The Dancing Partner
By GUY L. HELMS
"YES," said Chief Miller, "ghosts are always traceable to some human agency. The agent may not be responsible, as is often the case, and when such an instance occurs it makes a much deeper impression than does the premeditated plot. Now take this Heddon case for an example, it has the whole town upset. I remember another time—" he paused to light the never finished cigar while we waited hopefully for him to begin one of his justly famous stories.
We had just come in from the scene of the complicated Heddon murder case. The chief was feeling especially good and we knew he had finally reached a satisfactory solution of the mysterious crime.
Miller was a fine old man with snow white hair. Chief of the city force for many years he was the veteran, and the hero although he would never admit it, of many blood-curdling adventures. He was wont to relate some of the more interesting of these at times when he was elated over the solution of a problem. He was a wonderful story teller and we showed our immediate interest by straightening in our chairs the better to catch every word. No one spoke for fear that the tale would not be forthcoming. He hated interruptions of any kind.
"I remember" he continued, "when a certain young fellow's hair turned white from the effects of a tangle which, though directly responsible, the persons implicated had in no way planned the action.
"I used to live in the South, you know, and among the lower, and even some of the middle class, superstition holds sway to this day. In 1880, when this incident happened, it was much worse.
"I was a lad of twenty-two and engaged to the prettiest and sweetest girl in all the world. We, my mother, my father, and myself, were simple country folk living on the remnant of what had once been a large old southern plantation. Our darkies were of the old slavery type, extremely superstitious and very easily scared. Outside of those two faults and the race habit of stealing they were mostly interested in the welfare of 'Missy,' 'Ol Massa' and 'Marse Gus.' So when my engagement was to be announced nothing would do but that they should hold a 'chivaree' in the negro quarter.
"Instead of the usual custom the announcement dinner and dance was to be at my father's house. After dinner and before the dancing started we were all going down to Mammy Lou's to watch the negroes at their party, always an interesting and entertaining thing to see.
"Everything at the dinner went smoothly and after making public the announcement which was already in the hands of the public, as is usually the case, we started for the cabin where Mammy Lou lived. Mammy had opened her house to all the nearby 'cullud pussons' that night and the party was in full swing.
"But things were not going as they should. I noticed the restlessness among Mammy's black guests as soon as I stepped across the threshold. Mother noticed it too for she immediately asked me to find the cause of the uneasiness among the negroes who were generally so carefree. Mammy, good old soul that she was, did not want to worry her 'Marse Gus' on the first night of his life and I was unable to get a single word of explanation out of her. 'Go on Marse Gus' she replied to my questioning, 'dey's just shy, dat's all; nuffin but dey ain't quainted yet.' This about darkies who had known each other since childhood. But nothing could be learned from her so I tried one of the bucks who seemed to be the center of the uneasiness. I got him off to one side and found that he was the direct cause since the night before he had seen the Fulton cemetery ghost, a ghost which every negro in the section absolutely knew existed. Among the negroes the ghost had been the topic of conversation at every gathering for the past six weeks. The fellow who claimed to have seen the apparition the night before was a strapping black, afraid of nothing under the sun, but he visibly trembled when he told me of his experience. I knew him to be as truthful as the usual run of blacks were and therefore gave some credence to his story. I knew there was something behind it. I found that something later.
"Just as the black was finishing his tale the door swung open and Mammy Lou's son John, fell across the doorstep.
"No mortal can ever picture the fear showing in the face turned toward me in a mute plea for protection. His eyes were protruding from his head and only the whites were showing, like those of a drunken man. His face was the ashen grey color of the whitewashed walls of the cabin. He uttered inarticulate sounds between the rasping sobs of his breath. His body was racked by great gasps that shook him all over. He was the very image of terror, stark, unspeakable horror. Not a word could he form but crawled to me as a whipped dog crawls to its master.
"Pandemonium broke loose. Instantly every negro in the house became imbued with the terror showing so plainly in John's face. Every voice was raised in howls for mercy although not a thing was to be seen. What there was to be afraid of no one knew nor cared. The unknown quality only intensified their fear. They gathered in a shivering black group, holding on to each other for dear life and whimpering like lost children. All calls for water for the helpless negro on the floor went unheeded. No one of them would stir.
"Finally I managed to bring John to himself enough to get the words 'Fulton,' 'graveya'd', and 'ghos' out of him while he groveled on the floor at my feet. Nothing more could he say.
"'He has seen the ghost,' said my mother. And I knew that was what had happened.
I KNEW something must be done at once. The negroes wouldn't be fit for night work, nor any other kind of work to tell the truth, until the ghost had been proven non-existent. Besides, my sweetheart with her girl friends and their escorts were watching me. I knew they were wondering what I would do. A spirit of bravado took hold of me and on the spur of the moment I declared myself in on the worst fright it has ever been my lot to receive.
"'John,' I said, 'I am going over to that graveyard and get your ghost for my dancing partner tonight.'
"Mammy went straight up in the air when I made this assertion. Like a
