Imagine, someone seen a
haunt in our barn!” Gasped Don.
“ What did the haunt do
when they seen him?” Dillard asked. His eyes widen at the thought
of seeing a haunt.
“ Now, younguns, that's
enough of this here yarn of Doak's. Cain't ya tell when he's jest
funnen ya all? Now let us men be for a spell and go find somethin
to do,” commanded Jacob.
“ But, Pap ---- ,” Don
started to say.
“ Go! Now!” Barked
Jacob.
“ All right, Pap,” Lue
agreed, nodding his head at the other boys to follow him. “We'll
get our cane poles and go fishen. Dillard, ya better go back in the
house and see what Veder and Lydia are doen.”
“ I wanna go fishen, too,”
whined Dillard.
“ Nope, ya can’t keep up so
go on now,” ordered Sid. To ease Dillard’s hurt feelings he put his
hand down in Dillard’s mass of blond curls and rubbed his head.
“We’ll take ya with us one of these days.”
Dillard hated to be treated like a
baby. He especially hated to have his head rubbed so he darted out
from under Sid’s hand to open the screen door.
When the boys had gotten out of ear
shot, Jacob turned to look at Doak. “How much of that tale is
straight? Ya sure had my boys goen.” Jacob chuckled at how much
interest his sons had taken in Doak's ghost story.
“ Never did seed anything
myself, but when I was a young man it were yer pappy told me he saw
the haunt. He sounded like he was tellen the tale straight enough.
That might have been why he didn't mention the haunt around you. He
didn't like to talk about what he seed.”
“ Was that afore or after
Pappy sampled a fresh batch of corn mash in that crock he kept out
behind the smokehouse?”
“ Ya might have an idea
there, Jake. After I expect.” The elderly man grinned, remembering
his old friend's fondness for corn liquor.
Cane poles propped across their
shoulders, the boys set off in the direction of Little
River.
“ What do ya know! A haunt
in our barn!” Lue whistled at the thought.
“ Shuck! Doak could have
been funnen us like Pap said. Ya know how he is,” said Sid,
doubtfully.
“ He sounded serious enough
to me,” declared Don.
“ Me, too,” agreed
Tom.
“ Well, want to see ifen
he's right?” Asked Lue, stopping to face the other boys.
“ How would we do that?”
Inquired Don.
“ We'd hide out in the barn
in the night and see ifen the haunt appears. That's how,” Lue
said.
“ Lue, why would we want to
do that? I don't want to see a haunt face to face,” Sid stated
adamantly.
“ Maybe there's some way we
could keep Haunt Dawson from comen back to haunt our barn ifen we
knew how to get rid of him,” mused Lue.
“ We don't know what to do
unless ya do,” argued Sid.
“ Not me. Genon Mitts, the
old medicine woman, would know how to get rid of a haunt. Let's go
ask her,” suggested Lue.
“ I'm not so sure that's a
good idea. Genon’s spooky enough herself,” warned Sid.
“ Well, I think it's a good
idea. Let's go see her now.” Lue glared from Don to Tom as if he
wasn't taking no for an answer. They nodded agreement.
“ All right, I'm
outnumbered, but I still don’t think this is a good idea.” Sid
threw his hands up in the air and followed the others.
They turned into a squirrel path that
went through the timber to a secluded hollow. Genon's small log
cabin was at the end of the path. The cabin's chimney puffed a gray
trail of smoke across the sky year around. That was a sign Genon's
potions brewed on her wood cookstove.
Since the fire kept the cabin hot in
the summer, Genon usually sat on the porch in her rocker, waiting
for customers unless she was out scouring the ridges for roots,
herbs, and other mysterious ingredients to put in her medicines and
potions.
That afternoon, she was leaning back
in her rocker, resting. Her worn, dust covered, slouch hat with a
darkened sweat stain around the band drooped down over her dark,
brown eyes. The boys knew from under that brim, Genon watched their
approach with piercing
haunt in our barn!” Gasped Don.
