The story of ghosts continue.  We have heard tales of haunted mansions,  forts, scary cellars, and walking spirits.  It always seems to be in a glance that our eyes have envisioned our subject; but, on second glance it has disappeared.  But, the stories live on etched in our memory!    

In Texas we  have many old forts which are the very place that many ghosts  continue to live.  Ghosts are seen running through the landscape and some people even report they have seen horses, walking in line, passing through the trees and shrubs near the fort.  Others have seen the troops marching with their rifles in hand.  

Ghosts seemed to appear in the Schreiner Store basement.  It seems the ghost is called Ruthie.  She was a Civil War-era spirit who was a regular customer of the store when she was alive.  It seems that Ruthie wasn’t the happiest soul. When she was unhappy, Ruthie moved the pictures on the wall, rearranged cash drawers or even threw merchandise across the room.  I wonder if she ever waited on any of the customers?

Halloween is a festival celebrated on October 31.  Its name means hallowed or holy evening because it takes place the day before All Saints’ Day a celebration of the dead on November 1 of each year (cemeteries are visited and flowers are placed on the grave sites) .  Halloween is a time of parties for both young and old.  There are special games which are played at Halloween, such as bobbing for apples and telling fortunes and ghost stores.

Many superstitions and symbols are connected with Halloween.  The Irish have a tale about the origin of jack-o’-lanterns.  They say that a man named Jack was unable to enter heaven because of his miserliness.  He could not enter hell because he had played practical jokes on the devil.  So he had to walk the earth with his lantern until Judgment Day.

Children are taken by their parents to trick or treat or have parties in their homes for their friends.  Trick or treat is shouted as children ring doorbells on Halloween.  When offered treats such as candy or apples, they promise not to soap the windows or play other tricks.  

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