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"It's only that piece of torn sail flappin' that Charlie was goin' to sew. Can't you see? I thought you weren't afraid of the New Moon's ha'nts, any way." Nigger Ben shifted his big feet uneasily and little by little crept forward to look at the flapping bit of sail cloth. Slowly his courage returned to him.
So ev'y day atter dat Marse Wash'n'ton's wife 'ud sen' Cindy down by de aidge er de swamp fer ter git fresh roots. "'Cindy, said one er de fiel'-han's one day, 'yer better keep 'way fum dat swamp. Dey's a ha'nt walkin' down dere. "'Go way fum yere wid yo' foolishness, said Cindy. 'Dey ain' no ha'nts.
Ain't I seen nothin'? Ain't I felt nothin'? Ain't I spectated when the ha'r on Jezebel's back haz riz straight up an' when she's hunched her back up an' spit when mos' folks wouldn't of saw nothin' a-tall? Sho', she's ha'nted; mos' ships is. But dem ha'nts ain' goin' bodder me so long's I don't bodder dem. Dat's gospel, Cap'n Jim; sho' gospel."
Jonas Billings had put the matter in a nutshell when he said: "It ain't natural, them two, at Tralee. For marrying her he ought to be tarred and feathered, and for the way he treats her he ought to be let loose in the ha'nts of the grizzlies. What he done to that girl is a crime ag'in' the law. If there was any real spunk in the Methodists, they'd spit him out like pus."
"What is a ha'nted house, Uncle Peter?" asked Phil. "W'y. Law, chile, a ha'nted house is a house whar dey's ha'nts!" "And what are ha'nts, Uncle Peter?" "Ha'nts, honey, is sperrits er dead folks, dat comes back an' hangs roun' whar dey use' ter lib." "Do all spirits come back, Uncle Peter?" "No, chile, bress de Lawd, no. Only de bad ones, w'at has be'n so wicked dey can't rest in dey graves.
For the giant African rolled his eyes whitely and said: "Ha'nts, Cap'n Jim? You been seein' ha'nts, too?" "What makes you say that, Ben?" demanded Kendric. "Did you see anything?" Nigger Ben looked fairly inflated with mysterious wisdom. But, thought Kendric, what negro who ever lived would have denied having seen something ghostly?
"What do you expect to see, Rose?" demanded her brother loftily. "I don't know. Philly says ha'nts are all in white." "I don't see anything very white around here," rejoined Russ. "But there are so many colored folks, perhaps some of the ha'nts might be black," suggested Rose. "Then we wouldn't see them very well in the shadows." "I don't believe " began Russ. The strange shriek was again heard.
They say old Mr. Jonathan comes out of his grave and walks whenever one of 'em is to be buried or married." "Nobody's dead that I've heard of, and I don't suppose either Mr. Jonathan or Miss Kesiah are thinking of getting married." "Well, I s'pose so but I'm might glad he ain't taken the notion to walk around here. I don't believe in ha'nts, but I ain't got no use for 'em."
Colonel Dick's figure appeared for an instant in the doorway. "Edward, come here a moment, will you?" "A thousand hussars, and the thing went off like flaming tinder," finished Major Edward. He laid down his napkin and arose. "Excuse me, Unity. Very well, Dick," and left the room. "Unity," enquired Deb. "Are there any ha'nts?" "No, honey, no!" "Just make believe?" "Just make believe."
But Mose's suddenly taking to seeing ha'nts precipitated matters. Realizing that his father's patience had reached its limit, and that he couldn't keep you off the scent much longer, he determined to borrow the money for Jeff's journey back to Seattle, and to close up his own investment. "That same night he drove Jeff to the station at Kennisburg.
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