The Ghost

There's a house across the street     That nobody goes into;     Say it's haunted, yes, they do;     Ghosts livethere, 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.     "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.     "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."     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 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.     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.