Out of the Frying Pan

Uncle Hayes at the Campbell Mansion, Part 11

There she goes.

“As she walked toward the darkness, she looked happier, I guess as happy as a haint can? She’s gone, hopefully for good. It was time for bed, I figured I’d find out the next day whether she was really gone or not.

“I woke up about seven-thirty and felt really good. Now I can get some work done. I thought it would probably be a lot easier without worrying about running into her again. The day went without a hitch, nothing, no sound, no sight, just nothing but working. I even worked later that day. After I put my tools away and cleaned up I decided to go back to town for a bite to eat again. I came back to the house around eight-thirty, fixed my coffee, and waited to see if the haint was going to come back. I had all the lights on and the back door open, and I felt like a kid with a box of Cracker Jacks and the prize was on top. I waited up ‘til ten-thirty and saw not a sign of her anywhere.

“Yes, sir, I felt proud of myself. I figured I had made a happy haint.

“I went over to the main house and turned off all the inside lights, locked all the doors then headed for bed. The next day I did the same thing, working all day, watching all evening, and saw nothing. Not a single moving shadow.

“This went on for about a month, with me only occasionally turning the lights on and watching to see if she would come back. It was nice being able to work without looking over my shoulder to see if something or someone was there. The only other people I saw there at the house were Charlie Jenkins and his son when they would make a delivery of stuff I needed from the hardware. Other than that, I just kept busy working slowly but surely, getting one room done at a time.

“I would still go to town and I got to know quite a few people there. Once in a while somebody would ask me, “Aren’t you a little nervous about working in that big old place?” That would get me to thinking about the haint again, mostly wondering what it was that she was looking for. Then when I would go back, I’d turn on all the lights just to see if she would appear.

“She didn’t, so I reckoned she found what she was looking for.

“I had the whole upper floor and the attic mostly done: the walls all painted, holes patched, wood floors sanded and varnished, bathrooms cleaned, new fixtures put in, fireplaces swept, mantles revarnished, and window screens all taken down to the garage to be repaired, rescreened, and replaced. I gave the windows themselves a good cleaning and painted the frames, painted all the ceiling fixtures and cleaned the glass, and had hung the doors back up. All that was left to do was to pull up the carpet that ran down the center of the stairs to the main floor and restain and varnish the steps, the staircase to the attic, and the hall floor.

“I had been working most weekends, but this one weekend I decided to take Sunday off. I had heard tell of a good fishing spot from some of the locals and that’s just what I was gonna do, find me a shady spot and fish. I went to town that Friday evening and called Dad to let him know that everything was going well and that I was fine, and to warn him that I’d be needing his help when it was time to do the outside work on the house. Every window had shutters and large overhanging eaves and trim. He said to let him know when and he would be there and told me to ask to see if Harold could help.

“I called Dad every Friday night to check in with him, but that night it felt good to hear a familiar voice. I guess I was feeling a little homesick.”

...To be continued...