master sent him to Sherman, Texas. He aimed to
come back that night so I stayed at home with jest my baby. It went to
sleep so I set down on the steps to wait and ever minute I thought I
could hear Isom coming through the woods. All a sudden I heard a
scream that fairly made my hair stand up. My dog that was laying out
in the yard give a low growl and come and set down right by me. He
kept growling real low.

Directly, right close to the house I heard that scream again. It
sounded like a woman in mortal misery. I run into the house and made
the dog stay outside. I locked the door and then thought what must I
do. Supposing Isom did come home now and should meet that awful thing?
I heard it again. It wasn't more'n a hundred yards from the house. The
dog scratched on the door but I dassent open it to let him in. I
knowed by this time that it was a panther screaming. I turned my table
over and put it against the opening of the fireplace. I didn't aim fer
that thing to come down the chimbley and git us.

Purty soon I heard it again a little mite further away--it was going
on by. I heard a gun fire. Thank God, I said, somebody else heard it
and was shooting at it. I set there on the side of my bed fer the rest
of the night with my baby in my arms and praying that Isom wouldn't
come home. He didn't come till about nine o'clock the next morning and
I was that glad to see him that I jest cried and cried.

I ain't never seen many sperits but I've seen a few. One day I was
laying on my bed here by myself. My son Ed was cutting wood. I'd been
awful sick and I was powerful weak. I heard somebody walking real
light like they was barefooted. I said, "Who's dat?"

He catch hold of my hand and he has the littlest hand I ever seen, and
he say, "You been mighty sick and I want you to come and go with me to
Sherman to see a doctor."

I say, "I ain't got nobody at Sherman what knows me."

He say, "You'd better come and go with me anyway."

I jest lay there fer a minute and didn't say nothing and purty soon he
say, "Have you got any water?"

I told him the water was on the porch and he got up and went outside
and I set in to calling Ed. He come hurrying and I asked him why he
didn't lock the door when he went out and I told him to go see if he
could see the little man and find out what he wanted. He went out and
looked everywhere but he couldn't find him nor he couldn't even find
his tracks.

I always keep a butcher-knife near me