Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 March 1918 — LAYING OF A GHOST [ARTICLE]

LAYING OF A GHOST

By EVELENA RASBURY.

(Copyright, t»18, We»tern Newspaper Union.) • “Press yoh organdie! Lawsy mussie, ,after de ’sperience I had las’ night, 'here yon conies a wantin’ er organdie 'prested! How’s mdver you set under de shade out in de. yard, an’ I’ll press it —bein’s it’s you. j “Honey, I seen er sight las’ night as war calkerlated to make me hate de vanities uv dis yere sin-soaked wort’.' I’ve hearn of sperlts what sneaked •roun’ an’ showed deyselves to lone pussons; but, chile, night mor’n a hundred uv us saw de ghos’ uv Pan’t’er graveyard. “You ’member I tole you Canaan chu’ch had a new elder dis yeah? Well, he sho am a fine lookin’ man, and de sisters, day am as one voice ’claimin’ him a good servant in de moral vine* yard. “About de time de elder, Broder

Jones, corned to us, Sister Judy Manion’s time war out on de farm whar she war sent fer usin’ ’fane language in de temple; an’ bein’ mi’ty ’ligious, she corned right up to de front an’ ’pologtaed to de chu’ch, to de deacons an’ to eve’ybody fer castin’ shame on de Shepherd’s flock. We insulted ober de mattah, an’ ’elded to ferglb her backsliddin’ an’ took her back in de busum uv de congregashum. “Her an’ dat good-fer-nothin* gal o’ hern. Pearl, got a house ’bout a mile frum de chu’ch, an’ she went to wurk *fer de cause. She worked early an’ late, an’ wus wunst more de piller of de chu’ch. ’Cose such ’votlon could’n’ ’scape de preacher’s eye, an’ he war purty offen ’roun’ dar helpin’ Sis Judy wid de wurk, an’ tryin’ to ’suade Pearl to wa’k in de narrer pas. “Hows’ mever, w*e did’n’ fine out tell week ’fore las’ dat in his zeal he war thinkin’ uv inahyn’ Pearl to save her. Dat scan’las ’ceedin’ call’d fer er chu’ch meetin’. So we jes’ up an’ tol’ de brudder we war’n’t gwine had him jine in matermony wider sinner, givin’ scandul to de chu’ch. Sis Judy cried tears as she ’splaned, while Pearl wuz her chile she warn’t fit to hoi’ up de repertation uv a elder in de chu’ch. “Brer Jones he looked at de imperdent, good-lookin’ gal an’ asked: ‘Spose she jine de foie, howcome we can’t mahy den?’ “Sis Judy’s patience was ’bout ’sausted, so she ups an’ tells how Pearl done jine de chu’ch four summers han’ runnin’ —day jes’ warn’t no ’ligion in ■her. Pearl flew up at dat, an’ said as ■how she ain’t got no husban* in de pen 'like some folks presen’ had. Ev’rybody knowed she ’luded to her mammy, an’ ishe looked so vigous wid her snapin’ ,eyes, de elder jes got ober his ’fatuation, an’ said he war willin’ to be guided by de flock’s wishes. De chu’ch den chosen Judy, as a more suitabler helpmeet fer de elder dan a sinner ’oman. De elder glanted Judy home, an’ de nex’ day we hearn of de ’proachin’ weddln’. . “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 ’vort an’ preach one more powerful fine an’ ’vincin’ sermon. Dar wus some twenty odd mo’ners, an’ when Sis Judy got happy in a good weavin’ way, ail’ flung up her han’s an’ started: “•High up in heaven, High up in heaven, Asittin* on de bench wid Jesus’ dar wus one of de torn-downest shoutens you . ever hurd in yoh born days. It sho wus a gran’ time. Som’e’rs ’bout midnight he dismissed de crowd wid er blessin’, an’ tole um him an’ Sis Judy Manion gwine er bein’ broke he ’spectfully ’vited dem to foller de Scriptural ’junction a’ jine han’s 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, w har de knot would be tied. ‘Dat ole man Able started, ‘flark from de tom’,’ ’cause it’s all de chutie he knew, an’ ev’rybody took et up»but me, an’ de dark ole swamp on de lef’ rung wid de music. Al-to-pnce it popt into my haid dat we got to pass Pant’er graveyard. “All uv er suddin’ de ’cession stop! stone still, de singin’, dryih’ in ter singers’ necks; den ’rose de awfulest screechin’ you ever heerd in all yoh born days. I looked, an’ so help me Gawd, dar in a strange light de sperit ,uv a man an’ de sperit uv a pant’er; er pant’er taring’ de man’s neck, an’ de man stickin’ his knife in de pant’er’s ■ide, Jist like I’d hearn tell uv as how de graveyard got its name. “I cotched my bref an’ tried to run wid Judge an’ de balance, put sumpun got wrong wid my laigs an’ I couldn’ move, an’ dar I stood wid dem two awful sperits er facin’ me. Al-to-once stmipun guggled in my froat, an’ de foam corned er runnin’ fru my mouf, in de middle uv de road I fell. I doanknow how long I lay dar, but when I coined to de High Sheriff war standin’ by puttin’ han’euffs on a black man, and dar de tas’ uv whisky in my mouf. I thought my time had corned, an’ I fell to prayin’ out loud when de sheriff, he say, ‘Shet up you fool. I’s laid de gos’, twarn’t no gos’ nohow; twus jes dis ’scaped convic’, Henry Manion, and Pearl tryin’ to skeer Judy outen mahyin’ de preacher.’ “But I knowed what my ole eyes had seed, so I kep’ on a prayin’. Dey brung me home, an’ I been payin’ ever since. “Here’s yoh organdie. Thank you fer dis quarter, but I won’t be here long to need yoh quarters. I’s had my —i nF