Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-02

BY EDWARD L. HAMILTON
Congressman from Michigan
nNE of the best stories told by Judge
Bartlett, on whose plantation the scene is
supposed to have been enacted, is as follows:
Down in Georgia there was plantation
on which there was cabin that had the
reputation among colored folk of being
haunted; but one o. them named Nose
scoffed at ghosts, aid publicly announced
that he wasn't "afeared of no ghosts and
wasn't "afeared to stay in dat yah house all
night any night.
Hearing of this, the owner of the planta
ton, who desired to rid the place of its repu-
tation. proposed to Nose that if he would
stay in the house all night he would give
him two dollars and bottle of whisky.
Nose agreed and in spirit of bravado he
stipulated that "Marse John can jes' lock de
do and take de key; and when he KEN ovah
in de mornin' he will suah fin Nose dab.
In the evening they went to the cabin
shortly after dark and placed table with
lamp on it in front of the window, and then
Marse John locked the door, took the key,
and left Nose alone in the cabin
During the night he got up, looked across
and saw the light in the window, and in the
morning went over to let Nose out Nothing
but silence and emptiness inside! The
table stood where he had left it, the lamp
was still burning dimly in the morning light;
but the window was utterly demolished, and
outside were marks upon the sod where
someone had struck the earth in rapid flight.
That afternoon he asked the colored peo-
pie about the plantation if they had seen
Nose. They said they hadn't, and that
Nose was fool to stay in dat yah house"
The next day he made further inquiry;
but nobody had seen or heard of Nose.
Finally on the afternoon OF the third day,
being over on a remote part OF the planta-
ton, he saw in the distance bedraggled
figure with clothes torn by brambles and be-
spattered with mud which he took to be
tramp and he called out, Get off this plan
tation This is no place for tramps.'
A voice came back to him, "Why, Marse
John, don yo' know me? Is Nose. Is
jes gitten back
Marse John said, "Come here, Nose, and
tell me all about it.
aWell. yo' see, Marse John. when yo'
went away All sat down in de cheer, comf'a
BILE like an All put ma feet up on de table,
an All fill ma pipe an took drink out OBJ
de bottle. An jes dat minute de do open
still like de hinges was creased, an in walk
black cat dat high. an huh eyes was big as
SduCCIS, dIi ICY SillllSd lihS VI etSS, Oil SliC
hop huhself upon de table an wrop huh tail
across huh bre's' an say. Good evenin'.
Dey amt nobody heah but 70 an me.
"An says, Nlissis, if yo' wait jes min
ute, dey won't be nobody heah but yo'.'
An l went through dat window an lit on ma
feet-an riz runnin' an All KEEP on run
min. An All run on through de timbah, an
a rabbit run out an run down de path ahead
OBJ me- All kick dat rabbit out OBJ de way,
an say, Git out OBJ de way TO a man what
kin rum
"Ah KEEP on a runnin', an way obah on
de fuh cornah OBJ de plantation All stop an
lean up az in dat big oak tree to res. All
look aroun', and heah come a little man jes'
dat high an he TUX off his haid an put it
undah his ahm an say, Dat was fine run
what 20 made, ole man.
"Ah say, Good Lawd! Jes' watch me
now An, Marse John, Is jes' gitten back. "