Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1914-02-05
The Haunted House.

One 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 planta-
ton on which there was cabin that had
the reputation among colored folk OF
being haunted; but one of them named
Nose scoffed at ghosts, and publicly an
nounced that he wasn't 'afeared OF no
ghosts" and wasn't "afeared to stay in
dat yah house all night any night"
Hearing CT this the owner OF the plan
tation, who desired TO rid the place OF
its reputation, proposed to Nose that if
he would stay in the house all night he
would give him two dollars and bottle
OF whiskey.
Nose agreed, and in spirit OF bravado
he stipulated that "Marse John can ies'
lock de do and take de key; and when
he KEN ovah in de mornin' he will suah
fin Nose dah."
In the evening they went to the cabin
shortly after dark and placed table with
a lamp on ii in the front 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 lei 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 people
about the plantation if they had seen
Nose. They said they hadn't and that
Nose was a 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 remote part OF the plan
tation, he saw IN the distance bedrag-
gled figure with clothes torn by brambles
and bespatterd with mud which he took
to be a tramp. and he called out, "Get
off this plantation This is no place for
tramps."
A voice came back to him: "Why,
Marse John, don't yo' know me2 is
Nose. is jes' gittin' back"
Marse John said "Come here, Nose,
and tell me all about it."
"WeIl, you see, Marse John, when yo'
went away All sat down in de cheer,
comf'abIe like, an All put ma feet up on
de table, an All fill ma pipe an took
drink out ob de bottle. And ies dat
minute de do open still like de hinges
was creased. an in walks black cat dat
high, an huh eyes was big as saucers,
an oey shined like brass, an she hop
huhSelf upon de table an wrop huh tail
across huh bre's' an say, Good even
in. Dey amt nobody heah but yo' an
me-
can says, 'Missis, if you wait ies
minute, dey won't be nobody heah but
yo'.' An went through dat window an
lit on ma feet-an' riz runnin', an KEEP
on a runnn'. An Ah run on through de
timbah. an rabbit run out an run down
de path ahead ob me. Ah kick dat out
ob de way, an say, Git out OBJ de way
TO- man what kin run
"Ah KEEP on runnin'. an way obah
on de fur cornah OBJ de plantation All stop
an lean up ag'in dat big oak tree TO res.
All look aroun', and heah come little
man jes' dat high, an he tux off his haid
an put il undah his ahm an say, Dat
was fine run what yo' made, ole man.
"Ah says, Good Lawd Jes' watch
me now An, Marse John, rs ies' git
tin back"
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