Haint Tales and Other Scary Stories Summary and Analysis

In the first portion of this chapter, several local residents recount tales about panthers in the wild of the mountains. Some claim never to have seen them, but they have heard horror stories. Often called painters, panthers are often seen on the roadway; some people interviewed claim to have escaped panthers only because of hunting dogs of the rearing of their horses. Panthers are said to have chased a woman on horseback, eaten a midwife as she traveled home, and stolen and eaten babies. Many note the scream of a panther sounds much like that of a human being. Others note that panthers often enter homes in search of food, and in some stories, kill the residents. In the second section, stories of rabid dogs and other animals are given. One...