South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-10-31
Ghosts Walked at the T70ihght Hour
JaCk-O Lanterns Cleaned Brightly
And HaLIOzUeen Was a Real Occasion

lanterns in the corners with candle each 10
furnish light. Those. and the leaping red flames OF
the hearth enough.
The witches Light
rattle OF iron-shod hoofs the SONY hill back
of the house, the sound Of buggy wheels and the
creakng of harnesses the first OF the guests
CHEEKY haos, the stamping Of the restless horses
the visitors Jump into waiting from the high
wagon break the brooding stiffness of the autumn
evening A pale FREELY Of the night goes Pickering
down TO the barn casting grotesque shadows Of men
and beasts in the deeper gloom where the moonlight is
cut off by the barns Older people might call the fire
fly kerosene lantern carried by OF the men. but
what kid Halloween would have it anything else
than a light the witches.
other guests arrive in much the same way. and the
house Is filed with the chatter Of the and the
in their unaccustomed stiff collars wait
ing for the fun Of the evening begin Apples
roasted the fire. the Of popping as It
is shaken over the blaze, tantazes the nose Of the
youngsters and the cider and wine passes.
The older men tell stories Of the days when the
farms which they live wilderness and OF
the bear and elk which made the country q
hunters paradise We crouch closer to the blaze
they tell of the wildcats whose like that
Of crying child and OF the wolves that carried the
lambs But all stories of Wild animals and
hardships others there are who tell of the good old
days, when youth free and untrammeled by the
conventions and OF modern life
IL Was Another Age.
1t was the age of high pompadours and long skirts
II OF the misses Of the present day with her knee
length skirts open-wOrk hose. plucked eyebrows. lip
stick and rouge had wandered into that group there
is doubt that many of the older people would have
come the conclusion that the country going
the bow-wows. But 1t never goes quite that far and
the daughters Of the girls gathered the fireplace
that night probably showing OF the tea
hounds" down at Wisconsin university that they
better than yet pictured in the movies.
Jazz music still lost in the depths of the African
jungle at the time OF which write. But there
rollicing old folk and Irish dance winch
from the flying fingers of the old fiddler Couples
swayed to the rhythm of the Old-fashioned waltz,
danced the schottische, the polka One of the fea
lures OF the evening always the dance named the
Irish Washer-woman," given by a couple who had
been famous dancers in their youth and whose chill
dren around with wondering eyes watching them
What the Ghosts Saw.
We that the ghosts from their resting
place up there in the green little graveyard came
silently down the hill and peered in the windows
the dancers. There would be long winter of sleep
for them under the wind swept sward, when piled
up fantastic wreaths and covered the stained stones
with mantle of snowy white.
they watched the dancers. and the sleepy chill
nodding by the fire. and inspected the baby
lying in the old wooden crib in another room, and
wished they too could have cakes and wine.
When the party over, they withdrew 10 the shade
Of the tall willows the of the road. and
watched the departing guests call back their CHEEKY
good nights
Then moaning a little Of content for the good
enjoyed by people OF earth they slipped quietly
up the slope again their graves Our parents said it
was only fog that it would be cold in the morn
ing. But knew the ghosts walked Hallows eve
and hoped they had enjoyed the party.