"But," says I, "if I went too fur with it, and was hung fur it, how would you feel then, Martha?"
Well, sir, that didn't jar Martha none. She looked kind of dreamy and said mebby she would go and jine a convent and be a nun. And when she got to be the head nun she would build a chapel over the tomb where I was buried in. And every year, on the day of the month I was hung on, she would lead all the other nuns into that chapel, and the organ would play mournful, and each nun as passed would lay down a bunch of white roses onto my tomb. I reckon that orter made me feel good, but somehow it didn't.
So I changed the subject, and asts her why I ain't seen Miss Hampton around the place none. Martha says she has a bad sick headache and ain't been outside the house fur four or five days. I asts her why she don't wait on her. But she don't want her to, Martha says. She's been staying in the house ever since we been in town, and jest wants to be let alone. I thinks all that is kind of funny. And then I seen from the way Martha is answering my questions that she is holding back something she would like to tell, but don't think she orter tell. I leaves her alone and purty soon she says:
"Do you believe in ghosts?"
I tell her sometimes I think I don't believe in 'em, and sometimes I think I do, but anyhow I would hate to see one. I asts her why does she ast.
"Because," she says, "because—but I hadn't ought to tell you."
"It's daylight," I says; "it's no use being scared to tell now."
"It ain't that," she says, "but it's a secret."
When she said it was a secret, I knowed she would tell. Martha liked having her friends help her to keep a secret.
"I think Miss Hampton has seen one," she says, finally, "and that her staying indoors has something to do with that."