The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-06-18
The Cabman' S
-
Ghost
BY F. A. mitchell asaF@

!
The speaker was one of several col
ored hack drivers waiting for the mid
night train to come in at station IL
Tennessee. Some Of the group had 81
far broken away from the supersti
ton of their race as to doubt or pre-
tend to doubt the existence of ghosts.
"Wha' yo' know bout hants" blus
tered one of the doubters.
"Wha' / know bout 'em? l driv one
OBJ EN- onct."
yah, yah! Yo' driv hant! Did
he pay yo' In liant money!"
"Yas." -.
"'Twan't no money at ALL"
"Wha' kind OBJ money was dot"
"Yah, yah; you mean 'twant NO
liant at all. Mebbe 1t was beat"
'Yo' shet up an I'll tell yo' all about
1t. One mighty da'k night was sit
tin on de box waitin' fo fare. Fust
thing l knew / felt somep'n jist lax
somebody teched me on de knee with
an icicle. woke up, an dar standin'
on de sidewalk war young Teller look
in at me with de shiniest eyes / eber
see.
II neber see man dressed lax dat.
His hat war all fuzzy an was bigger
at de top dan at de bottom, an de
brim was all rolled up on de sides.
He had big white towel round his
neck an no shirt collar. De coat was
green, with brass buttons big as sill
yer dollar, an 1t was spike tailed. De
pants was tight an strapped down
ober de foot He was might guar,
tell yo'.
He said he want me to drive him
up de road bit an he tell me wha'
to stop, He git in de back. an driv
up de road. Purt' soon he sing out,
'Stopr an l stopped. He got out an
tole me to stay wha' | was. an he
went into de woods. BY de time de
clouds what war rollin' ober de moon
rolled off. an, bein' de full, 1t was
light as day. / sot awhile wonderin'
who de young man war and what he
went into de wood TO-, an ! got GURUS,
so got down often de box an follered
him.
Oar see standin' in de clearin' in
de light OBJ de moon de young Teller
talkin' to another young man, and in
anudder place was anudder man talk
in to anudder man, too. Dis was tall
man with lantern jaws, an he hair
stood right up on de top OBJ he head
lax grizzly bar. He was de mos de-
terminated man l cher see He war
dressed lax de udder men dar, on'y he
hab shirt collar standin' way up I'M
der he years.
while / war looLin' at 'em de two
udder men max some steps lax markin'
off de groun', den dey put de two frs
men whot I tole yo' bout at de ends
ed each one OBJ 'em leetle pistol
Den one OBJ de udder men stan up an
he drop a hunshecuff an bof de men
shoot at each udder. One on 'em hol
his fire, den he TAX long aim an he
shoot my fare so he fall down on de
groun'
when l see 'em carryin' him outen
de wood says, says l, 'Dey gwine to
tax him to my hack an | max tracks
TO- de hack, an when dey git dar
was settin' on de box purtendin' to be
asleep.
Den I started ag'in an dey put de
young man in de kerridge an tell me
to driv me home. l whip up de boss |
an driy' back to de town, an cherry |
once in awhile de young man put he
head out de winder an tell me which
way to go. Onct when he put out he
head | look down an see he white |
face with de big black eyes lookin' at |
me, an 1t seem IS If he been dead |
a hundred year. For de Lawd, |
thought / gwine fall often de box,
was so sceered.
when we got to de place he was go
In at / driv in de gate an up to de
house. 1 been drivin' all about dat
kintry, an neber see dat place befo'.
Oar want no SIGH place on dat road
nohow. l feel as if de debble got in
side O. me an was clutchin' at my
windpipe. i driv up de path to dat
house, an / neber see de house befo',
my mo- dan de groun's. 1t war da'k
Is a coal hole. But de mint stop be-
% de steps oh de verandah it was all
lighted at once. Some peoples come
,ut, one OBJ 'em a young woman, who
uk on when she see de young man In |.
lie kerridge, an made up my mind
he war he wife. Dey carried him into
lie house an left me waitin outside.
II sot dar on de box waitin' TO some
,ody to bring me out ma fare. an arter
long time a niger KEN out an said
no go away, since might be wanted.
But he didn't say nothin' bout nah
are.
"He went into de house. an 1
waited an waited, an / got mighty
ired waitin AFTER while forgot
bout de queer eyes OBJ de young man
driv dat Worried ma, an TUX nap.
When woke up wha 20 t'ink was"
"Wha?"
"Sleepin' on de box right in de town
Tha started at"
The audience was so frightened at
he recital that they showed signs of
INNING away, when the speaker con-
Inued:
81 driv gentleman arter dat to de