A Ghost Story

At a Kinnll village in the -wc-st whicii was decorated ih to its sub arban parta wlth an exceptionally lonesome graveyard that had the woods behlnd il and a meadow be sid' .-uní beyond It, ;i clump of villag era and farmers were gathered one ifternoon at the grocery store There had been some spirit rapplnge in the town, and the talk rau trom tliem to iiliost h and some very spooky stories were told. I'inally one of the rustica, Jake Bherbuck by name, who waa whittlinji with a big Jackknife, avowed the belief thát there werè, indeed, sui'h thlnga as ghosts. "I've seen 'em myaelf," said lic, plentj f 'era; but I ain't a mlte afrald of any ghost that ever walked." 'Jake," said one of the farmers, "111 bet ye ye dassen't go out behind tlie graveyard this very nlght." ■■D.isscu'i, eh ?" said Jake; "well, Id be a pUrty kind of a man if I dussen't, wouldn't I ?" ■'Wcll, I'll t-ll yon wh.Ml l'!l do," Said t lic farmer. "I've gol an old hayrake standing down in the edge oí the medder, Joel 'longside ol the ïmr.viii' ground. l'll hang a pockei handkerchiel on that hayrake early iliis evenln', and II you'll íío down through the buryln' ground to n-here 11 is and take the handkerchiel oil at midnlght, l'll ííive. you a shoat." '"Greed," said Jake; "l'll do it." That night just at 12 o'clock Jake ouml hls way down to 1 burylngground, groped liis way through the ihiek darkncss, and finally snw the handkerchiel on the seat of the liayr.ik". Ho liad erept between the sliafis ol the rake, and was reaching ap in a rather agitated way for the handkerchlef, when two ghostly sheetcd figures rose up trom behind the rake and polnted their arins menacIngly at him. jnke hesitated an lnatant and thon pulled out hifl Jackknlfe. "Look out there," he shouted, "ghoata or no ghosts, l'll her your incides out in two minutes, .-is sin-e as niy nainc's Jake Starlm:k!" With that he gave a leap clear over the hayrake, brandishlng hls kniie as he did o. The two ghogtfl took to their heela across the meadow with Jake alter theni. First one sheet flew to tlie wiüds and then the oth"i as fche owhlde boots of the grhosts clattered over The field, witli Jake tearinfC hotly after them still braudishlni; liis bip; Jackkni.'e. It vas a terrible rnce, Imt ilie rho.stö finally got Lnto the woods and es :aped. Xeedless to say that th ' fihosts wc" lic (armer and his hired man and that Jake 8tarbu?k KOt his ulioal