Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-04-18
LAYING OF A GH0STI
BY EVELENA RASBuRY.
Copyright, 1918. Western Newspaper Union

''PreSs yoh organdie Lawsy muSsie,l
after de 'sperience l had las night,
here you comes a wantin' er organdieI
prested! How's never you set UNDER
de shade out in de yard, an I'll press
it-bein's it's you.
Honey, 1 seen er sight las night as
war calkerlated to make me hate de
vanities Nv dis we're Sin-Soaked worF.
I've hearn of SperitS what Sneaked
'roun' an showed deyselves to lone
pussons; but, chile, las night MORN
a hundred NV us saw de ghos' NV PAM
ter graveyard.
''You member l tole you Canaan
church had new elder dis yeah? Well,
he sho am a fine lCokin' man, and de
sisters, day am as one voice 'claimin'
him good servant in de moral vine
yard.
about de time de elder, Broder
Jones, coined TO us, Sister Judy Man
IONS time war out on de farm whar
she war sent fer usin' fame language in
de temple; an bein' nifty 1igious, she
coined right up to de front an polo
gized to de chu'ch, to de deacons an
TO everybody fer cnstin' shame on de
Shepherds flock. We insulted ober de
mattah, an 'cided to fergib her back
sliddin' an took her back in de busum
Nv de congregashum.
"Ier an dat good-fer-nOthin' gal o
helm, Pearl, got a house bout mile
frum de chu'ch, an she went to wurk
Il, a ,Ixr nm
late, an wus wunst more de piller of
de church. 'COSe such 'votion could'n'
'scape de preachers eye, an he war
purity often roup' dar helpin' Sis Judy
wild de wurk, an tryin' to 'suade Pearl
to wax in de narrer PAT.
flows never, we did'n' fine out tell
week fore las dat in his zeal he war
thinkin' Nv mahyn' Pearl to save her.
Dat scanlas 'ceedin' call'd fer er
church meetin'. So we jes' up an toll
de brudder we war'n't gwine had him
line in matermony wild err sinner, givin'
scandal to de chu'ch. Sis Judy cried
tears as she splaned, while Pearl wuz
her chile she warn't fit TO hor up de
repatriation NV a elder in de chu'ch.
JOIltS Ut IOOhtu lllpNA-
dent, good-lookin' gal an asked: 'Spose
she jine de fole, howcome we can't
mahy den?'
ISIS Judy's patience was bout
'sausted, so she ups an tells how Pearl
done jine de church four summers han
runnin'-day jes' warn't no ligiOn in
her. Pearl flew up at dat, an said as
how she amt got no husban' in de pen
like some folks presen' had. Everybody
knowed she 'luded to her nanny, an
she looked so VICIOUS wild her snapin'
eyes, de elder jes got ober his 'fatua-
ton, an said he war wlllin' to be guild
ed by de flock's wishes. De church den
chosen Judy, as a more suitabler help
meet fer de elder dan a sinner oman.
De elder glanted Judy home, an de
mex day we hearn of de 'proachin'
weddin'.
"Judy was fer er chu'ch weddin',
but de elder wus obstinit an said he
didn't want no rival traction to de big
meetin' he wus 'ductin'. So we all
fetched up at Canaan an dat elder sho
did wort an preach one more powerful
fine an 'vincin' sermon. Oar wus some
twenty odd mo'ners, an when Sis Judy
got happy in a good weavin' way, an
flung UP her hans an started:
"High up in heaven,
High up in heaven,
Asittin' on de bench wild Jesus
dar wus one of de torn-downest shout
ems you ever hurd in yoh born days.
1t sho wus gram time. Some'rs bout
midnight he dismissed de crowd wild
er blessin', an tole um him an Sis
Judy Manion gwine er bein' broke he
specially 'vited dem to foller de
Scriptural junction a jlne hans in de
holy ban of wedlock, an de meetin'
form in a 'cession, two an two, march.
down de road to Sis Manion's house,
whar de knot would be tied.
'Dat ole man Able started, 'Hark
from de TONI cause it's all de chune
he knew, an everybody took ct up but
me, an de dark ole swamp on de lef'
rung wild de music. Al-to-once it popt
into my haid dat we got TO pass Painter
graveyard.
"All Nv er suddin' de 'cession stopt
stone still, de singin' dryln' in ter sing
ers' necks; den rose de awfulest
screechin' you ever heerd in all yoh
born days. looked, an so help me
Gawd, dar in a strange light de sperit
Nv man an de sperit Nv a painter; er
painter taring' de mans neck, an de
man stickin' his knife in de panter's
side, jist like I'd hearn tell Nv as how
de graveyard got its name.
81 cotched my bref an tried to run
wild Judge an de balance, but sumpun
got wrong wild my laigs an i couldn'
move, an dar l stood wild dem two
awful sperits er facin' me. Al-tO-once
sumpun guggled in my frOat, an de
foam coined er runnin' fru my mouf,
an down in de middle Nv de road l
fell. doan know how long lay dar,
but when 1 coined to de High Sheriff
war standin' by putin han'cuffs on q
black man, and dar de tas' Nv whisky
in my mouf. 1 thought my time had
coined, an 1 fell to prayin' out loud