"Didn't 'low t' guard it 'gainst no ghos'es. Dey don' count in de
contrac'. Folks is one thing an' ghos'es--"

"Ghosts! Bosh! There's no such thing as a ghost! If you had swung your
club at the silly thing you'd have knocked over some dub of a man that
we could pretty well describe right now, and saved us a heap of trouble
and expense--and you'd have kept your job!" Bill was disgusted and
angry.

"Lawsee! Ah ain't gwine lose mah job jes' fo' dodgin' a ghos', is I?"

"What did this fellow look like?" asked Gus.

"Ah nevah could tell 'bout it; didn't take no time for' t' look sharp.
Ah wuz on'y jes' leavin'."

"Now, see here, George," said Bill, his native gentleness dominating,
"if you'll promise to say nothing about this, keep on the job and grab
the next ghost, we'll let you stay on. And we'll make an awful good
guess when we tell you that you'll find the ghost is Mr. Hooper's
nephew. If you do grab him, George, and lock him in the tool house,
we'll see that you're very nicely rewarded,--a matter of cold cash. Are
you on?"

"Ah shore is, an' Ah'll git him, fo' Ah reckon he's gwine come again.
'Tain't no fun tacklin' whut looks lak a ghos', but Ah reckon Ah'll make
that smahty think he's real flesh an' blood fo' Ah gits through with
him!"

The boys were two days making repairs, which time encroached upon their