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October 2006: The Dancing Ghost of the Mississippi by Joel Thompson
Thompson’s the name, Joel Thompson. I’m takin’ over the writin’ from my old friend Rocky Nelson because Editor Jane Cadly wanted a ghost story for Halloween and I’ve got one.
I’ve been hangin’ around this ol’ river since way back in 1828. Yessir, Henry McNeal and I came here from Galena in 1828, built cabins and commenced selling wood to the steamboats. What they now call the “Steamboat Era” was just startin’, and it was a good business to get into. We lived by the river, worked on the river, and made our livin’ from the river. We got to know that ol’ river real well. Now, gettin’ back to stories, that ol’ river could tell some stories. Weird stories, stories that would curl your hair and curl your toes. But, I’ve learned one thing about that ol’ river. He does what he pleases, and it don’t please him none to go around telling stories. So that leaves it up to me.
‘Twarn’t long after Henry and I got here that other people started to show up. Henry was from Canada and I was from O’le Kentucky but most of the new settlers was from New England. There was this here fella, name of Sam, come here, built a cabin by the river but far enough up the bank to keep the ol’ river from gittin’ him when it got ornery. A purty spot, but Sam had nothin’ but bad luck. He had a wife and his wife had a baby soon after they got the cabin built. Next thing was his wife dies leaving him with a little girl named Elzina. In those days if a man’s wife died he went out and got a new one as soon as he could. But women were scarce on the frontier and he ccouln’t find one so he had to let Elzina stay with another family for a few years. When she was 3-4 years old he brought her home to the cabin by the river. Elzina, small as she was, was good help. She could clean, cook a little, take care of the chickens, and the garden, She was a happy, friendly, little girl and purty as a little girl could be. Yeller hair, big smile and always dancin’ around. In fact, about every night when the chores was done, she’d go out on the river bank and have herself a little dance by the light of the moon. Sometimes during the day, if she didn’t have anythin’ to do (which was seldom) she would go down and dance by the river. Folks passin’ by on the road would stop and watch her for a while and then go on feelin’ really good and happy. Folks said she reminded them of a beautiful butterfly.
Things went along for several years, with Elzina getting even more beautiful as she grew up. By and by a new settler came. He was from Boston and he had made a livin’ there by dancin’. He hurt his leg and couldn’t dance any more, which is why he came west. He was mighty took up by Elzina. Got friendly with her and taught her a few steps of real high-falootin’ dancin’. Elzina loved it and danced more than ever.
By now Elzina was 15-16 years old and this dancer-fellow started talking about taking her back East to dance in the cities. He said “she can’t miss, She’s the best I’ve ever seen.”
All this didn’t set well with ol’ Sam. He didn’t want nothin’ to do with highfalootin’ dancin’. He and Elzina started having arguments about it. She had always been a dutiful child but a life as a dancer looked mighty good to her. The whole thing came to a head one evenin’ when Elzina was dancin’ on the river bank. Elzina begged her father to let her go East, but Sam was stubborn. Elzina finally turned her back to her father and started walking out into the river. Sam let her go until she was about up to her waist and then he changed his tune and began begging her to come back. But she never did. Just walked into that ol’ river and disappeared. Her body was never found. Sam was heartbroken and after while he pulled up stakes, went further west and nobody ever saw him again.
Now, I reckon you’re sayin’ “that’s sure a powerful sad story”. Well, it is, but maybe not quite so sad as you think. Pretty soon stories started goin’ around. Started by people who worked on the river at night. Them fishermen and deckhands were sayin’ they would see flashes of light on the river. If they caught them in the corner of their eyes they saw a beautiful yaller haired gal dancin’ on the water. If they tried to look at her straight on, she disappeared. They said it wasn’t scary. In fact, after they’d seen it they felt good for a long while.
Now I’ve got no explanation for all this. Maybe somehow Elzina got her wish to dance. I don’t know. I suspect that ol’ river knows somthin’ about it but he’ll never tell.
Now that I finished the story I can tell you I’m not Joel Thompson, and I haven’t been around here since 1828.
None of this is true….except the story.