“Poorly, thank God, poorly.”
“Why, what’s the matter?”
She glanced furtively up into the dim moonlit gallery of the observatory and whispered:
“Dey wuz terrible times here las’ night!”
“What happened?”
“Ghosts!”
“What, again?” John laughed.
“Nasah, dem wuz new ones! We got de lights all burnin’ ter-night. De Jedge, he wuz scared outen ten years growth. He been in bed all day, des now git up ter supper. Wuz Marse William well las’ night?”
“As well as usual, yes; Alfred put him to bed early.”
“Well, sho’s you born, his livin’ ghost wuz here! He wuz clothed an’ in his right min’ too! I hear sumfin walkin’ up in de attic ’bout leben erclock, an’ I creep out in de hall an’ look up, an’ bress de Lawd, dar stood you Pa leanin’ ober de railin’ lookin’ right at me! Well, sah, I wuz scared dat bad I couldn’t holler. I look ergin an’ dar stood yo Ma, my dead Missy, right side er him.”