 | The Giant and the Star |  |
129
THE GHOST
There's a house across the street
That nobody goes into;
Say it's haunted, yes, they do;
Ghosts live there, they say, or meet:
Saw one in a winding-sheet
At a window once, and took
To my heels and ran and ran,
Never gave another look,
Till I met a nigger-man.
That nobody goes into;
Say it's haunted, yes, they do;
Ghosts live there, they say, or meet:
Saw one in a winding-sheet
At a window once, and took
To my heels and ran and ran,
Never gave another look,
Till I met a nigger-man.
And I told him. And he said,
“Dat ole house am ha'nted sure.
'Deed it wuz a ghost! a pure
Sure nuff ghost, I am afred.
Better run home; git ter bed;
Or he'll kotch yer. Lawzy me!
I won't pass dat house ter-night.
Onct I pass dar: whut'd I see?
Why, I seed a walking light.
“Dat ole house am ha'nted sure.
'Deed it wuz a ghost! a pure
Sure nuff ghost, I am afred.
Better run home; git ter bed;
Or he'll kotch yer. Lawzy me!
I won't pass dat house ter-night.
Onct I pass dar: whut'd I see?
Why, I seed a walking light.
“Yep; an' it went up an' down
Like a fire-bug. I wuz skeer'd
Wus'n you wuz. An' I heer'd
Chains a-trompin' all aroun':
An' I laid dar on de groun'
Skeer'd to def. An' den I seed—
Whut'd yer reckon?—seed—my lands!—
Seed a skel'ton! yarse indeed!
Hulding up two skel'ton hands.
Like a fire-bug. I wuz skeer'd
Wus'n you wuz. An' I heer'd
130
An' I laid dar on de groun'
Skeer'd to def. An' den I seed—
Whut'd yer reckon?—seed—my lands!—
Seed a skel'ton! yarse indeed!
Hulding up two skel'ton hands.
“Den I run'd jest like you did.—
Ought ter t'ar dat ole house down.
Hit's disgrace ter dis yere town—
Dat's my sintimints—an' rid
Us ob all de ghosts, instid
Ob a-letting 'em cavort
'Roun', an' skeer folks lef' an' right!
T'ing ter do would be ter start
Bonfire in it some dark night.”
Ought ter t'ar dat ole house down.
Hit's disgrace ter dis yere town—
Dat's my sintimints—an' rid
Us ob all de ghosts, instid
Ob a-letting 'em cavort
'Roun', an' skeer folks lef' an' right!
T'ing ter do would be ter start
Bonfire in it some dark night.”
Then he turned and went away.
And I hurried home and told
Father, and he said, “That old
Negro-man has had his say;
Mine I'll have another day.
Come with me now. Let us see
If that ghost of yours now goes:
If it's a reality,
Or a fraud—as I suppose.”
And I hurried home and told
Father, and he said, “That old
Negro-man has had his say;
Mine I'll have another day.
Come with me now. Let us see
If that ghost of yours now goes:
If it's a reality,
Or a fraud—as I suppose.”
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And he took his walking-stick,
And I followed.—Sure enough,
At the window was that stuff,
Sheet, or piece of old bed-tick,
Waving in the wind.—And quick
In my father went. And—why,
Heard him laughing; and I saw
That he had the old ghost by
A long string that he could draw.
And I followed.—Sure enough,
At the window was that stuff,
Sheet, or piece of old bed-tick,
Waving in the wind.—And quick
In my father went. And—why,
Heard him laughing; and I saw
That he had the old ghost by
A long string that he could draw.
Was n't anything at all
But an old white window-blind,
That the folks had left behind,
In the window of the hall:
Had got loosened from the wall
And the wind kept flapping it.—
I laughed, too; but was almost
Just put out a little bit—
Wanted it to be a ghost.
But an old white window-blind,
That the folks had left behind,
In the window of the hall:
Had got loosened from the wall
And the wind kept flapping it.—
I laughed, too; but was almost
Just put out a little bit—
Wanted it to be a ghost.
| The Giant and the Star | |