“ What did the haunt do
when they seen him?” Dillard asked. His eyes widen at the thought
of seeing a haunt.
“ Now, younguns, that's
enough of this here yarn of Doak's. Cain't ya tell when he's jest
funnen ya all? Now let us men be for a spell and go find somethin
to do,” commanded Jacob.
“ But, Pap ---- ,” Don
started to say.
“ Go! Now!” Barked
Jacob.
“ All right, Pap,” Lue
agreed, nodding his head at the other boys to follow him. “We'll
get our cane poles and go fishen. Dillard, ya better go back in the
house and see what Veder and Lydia are doen.”
“ I wanna go fishen, too,”
whined Dillard.
“ Nope, ya can’t keep up so
go on now,” ordered Sid. To ease Dillard’s hurt feelings he put his
hand down in Dillard’s mass of blond curls and rubbed his head.
“We’ll take ya with us one of these days.”
Dillard hated to be treated like a
baby. He especially hated to have his head rubbed so he darted out
from under Sid’s hand to open the screen door.
When the boys had gotten out of ear
shot, Jacob turned to look at Doak. “How much of that tale is
straight? Ya sure had my boys goen.” Jacob chuckled at how much
interest his sons had taken in Doak's ghost story.
“ Never did seed anything
myself, but when I was a young man it were yer pappy told me he saw
the haunt. He sounded like he was tellen the tale straight enough.
That might have been why he didn't mention the haunt around you. He
didn't like to talk about what he seed.”
“ Was that afore or after
Pappy sampled a fresh batch of corn mash in that crock he kept out
behind the smokehouse?”
“ Ya might have an idea
there, Jake. After I expect.” The elderly man grinned, remembering
his old friend's fondness for corn liquor.
Cane poles propped across their
shoulders, the boys set off in the direction of Little
River.
“ What do ya know! A haunt
in our barn!” Lue whistled at the thought.
“ Shuck! Doak could have
been funnen us like Pap said. Ya know how he is,” said Sid,
doubtfully.
“ He sounded serious enough
to me,” declared Don.
“ Me, too,” agreed
Tom.
“ Well, want to see ifen
he's right?” Asked Lue, stopping to face the other boys.
“ How would we do that?”
Inquired Don.
“ We'd hide out in the barn
in the night and see ifen the haunt appears. That's how,” Lue
said.
“ Lue, why would we want to
do that? I don't want to see a haunt face to face,” Sid stated
adamantly.
“ Maybe there's some way we
could keep Haunt Dawson from comen back to haunt our barn ifen we
knew how to get rid of him,” mused Lue.
“ We don't know what to do
unless ya do,” argued Sid.
“ Not me. Genon Mitts, the
old medicine woman, would know how to get rid of a haunt. Let's go
ask her,” suggested Lue.
“ I'm not so sure that's a
good idea. Genon’s spooky enough herself,” warned Sid.
“ Well, I think it's a good
idea. Let's go see her now.” Lue glared from Don to Tom as if he
wasn't taking no for an answer. They nodded agreement.
“ All right, I'm
outnumbered, but I still don’t think this is a good idea.” Sid
threw his hands up in the air and followed the others.
They turned into a squirrel path that
went through the timber to a secluded hollow. Genon's small log
cabin was at the end of the path. The cabin's chimney puffed a gray
trail of smoke across the sky year around. That was a sign Genon's
potions brewed on her wood cookstove.
Since the fire kept the cabin hot in
the summer, Genon usually sat on the porch in her rocker, waiting
for customers unless she was out scouring the ridges for roots,
herbs, and other mysterious ingredients to put in her medicines and
potions.
That afternoon, she was leaning back
in her rocker, resting. Her worn, dust covered, slouch hat with a
darkened sweat stain around the band drooped down over her dark,
brown eyes. The boys knew from under that brim, Genon watched their
approach with piercing
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