A GHOST STORY 
“W’at tale dat, chile?” asked Aunt Tempy. 
“link’ Remus, mus’ I tell it?” 
“Let ’er come,” said Uncle Remus. 
“Well, den,” said ’Tildy, rolling her eyes back and displaying 
her white teeth, “one time dey wuz a ’Oman en a Man. Seem like 
dey live close ter one er n’er, en de Man he sot his eyes on de 
’Oman, en de ’Oman, she des went ’long en ’ten’ ter her bizness. 
Man, he keep his eyes sot on ’er. Bimeby, de ’Oman, she ’ten’ ter 
her bizness so much tel she tuck’n tuck sick en die. Man, he up’n 
tell de folks she dead, en de folks dey come en fix ’er. Dey lay ’er 
out, en dey light some candles, en dey sot up wid ’er, des like folks 
does now; en dey put two great big roun’ shiny silver dollars on 
’er eyes fer ter hoi’ ’er eyeleds down.” 
In describing the silver dollars ’Tildy joined the ends of her 
thumbs and fore-fingers together, and made a figure as large as 
a saucer. 
“Dey wuz lots bigger dan dollars is deze days,” she continued, 
“en dey look mighty purty. Seem like dey wuz all de money de 
’Oman got, en de folks dey put um on ’er eyeleds fer to hoi’ um 
down. Den w’en de folks do dat dey call up de Man en take’n tell 
’im dat he mus’ dig a grave en bury de ’Oman, en den dey all 
went off ’bout der bizness. 
“Well, den, de Man, he tuck’n dig de grave en make ready fer 
ter bury de ’Oman. He look at dat money on ’er eyeleds, en it 
shine mighty purty. Den he tuck it off en feel it. Hit feel mighty 
good, but des ’bout dat time de Man look at de ’Oman, en he see 
’er eyeleds open. Look like she lookin’ at ’im, en he take’n put de 
money whar he git it fum. 
“Well, den, de Man, he take’n git a waggin en haul de ’Oman 
out ter de buryin’-groun’, en w’en he git dar he fix ever’thing, en 
den he grab de money en kivver up de grave right quick. Den he 
go home, en put de money in a tin box en rattle it ’roun.’ Hit 
rattle loud en hit rattle nice, but de Man, he ain’t feel so good. 
135 
