One Way to Lay a Ghost
Burra, South Australia, 1889.
The father of local man Bill Skimmins had died. Bill decided to bury his poor old dad near his barn, in a manner many thought unkind and very poorly done. Word of the shoddy burial soon spread through the town, and the state of Bill's attempt at grave-making became a concern for some residents.
The neighbours thought it a shame that old man Skimmins had been treated this way by his own son, and one of them decided it would be amusing to play a joke on Bill.
The prankster hid beside Bill's barn and waited for him to come walking past. He didn't have to wait long. As Bill drew near, the joker sprang from his hiding place and bellowed in his best ghostly voice,
"I'M YOUR FATHER, BILL!"
Bill never so much as flinched.
"Who said you warn't?" he replied.
"Git down thar inter yer hole whar yer belong!"
With a flick of his hand, Bill swung the bridle he had been carrying, the leather striking his ghostly imposter square across the face.
The joker joked no more. For the rest of his adult life, he bore the scars left by that brutal blow from Bill Skimmins' bridle in 1889.
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| Burra - Photo by Allen Tiller |
© 2007 - 2014 Allen Tiller
www.allentiller.com.au
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