Aine, I am sorry to hear that. A redhead and Irish, you say?! Hmmm, MY dad always teased my mom about the Irish redheaded gentleman down the hall when I was conceived!**BG** What he didn't go on to say was the red on the head came from his own Scottish mother.

I love a mystery, so I guess I'll have to live with that one. But, I would love to know what YOU think he saw. Am I being really obstinate and thickheaded here? Sorry.

Banjer, here's an old family story which will be published in a family book that I am working on. It akes place during the Civil War or War of the Rebellion, depending on where you live. (Never heard it called that until I moved to YankeeLand.*BG*

The Ghost At the Crossing of the Stream
© Hudson Family Trust/ all rights reserved

My ancestor, Capt. Forsyth, was a Confederate spy, who got caught out one time, across enemy lines and was running for his life, horse full out with Union soldiers hot on his trail. He came to a fairly good sized stream which he had to ford, but noticed an eerie looking object of white across the stream, moaning and kind of moving around. Being a somewhat superstitious sort, he hesitated to go across. There had been talk about that particular place being haunted by a woman whose carriage had overturned, drowning her.

He looked before him and he looked behind him. The Union was getting closer by the minute and he knew he had to either take his chances with the *ghost*, still moaning and slowly swaying in the misty early evening light or fight and die facing the soldiers.

Urging his horse on, which was also reluctant about meeting the spectre, he crossed the stream, just ahead of the bullets, to find an old white cow, swaying back and forth, moaning while she chewed her cud! Thanks to his *bravery*, my greatgrandma came into being, then my granddad, dad and then me. We still have the Colt 45 cap and ball pistol he used, which he took off of a dead Union officer; some Confederate money, and a pass for his wife to safely go through enemy lines, which has her identifying features printed in the proper boxes. Thankfully, we know she didn't have a moustache because there was no description of it in the appropriate place!

I've another funny one from the Old South. I will post when I have time. kat