stump in which his jug
was hid, the temptation was too strong
to resist; so reaching down, he drew
1T forth once more, remarking as he
did so: Il guess I'll have to give
Sweet Lips another buss before 1 go;"
and, turning it up, took another hearty
swig. Returning the jug to its place
of concealment, he resumed his ghost
Iy march in the direction of the road.
leaning his back against tree that
grew near the road, or, rather, path
way, along which he expected his
prospective, though undesired, soIl-in-
law to pass, he waited with most ex-
emplary patience the arrival of that
Interesting individual for the space of
perhaps two minutes and half.
At the end of that time his pa
tieIce being exhausted, he eased him.
self down-to sitting posture, his
back being still against the tree, in
which position he remained for- an.
other two minutes and half. when
his patience and backbone being both
exha listed, his head dropped over to
one side, his bOdy in a state Of limp
ness followed in the direction of the
mead, and the next moment Gabriel
Shobe was refining on the ground,
from which, and Immediately under
him, some half-dozen short stubs pro-
jected. as
Scarcely had he struck the ground
when he was asleep, and snoring with
an energy in striking contrast to that
usually displayed by him in the ordi-
nary avocations of life, the sound
whereof could only be compared to the
combined efforts Of half a dozen hand
saws ripping their way crosswise
through as many. dry boards This
music was not allowed to waste its
/ sweetness ON the desert air, for, many
minutes before, the footsteps of an
approaching auditor were arrested by
the sound. -
What's that2'' whispered jim Pc
ters to himself. as he came to sud-
den halt, while a creeping sensation
pervaded his cutic1e. Peering in Tie
darkness, he discovered white-look-
ing object lying at the root of tree
some twenty yards in, front of. him,
from which the sounds evidently ema-
mated. Spellbound, be stood rooted to
the spot, Lis hair bristIing, his flesh
creeping, and his knees shifting to-
/ gether
About this time the stubs, on the
points &C which stobe was 50 grace.
fully, though somewhat uneomforfa'
bly, reciinilg, were beginning to give
color t.. bis dreams. He dreamed that
be was IN the Internal regions. aud
while engaged b the discussion Of