Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1909-01-20

Ghosts, hey? Did you dream of
ghosts?"
THAT I did. I could ear 'em groan-
ing"
"'Twas yourself that was groaning,"
says 1. "a teller that took aboard the
cargo of supper that you did hadn't
ought to sleep on cornhusks."
Il didn't sleep; not 'ealthy Chris
tian sleep, 1 didn't. say. Pratt, did
you ever ear that this old 'ouse was
'aunted?"
WELL" says I, 81 don't know as /
ever heard that exactly. But old Mrs.
Berry died in it and then Marcellus
lived here alone till he died. Seems to
me he died in that room of yours,
come to think of it." says I, cheering
him up.
He turned pale, instead of the yell
low he'd been lately.
"'Oly Moses!" says he. "You can't
mean it."
Il can mean more than that without
half trying" says. Eyes, 1 remem-
Der now. He did die there and they
say he died hard. Maybe that was on
account of the bed, though"
He was mighty upset Commenced
to tell about friend of his over in
1.-The old country" who had been butler
at place that was haunted. 1 asked
if his friend had ever seen any of the
spooks.
NO." says he, "'e never saw 'em
imself, but it was a tradition in the
family. Everybody knew it. 1t was a
white lady, and she used to trip about
the 'ouse and over the lawns nights"
he says.
White, was she?" says L. "WeIl,
suppose if she'd been black they
wouldn't have been able to see her in
the night. Never heard of a colored
ghost anyway. did you?"
81 mean she was all dressed in
white" he says, scornful. "And they
say twas 'orrid to see her a-gliding
around over the grass"
Want to know!" says I. "Well, if
| you see old Marcellus gliding around
| the hummocks outside call me, will you?
| I'd like to see how he manages to navi-
| gate through the sand That's a job
| for strong, healthy man, let alone
a dead one"
l guess he see 1 didn't take much
stock in his ghost yarns, so he quit
and went to getting the things on the
breakfast table. But he was nervous
and broke dish and sprinkled forks
and spoons over the floor like he was
sowing EN-. Pretty soon he had to
stop and hustle upstairs, for the
Twins was shouting for their duds For
grown men they was the most helpless
critters; his lordship was a sort of
nurse to 'em, as you might say.
After a while he had 'em dressed
and ready and they come down to
breakfast. Nate had brought over
feather beds for them, so they slept
pretty well. Van Brunt was rugged up
special because he was going to East
witch that forenoon to see his girl.
I'd cooked whopping big breakfast,
but twas only just enough. Van was
a regular famine breeder and Hartley
want far astern of him. The Natural
Life was agreeing with both of 'em
fine so far. Martins cheeks was filing
out and him and his chum was sun
burned to brick red.
After breakfast they went out for
their usual promenade. By and by |
heard EN- hailing me from the back
Of the house. When 1 reached 'em
they was standing by the barn, with
their hands in their pockets, and look
ing as happy and proud as if they'd
| discovered America.
Come here, skipper" says Van.
do you see this?"
He was pointing at kind of fiat
place in the lee of the pig sites. Twas
a sort of small desert, as you might
say: A bunch or two of beachgrass in
the middle of it and the rest poverty
grass and sand.
Il don't see much" says 1. what
do you mean"
| Il mean the location" says he
Here's where we'll have our garden.
| l looked at him to see if he was
Joking. But it appeared he want.
''Garden?" says I.
Sure" he says. Its an ideal spot
Sun all day long"
You could make a garden here
couldn't you, Sol?" asks Hartley.
Maybe / could" says !, eff l dug
through to Chiny and hit loan on
t'other side. Otherwise you couldn't
raise nothing in this sand but bills
ters"
"Scudder could bring us loam," says
Van. We've thought of that"
Starting garden in JULY" says 1
What do you cal'late to raise-Christ
mas trees?"
Late vegetables, of course" says
Van. Martin and intend to stay al
through September. Think of it, Mar
tin; green corn from our own planta
ton. And cucumbers in the morning
with the dew on EN-"
/ and tomatters already baked In
the sum-" / says. disguised. You take
my advice and buy your green stuff OF