Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-17
GHOST SAYS HIS
F|ANCEE IS MAD
PARROT GIVES CAMPER AN
AWFUL SCARE
Although He Later Learns He Is the
Victim of UnWttine Joke he
Gives Up Vacation and
Flees to Her Side


JACKSON, N. H., Sept 16.-A "su-
pernaturaP' warming that his sweet
heart had died and was about to be
buried so unnerved a youth from
Brookline, Mass, the other day that al
| though he found he had been the vic
tim of an odd and unwilling hoax he
gave up trip to Mount Washington
and went home.
L. Archibald Swanson was the young
man who got the scare. In company
with Jersey Patterson he set out from
nome two weeks ago on a pedestrian
tour, the objective point of Which was
Mount Washington Shortly before
leaving Brookline he became engaged
TO MISS Patty Arnell, a pretty miss OF
49, whom he had known since child
hood and upon whom his parents looked
with favor At Glen, few miles south
of here, young Swanson applied at the
postoffice for his usual daily letter.
ana railing to receive it began to
worry.
That night camp was made in the
woods between Glen and Jackson and
swanson declared that if he didn't re-
celVe some word from his sweetheart in
the morning he should stay over a day
and wire. His worry greatly increased
because Miss Patty was down with a
mild attack of the measles, which had
developed shortly after he left Brook
line.
So worried, in fact, was Swanson that
he couldn't sleep, and after tossing
about on his blankets until nearly mid
night he aroused Patterson and to-
gether they sat without the little con-
ical tent, the one brooding and the
other trying to act cheerful enough
for two 1t was a dark, still night,
with the stars shining dimly, and when,
during pause in the faltering conver
sation voice from the sky crooned
the word "Hello!" both young men
nearly jumped out of their skins.
Searching the heavens with
frightened eyes they made out nothing
and were thinking that the voice
emanated in their overweight imag-
nations when something over them
distinctly said:
She's dead; they're going to have
a funeral!"
That was enough for Swanson. There
was but one "she" in his world OF
thought and that was Miss Patty. For
an instant he turned pale and shiv-
ered then he gathered his nerve and
diVed into the tent.
I'm going home. and I'm going
now," he told Patterson. "You pack
up and come tomorrow"
The young man got into his travel
ms NlOihSo do I1PlItJ tS he cOulQ dnO
the two were soon hurrying down the
road. Patterson agreeing to go as, far
as Glen. The first train didn't leave
for hours and the distance was short
But still they hurried, stumbling along
in the darkness. They hadn't gone far
before 1t was seen that faster progress
could be made by the aid of a lantern,
and they stopped at a farm house to
borrow one, The aroused inmate saw
that something was wrong and he
questioned the pedestrians closely.
When he got at the facts his face broke
into wide good-naturad grin.
Say, young feller, you don't wan
to get so scared" he laughted. THAT
ere ghost was the old woman's parrot,
Polly. What she hollered was all she
knows and l guess your young lady
hain't kicked the bucket yet The oil
fool cuss learned that when grandma
died, and she hain'tN never learned
nuthin' sence. Guess I'll halter keen
her in nights If she's goin' round scarin'
strangers most to DEATH"
Swanson was pretty well convinced
when the farmer whistled and brought
in Polly. who repeated her sally, but
the scare hadn't left him and he in
sisted on going home. At North Con-
way he received an answer to a teIe-
gram sent from Glen, but still he kept
on, arriving at Brookline that night in
time to call on Miss Patty and ind her
conValescing.