d in de hollow, he goin' erlong same as yever,
on'y faster, whin he reckon, he'll pick up a club _in_ case he gwine
have trouble. An' he rotch down an' rotch down, an' tek hold of a lively
appearin' hunk o' wood whut right dar. An' whin he grab dat hunk of
wood. . . .

"_Let loosen my leg!_" say a big voice all on a suddent.

Dat li'l black boy 'most jump outen he skin, 'ca'se right dar in de paff
is six 'mendjus big ghosts, an' de bigges' ain't got but one leg. So
li'l black Mose jes natchully handed dat hunk of wood to dat bigges'
ghost, an' he say:

"'Scuse me, Mistah Ghost; Ah ain't know dis your leg."

An' whut dem six ghostes do but stand round an' confabulate? Yas, sah,
dass so. An' whin dey do so, one say:

"'Pears like dis a mighty likely li'l black boy. Whut we gwine do fo' to
_re_ward him fo' politeness?"

"Tell him whut de truth is 'bout ghosts."

So de bigges' ghost he say:

"Ah gwine tell yo' somethin' important whut yever'body don't know: Dey
_ain't_ no ghosts."

An' whin he say dat, de ghosts jes natchully vanish away, an' li'l black
Mose he proceed up de paff. He so scared he hair jes yank at de roots,
an' when de wind go "Oo-_oo_-oo-o-o," an' de owl go, "Whut-_whoo_-o-o-o!"
an' de rain-doves go, "You-_you_-o-o-o!" he jes tremble an' shake. An'
bimeby he come to de cemuntary whut betwixt an' between, an' he shore is
mighty skeered, 'ca'se dey is a whole comp'ny of ghostes lined up along
de road, an' he 'low he ain't gwine spind no more time palaverin' wid
ghostes. So he step offen de road fo' to go round erbout, an' he step on
a pine-stump whut lay right dar.

"_Git offen my chest!_" say a big voice all on a suddent, 'ca'se dat
stump am been selected by de captain ob de ghostes for to be he chest,
'ca'se he ain't got no chest betwixt he shoulders an' he legs. An' li'l
black Mose he hop offen dat stump right peart. Yes, _sah;_ right peart.

"'Scuse me! 'Scuse me!" dat li'l black Mose beg an' pleed, an' de
ghostes ain't know whuther to eat him all up or not, 'ca'se he step on
de boss ghostes's chest dat a-way. But bimeby they 'low they let him go
'ca'se dat was an accident, an' de captain ghost he say, "Mose, you
Mose, Ah gwine let you off dis time, 'ca'se you ain't nuffin' but a
misabul li'l tremblin' nigger; but Ah want you should remimber one
thing mos' particular'."

"Ya-yas, sah," say dat li'l black boy; "Ah'll remimber. What is dat Ah
got to remimber?"

De captain ghost he swell up,