The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1926-03-25
ON GHOSTS COR HANTs)

venerable darby who functoned gardener the
campus of that institution.
Doc Strengthened up from the flower bed which
he was working and considered the question Doc could
never talk while he worked After shifting his cud of
tobacco to the other of his mouth and splitting
copiously, he replied "Hits accordn ter de kim o.
speerts yos alkn' bout. Now eff hits de speert whu
we calls de SOUL den O. cou'se All believes in hit An
on de odder ham, eff hits de speerits whu yo gifts in
kker bottle, den Abs got ter admit dat All also be-
lives in dem, tool" And he ginned jovially.
81 don't believe either of those" laughed the
student in reply az am referring the spirits they
call ghosts. l think the negroes call them "hants,
don't they?"
"Now dats anudder hawse OBJ anudder color"
piled Doc. "Yassuh, calls 'em hants. Hants is de
restless souls OBJ dead folks whut back ter git
revenge dem whut's done EN- wrong Yassuh, All
believes in hants. Whut fer yo' wants ter know"
"The reason l asked is because went last night to
what they call spirituasts seance And there were
some queer doings there which couldn't understand.
At one time all sat around table with our hands
resting palms down the top of the table, and with
our touching each other all around the table And
after that way for several minutes in the dark
ness the table began to about as if were walk
ing. What do you think of that?
Docs eyes twinked GLOW much yo pay ter git
inter dat place." he asked in return.
eve paid one dollar each," replied the student.
"Den All thinks" answered Doc with chuckle,
"dat's yos blame fool"
"Now see here" began the student his face
flushed with resentment.
But Doc stopped him with lifted band-"Now
nowl Jes keep yo' pants on, cause All didn't no
hahn All les wanted yer ter see yo' foolish ter pay
pufecky good dollar ter somebody to do trick whut
amt with fl cents. Dat amt no hants! Dal S Jes
scheme ter git yo good money
"Now hants is soniepen else ergin. An Abs a
thorty on hants All could tell yo bout hants all day
an den All couldn't tell yo de half o whut All knows
An benst ez hits yo' Ahll jes' glib yo Illustration
The student seemed somewhat Modified at this, ard
indicated that long as Doc didn't mean any harm
by calling him "blame fool" that he would eondes
cend to listen.
Doc ambled over to the shade of nearby tree and
deposited his weakened old form against its trunk lie
emptied his cud of tobacco and replaced it with ne"
generous supply of Virginia straightcu before he
resumed his discussion of "hants.'
"Out in de country not fer frum hyah dey's cross
roads sto wild few houses built round hit, an cir
an a saw mill Dey niger out dar whut done
do barbern fer de white folks round dat section whut
come in ter buy de sto an git dey cotton ginned an
got dey lumber sawed.
"Well. dis niger wuz gittin OF and cranky An wen
vo gifts OF yo' gifts nearer de white throne MEANING
heaven An dat niger done things whut de eyes
O. man amt Cushioned ter see De liz chilluns is fraid
O. i'm cause wen dey amt nobody roun' wuz atus
mumbn' an talkn' ter de speerits whut wuz hovefin
roun is haid. An dat skeer de chillun7
"Well one day Barber Joe, (dats wit dey call lm')
wuz rushed ter death ashavn' de white folks. Dey wu2
mo- folks ter git shaved dat day dan evan be-
TO- Hit seemed like evybody in de country wuz glttn
cotton ginned an lumber sawed, an whilst dey wu'
awaitin' dey wanted ter git shaved
"Now hit wuz de day o. de week wen Joe allus
shaved hsself-'e ies' shave onct week-an e wu'
kept so busy dat e doan hab time ter shave hIssef
An hit make i'm mad. Finely e git ter mumbm an
growin' ev'y time anybody come in ter git shaved
an e keep on sayin How yo' spects ter shave my
self eff yo'al keep comm in hyah an keepin me busy
An dey ies' laf at i'm
can dat make i'm mad! Yassuh, e git mad dat
finely e commence ter swing dat an jabberin
lax a crazy man an chase em all out de do An
lock de do, an aft e git quiet de white folks come
sneakin back ter peep in de winder Dey amt mad
dey's ies' latin an thnkin' hits joke
San wen dey peeps in de winder dey sees i'm a
tryn ter shave hsse an e keep on a-mumonn' shave
me-shave me clean. But dey dat been so exctee
Nat is han wuz shakin' so bad dat e CANT hards
hol de
can de fust thing dey knows dey hyahs awful
racket inside de barber shop an wen dey breaks dowr
de do dey fms po Barber Joe allyn in pool o biooe
wild is throat cut. Dat po' nggers han done shipped
an de razor nearly cut is haid off. Yassuh!
can vile e wuz a-lyin' dar dyin dey heard in
humble kinder gaspn', Shave me,-shave me cleanF
"An' aft dat ev'y time hits windy an stormy
night de liant Barber Joe back ter dat house
an moans Shave me, shave me clean! ovah an oVaf
vo kin hear dat mournful voice whut SCUM like de wal
OBJ dyin' soul-SHAvE Me- SHAVE ME CLEANV
There was silence for few minutes while the stu
ent lay on the grass and considered Docs story Finally
"You don't expect to believe that you can actuiiy
hear his voice begging to be shaved!
"Ah doan spec yo' ter believe nothn-Ahs' jes tell
in yo whut happen"
"Did YOU ever hear the voice yourself?" asked
the boy turning to him accusingly.
Doc considered for few minutes. "Yassuh" he fin
ally replied "Ah done hear da mournful SCUM lots o
times an hit SCUM like hits saying Shave shave
me clean!"
but there must be explanation for it," per-
sisted the student
"Oh, explanation" INTERCEPTED Doc. "Sholy dars
explanation fer evything. Abs done vestergated dat
house. an All fin dat limb o de tree next ter de
house rubs agn de clapbods wen hits stormy an windy
an hit makes mournful SCUM ,whut seems ter say,
Shave me- shave me cleanr But den yo' see. de
speerit O. Barber Joe back in de win wen hits
stormy an skeers evybody cause dey wouldn't let i'm
shave hisself."