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It'll storm before to-morrow, likely it's dark enough, Lord knows and them east winds always hurt him so. 'I don't know whether he's worse off, or better off, Cinthy, says I, 'or whether he's off entirety.
She lay a minute, and then she shut her eyes, and begun to say her prayers; and a minute after she opened 'em, and it was gone. "Cinthy was a sensible gal, and one that allers hed her thoughts about her; and she jest got up and put a shawl round her shoulders, and went first and looked at the doors, and they was both on 'em locked jest as she left 'em when she went to bed.
I was up to her house t'other day fixin' a door-knob, and says she, 'Sam, your wife told me a strange story about the Cap'n Brown house. "'Yes, ma'am, she did, says I. "'Well, what do you think of it? says she. "'Wal, sometimes I think, and then agin I don't know, says I. 'There's Cinthy she's a member o' the church and a good pious gal, says I.
Once when she come into the parlor jest at sundown, she was sure she see a white figure a vanishin' out o' the door that went towards the side entry. She said it was so dusk, that all she could see was jest this white figure, and it jest went out still as a cat as she come in. "Wal, Cinthy didn't like to speak to the cap'n about it. She was a close woman, putty prudent, Cinthy was.
"Wal, Cinthy says she to old Quassia, says she, 'Is there anybody lives in this house but us? "'Anybody lives here? says Quassia: 'what you mean? says she. "Says Cinthy, 'I thought somebody went past me on the stairs last night and to-night. "Lordy massy! how old Quassia did screech and laugh. 'Good Lord! says she, 'how foolish white folks is! Somebody went past you? Was't the capt'in?
"'No, it wa'n't the cap'n, says she: 'it was somethin' soft and white, and moved very still; it was like somethin' in the air, says she. Then Quassia she haw-hawed louder. Says she, 'It's hy-sterikes, Miss Cinthy; that's all it is. "Wal, Cinthy she was kind o' 'shamed, but for all that she couldn't help herself.
Then she looked under the bed and in the closet, and felt all round the room: where she couldn't see she felt her way, and there wa'n't nothin' there. "Wal, next mornin' Cinthy got up and went home, and she kep' it to herself a good while. Finally, one day when she was workin' to our house she told Hepsy about it, and Hepsy she told me."
Cinthy she sot by the fire in the front parlor with her goose and her press-board and her work: for there wa'n't no company callin', and the snow was drifted four feet deep right across the front door; so there wa'n't much danger o' any body comin' in.
There's Cinthy, she's a good, pious gal: she locks her chamber-doors, both on 'em, and goes to bed, and wakes up in the night, and there's a woman there. She jest shets her eyes, and the woman's gone. She gits up and looks, and both doors is locked jest as she left 'em.
The storm that hed been a blowin' all the week was about as furious as ever; and the cap'n he stirred up a mess o' flip, and hed it for her hot to go to bed on. He was a good-natured critter, and allers had feelin's for lone women; and I s'pose he knew 'twas sort o' desolate for Cinthy.
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