A Ghost!

 A Ghost
By Elizabeth Betts

"Good-night, me boy, now go to sleep,"
Said mother dear to John;
"There's nuthin' in this purty world
To do you any harm."

She shet the door, cut off the light,
And went downstairs to dad-
A-sayin‚' to herself these words,
"Me brave and bonny lad!"

But in his bed wee Johnnie lay,
Oh, terribly hot and skeered.
The moon sent rays to comfort him,
But that made things look weird!

Up in the air, before his eyes.
About five feet away,
A white thing moved and swayed a bit;
And John, he wished for day.

He tried to yell, but 'twouldn't do;
The "help" was just a whisper,
His hands were cold as blocks of ice -
Who was that spooky vis'ter?

"His finger's pintin' right at me,"
Thought John, "And, oh! his eyes -
'Twas then he up and found his voice,
"Oh, mom! Oh, pop!" he cries.

Then up the steps his mother flew,
And busted in his room,
Turned on the light and grabbed the lad,
And pop brung in a broom!

"I seed a ghost" the laddie said,
A-shiv'rin' yet with fear,
"You two jes' look - but I ain't though;
I've already had my skeer!"

Both glanced around; then mom, she cried,
"Oh, Mike, do take a look!"
And Pop, he stared and then he laughed,
"A white shirt on a hook!"