Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-01-25
Continued from last week. }

CONTINUED from last week.
In England in those days as in
other European countries, there was
deep seated belief in ghosts and
other uncanny things, which, as
might be expected, exerted an ex-
ceedingly unhappy influence over
the children. OF course this wretch
ed superstition where it existed
among grown up people was gener-
ally confined to the ignorant, it had
little place among those who could
lay claim to much intelligence. AT
the same time it's influence was felt
to some extent, even among those
who openly ridiculed the idea of
ghosts; they were loath to pass
through a grave yard at night, or
even through body of timber when
it was very dark. The servants
would tell their hideous, hobgoblin
yarns with such doleful, scarey
voices to the shivering children
that the poor little things almost
frightened to death, would not re-
cover from the effect produced up
on their minds for years. have
little patience with those heartless
dolts who deliberately frighten
children with ghost stories, O. BY
practical jokes endanger the peace
of mind and sometimes even the
lives of grown-up people.
On the farm where we lived there
was a body of timber skirting a
meadow through which had to pass
on my way to and from school. One
evening after school, in company
with two or three other children Of
my own age, stopped to renew a
game of marbles which had been
interrupted when school called in
the afternoon. We all became so
deeply. interested in the game that
the time passed unobserved by us
till the shadows of evening began
to gather. / hastened on home as
fast as i could, but we had ling
cred a little too long and it was
getting dark when / reached the
timber which had always been my
bugaboo at night. l whistled and
sang and made all the noise l could
to keep my courage up, but unfor-
tunately for me | could not keep
my eyes off the timber, try as hard
as ] might, and oh, dreadful thing,
I saw a ghost, veritable full grown
ghost. Now Roger Sainton used to
say that white sheet made nine
parts of a ghost, and imagination
one part, but think that magma
tion makes all the ten parts of it il
there be ten parts to it, though
did not think so then.
/ saw the ghost with my own eyes,
there was no mistake about that
1t was not necessary that 1 should
linger to investigate more closely
the awful spectre. I did not tarry
for a single moment. stopped
whistling and began to run, o, how
did run, nor did stop till almost
breathless and nearly frightened
out of my wits, / reached home tC
be folded in my mothers arms
The ghost l had seen proved to be
only an old white horse which had
been turned loose in the woods and
was innocently browsing on the
leaves of the trees, near the edge
cf the timber, without a single
thought of the dire alarm he hat
created in one small breast. I wa:
very careful after that to pass those
woods in the daytime, when l wa.
alone.
Farm life in England as I remem
ber it is essentially the same as il
the United States. OF course there
are differences arising out of loca
conditions and customs, the intro
duction of machinery, the improv
ed means for transportation of tn,
products to market and newel
methods of labor, together with tn,