The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-11-19

Il saw We, Bonnie Lesley.
As she gaid Ger the border.
She's gone ike Alexander
To spread her ~conquests farther
The other tombstone, an upright
one, TO a cousin Of my fathers. Mar
garet Smith. In the church ward To
the east and west of the church are
many graves covered with the slabs
Of blue slate With which graves We're
covered in scotland in the auld DAYS.
ONLY one tombstone stood in the
church yard. this an upright one. 70
the emo % my grandfather, Thorn
AS StrOnach, and hls wife, Ann Baron
After spending some little time |
started On my return to Forres. / had
gotten as far as the driveway, posi-
bly, half a mile. when | recalled that
/ had once promised 4 C~lansWoman in
North Carolina that if ever / visited
Scotland l would bring her a
handful Of earth CATER returning
home | found out it was Scotch
steps with the intention of getting the
earth from my grandfather'S and
grandmothcr's grave. There We're tWo
paths, enc following up and one down
the stream, these paths met ut the
foot of the little brigg. Crossing the
brigg you come into a driveway that
stretches away for q quarter of Il
mile or more in full view from the
bridge. Following the pathway up
the stream | was within about twenty
steps of the foo OF the little bridge
when saw approaching me
on the path coming down the strea :
a woman. She was tall and spare
built, dressed in dark material, the
skirt of her dress having a white speck
or small dot. on her mead was an
old-fashioned poke shaped bonnet.
her face was yelled. She was appar-
emily half the distance nearer to the
bridge than myself. She reached the
foot of the little brigg (this bridge has
no Govern. She all at once disappear
ed from my view. Thinking that my
attention had been possibly distracted
q had been plucking different kinds
of leaves) II that the woman, q
visitor possibly to the Aud Kirk, had
crossed quickly, | crossed the little
brigg and again went to the church.
There was no woman or sign of her.
The ground IN and around the church
quite soft, contained no footprints ex-
cept my own Neither were there
footprints eXcept mine in the gravel Of
the pathway. AS | stopped to gather
the earth from the grave there came
over me an eerie cheepie feeling as if
] were not by myself and hastily fill
ing a large envelope that | u in
my pocket with earth, | as hastily
made my departure.
Was it my gran'mOther's ghaist
(ghost) with a year and a day warn
ing cit will take me about that length
of time to get my garden IN Shape), or
was it q Naturalization evolved by the
surroundings:
My grandmother was sale to have
been a woman of very strong charac-
ter and good business ability, 50 much
so that her sons even after their mar
rage came to her for advice. l knew
nothing as recall of her height or
figure. but one would naturally asSo-
clate With an active, energetic High
land Scotch woman q spare, strong
framed Ggure.
My fathers foreman when | was a
small boy was Donald Campbell. q
Highland Scot. who believed in the
witches and Warlocks Of Scotland, and
as boy l have listened to his ghaist
and other stories until | was even
afraid to turn my head lest one We're
standing behind me.
My mother affirmed and firmly be-
lieVed that on two occasions she had
seen Wraiths or appearances, once an
aunt and at another time a cousin.
Both occasions were such as would
have causad Authorizations.
Was my graH'mither's ghaist called
UP by heredity from my mother or by
absorption from MIR. Campbell, OF
bath?
The quotation at the head Of my
last weeks story is from Shakespeare's
McBeth-I think l failed to credit it.
The scene of Shakespeare's play is in
and around Forres (the BLASTED
Heath within the town limits) as is
the scene of my story. Macbeth or