The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-06-12
LAYING or A GHOST
by EvELENA RAsBuRY.
Copyright. 1918. Western Newspaper Union J

it-befn's It's You.
Honey, I seen er sight las night as
war calk erlated to make me hate de
vanifies Nv dis yere sin-s0aked Worl'.
I've hearn of sperits what sneaked
'roun' an showed deyselves TO lone
pdssonss but, chile, las night morn
a hundred Nv us saw de ghos' nv Pam
ter graveyard.
@You member I tole you Canaan
chu'ch had new elder dis yeah? Well,
he sho ann h fine lookin' man, and de
sisters, day am as one voice 'claimin'
him q good servant In de moral vine
yard.
aAbout 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 Hgious, she
coined right up to de front an polo
gized to de chu'ch, to de deacons an
to everybody fer castin' shame on de
Shepherds flock. We insulted ober de
mattah, an 'cided to fergib her back
sliddin' an took her back I'm de busuIn
Nv de congregashum.
'sHer an dat good-fer-nothin' gal o.
hern, Pearl, got a house bout mile
frum de chu'ch, an she went to wurk
fer de cause. She worked early an
late, an WIS wunst more de piller of
de chu'ch. 'Oose such 'votion could'n'
'scape de preachers eye, an he war
purity often 'roun' 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 scan'las 'ceedin' call'd fer er
chu'ch meetin'. So we jes' up an toll
de brudde1. we war'n't gwine had him
jine In matermony wild er sinner, givin'
scandal It'd de chu'ch. Sis Judy cried
tears as she 'splaned, while Pearl WIZ
her chile she Warn't fit to hoP up de
repatriation Nv elder In de chu'ch.
"Brer Jones he looked at de imper-
dent, good-lookin' gal am asked: .Spose
she jine de fole, howcome we can't
mahy denY
Sis Judy's patience was bout
'sausted, SO she ups an tells how Pearl
done jine de chu'ch four summers han
runnin'-1ay jes' warn't no 1igion In
her. Pearl few up at dat, an said as
how she amt got no husban' In de pen
like some folks presen' had. Everybody
knoWed she Iuded to her nanny, an
she looked so VICIOUS wild her snapin'
eyes. de elder jes got ober his 'fatua-
ton, an said he war willin' to be guild
ed by de fiock's wishes. De chu'ch den
chosen Judy, as more suitabler help
meet fer de elder dan 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 a gran time. Som'e'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. jine hams In de
holy ban of Wedlock, an de meetin'
/ form in 'cession, two an two, march
down de road to Sis Manion's house,
Whar de knot would be tied.
dat ole man Able started, sHark
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 1ef
/ rung wild de music. Al-to-once 1t popt
into my haid dat we got to pass Painter
graveyard.
"Al1 Nv er suddin' de 'cession stopt
stone still, de singin' dryin' 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 strange light de sperii
Nv man an de sperit Nv painter; er
painter taring' de mans neck, an de
man stickin' his knife in de painters
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 sumpuI
got wrong wild my laigs an / cou1dn
move, an dar stood wild dem two
awful sperits er facin' me. A-to-once
sumpun guggled in my froat, an dc
foam coined er runnin' fru my mouf
an down in de middle NV de road
fell. I doan know how long lay dar
but when / coined to de High Sheriff
war standin' by putin han'cuffs on 6
black man, and dar de tas' Nv whisky
in my mouf. thought my time ha6
coined, an I fell to prayin' out LOUD
when de sheriff. he say, .Shet up yor
fool. rs laid de Cos, twarn't no COS
nohow; twus jes dis escaped convic'
Henry Manfon, and Pearl tryin' te
skeer Judy outen mahyin' de preach
err
But / knoWed what my ole eye:
had seed, so KEEP on prayin' Dey