The janitor had delivered her message to Mose Johnson. She found the old colored man curled up fast asleep on a crate by the warm stove.
Penny touched Mose on the arm. He straightened up as suddenly as if someone had set off a fire-cracker.
“Oh, Miss Penny!” he beamed. “I’se suah su’prised at seein’ you down heah in dis dumpy fu’nace room. But I thanks you just the same fo’ wakin’ me up out o’ dat ghost dream.”
“Were you having a ghost dream?” echoed Penny.
“Yes, Miss. Yo’ see I was dreamin’ about dat same ghost I saw last night on de way to work.”
Penny, fully aware that Mose was directing the conversation where he wished it to go, hid a smile.
“I heard about that, Mose,” she commented. “It must have been quite a lively ghost to make you two hours late.”
“It suah was a lively ghost,” Mose confirmed, bobbing his woolly head. “Why, it walked around jest like a live pu’son.”
“Aren’t you being a bit superstitious, Mose?”
“Deedy not, Miss. You is supe’stitious when you sees a ghost dat ain’t dar. But when you sees one dat is dar you ain’t supe’stitious. You is jest plain scared!”