ed
to set up most of de night. I don't know how I kep up, for you know niggers
takes a sight of sleep, 'specially when they aint very young, like me.
Well, I thought one time about Miss Alice, but more about old Aunt Peggy.
You know she used to set outside de door thar, very late o' nights. It
'peared like I was 'spectin to see her lean on her stick, and come out
every minute. Well, one night I was sure I hear somethin thar. I listened,
and then somethin gin a kind o' screech, sounded like de little niggers
when Aunt Peggy used to gin 'em a lick wid her switch. Arter a while I see
de curtain lifted up. I couldn't see what it was, but it lifted it up. I
hearn some more noise, and I felt so strange like, that I shut de door to,
and went to bed. Well, I seed dat, and heard it for two or three nights. I
was gettin scared I tell you; for, Phillis, there's somethin awful in
thinkin of people walking out of their graves, and can't get rest even
thar. I couldn't help comin, every night, out here, 'bout twelve o'clock,
for that's time sperrits, I mean ghosts, is so uneasy. One night, de very
night Miss Alice got better, I hearn de screech an de fuss, and I seed de
curtain go up, and pretty soon what do you think I saw. I'm tellin' you no
lie, Phillis. I seed two great, red eyes, a glarin out de winder; a glarin
right at me. If you believe me, I fell down out of dis very cheer, and when
I got up, I gin one look at de winder, and thar was de red eyes glarin
agin, so I fell head-foremost over de door step, tryin to get in quick, and
then when I did get in, I locked de door. My soul, wasn't I skeered. I
never looked no more. I seen nuff dat time."

"Your head was mighty foolish," said Phillis, "and you just thought you saw
it."

"No such thing. I saw de red eyes--Aunt Peggy's red eyes."

"High!" said Phillis, "Aunt Peggy hadn't red eyes."

"Not when she was 'live?" said Bacchus. "But thar's no knowin what kind of
eyes sperrits gets, 'specially when they gets where it aint very
comfortable."

"Well," said Phillis, "these things are above us. We've got our work to do,
and the Lord he does his. I don't bother myself about ghosts. I'm trying to
get to heaven, and I know I'll never get there if I don't get ready while
I'm here. Aunt Peggy aint got no power to come back, unless God sends her;
and if He sends her, its for some good reason. You better come in now, and
kneel down, and ask God to give you strength to do what is right. We'