king at it in one way,
but it don't do anybody in this world any good to see things that
haven't any business to be seen in it. You never get over it."
There was a moment's silence. Mrs. Emerson's features seemed to
sharpen.
"Well, of course I don't want to urge you," said she, "if you don't
feel like talking about it; but maybe it might do you good to tell it
out, if it's on your mind, worrying you."
"I try to put it out of my mind," said Mrs. Meserve.
"Well, it's just as you feel."
"I never told anybody but Simon," said Mrs. Meserve. "I never felt as
if it was wise perhaps. I didn't know what folks might think. So many
don't believe in anything they can't understand, that they might think
my mind wasn't right. Simon advised me not to talk about it. He said
he didn't believe it was anything supernatural, but he had to own up
that he couldn't give any explanation for it to save his life. He had
to own up that he didn't believe anybody could. Then he said he
wouldn't talk about it. He said lots of folks would sooner tell folks
my head wasn't right than to own up they couldn't see through it."
"I'm sure I wouldn't say so," returned Mrs. Emerson reproachfully. "You
know better than that, I hope."
"Yes, I do," replied Mrs. Meserve. "I know you wouldn't say so."
"And I wouldn't tell it to a soul if you didn't want me to."
"Well, I'd rather you wouldn't."
"I won't speak of it even to Mr. Emerson."
"I'd rather you wouldn't even to him."
"I won't."
Mrs. Emerson took up her dress skirt again; Mrs. Meserve hooked up
another loop of blue wool. Then she begun:
"Of course," said she, "I ain't going to say positively that I believe
or disbelieve in ghosts, but all I tell you is what I saw. I can't
explain it. I don't pretend I can, for I can't. If you can, well and
good; I shall be glad, for it will stop tormenting me as it has done
and always will otherwise. There hasn't been a day nor a night since
it happened that I haven't thought of it, and always I have felt the
shivers go down my back when I did."
"That's an awful feeling," Mrs. Emerson said.
"Ain't it? Well, it happened before I was married, when I was a girl
and lived in East Wilmington. It was the first year I lived there.
You know my family all died five years before that. I told you."
Mrs. Emerson nodded.
"Well, I went there to teach school, and I went to board with a Mrs.
Amelia Dennison and her sister, Mrs. Bird.
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