Miss Alling, who had been putting lamps in the other rooms, returned at that moment and confronted the black woman.
“Still talking ridiculous nonsense, are you, Phrosy?” she said severely. “Well, let me remind you that ghosts are not good to eat, and we are all very hungry after a long ride. I hope you followed my instructions and laid in a good stock of eatables.”
“I done follow yo’ instructions, Miss Emma,” grumbled the black woman, as she moved toward the small lean-to that served for a kitchen. “I mos’ always tries to do my duty, but Ah’s goin’ away f’om here fust thing in de mo’nin’ sho’ as mah name am Euphrosyne Black. Ah kin stand mos’ anything, but Ah caint stand fo’ ghosts.”
“Phrosy, what is that you say?” cried Miss Alling, in a tone that brought the big black woman up short. “You don’t mean to tell me you actually intend to leave here in the morning?”
“Yas’m, Ah sho’ does,” said Phrosy, firmly. “Ah stayed here las’ night an’ Ah gives you mah word, Miss Emma, Ah nebber done close mah eyes.”
“Come here to me, Euphrosyne Black,” commanded Miss Alling, in a tone that proved her determined to get at the root of this nonsense. “What was it you heard last night, or thought you heard?”
“Ah done hear it wiv mah own ears, Miss Emma,” said Phrosy, her voice quivering with suppressed emotion and her eyes rolling till there was scarcely anything visible but the white eyeball. “A screechin’ an’ a moanin’ an’ a wailin’ like all de ghosts in de world was ober by dat swamp. It done make mah hair stand clear on end, Miss Emma. Ah’m tellin’ you de truf.”
“What did you do then?” asked Jessie.
“I bet I can tell you what she did,” interrupted Burd, with a grin. “I bet she just took down one of these guns I see hanging on the walls and went gunning for the ghosts.”
“Ah would need mo’ dan a gun to kill a ghost, yassuh,” said Phrosy, earnestly, and once more Miss Alling broke in impatiently.