Wisconsin folklore

The Yellow Ribbon

Spooky WisconsinA Spooky Wisconsin Story

retold by S.E. Schlosser 

Jane wore a yellow ribbon around her neck everyday. And I mean everyday, rain or shine, whether it matched her outfit or not. It annoyed her best friend Johnny after awhile. He was her next door neighbor and had known Jane since she was three. When he was young, he had barely noticed the yellow ribbon, but now they were in high school together, it bothered him.

“Why do you wear that yellow ribbon around your neck, Jane?” he’d ask her every day. But she wouldn’t tell him.

Still, in spite of this aggravation, Johnny thought she was cute. He asked her to the soda shoppe for an ice cream sundae. Then he asked her to watch him play in the football game. Then he started seeing her home. And come the spring, he asked her to the dance. Jane always said yes when he asked her out. And she always wore a yellow dress to match the ribbon around her neck.

It finally occurred to Johnny that he and Jane were going steady, and he still didn’t know why she wore the yellow ribbon around her neck. So he asked her about it yet again, and yet again she did not tell him. “Maybe someday I’ll tell you about it,” she’d reply. Someday! That answer annoyed Johnny, but he shrugged it off, because Jane was so cute and fun to be with.

Well, time flew past, as it has a habit of doing, and one day Johnny proposed to Jane and was accepted. They planned a big wedding, and Jane hinted that she might tell him about the yellow ribbon around her neck on their wedding day. But somehow, what with the preparations and his beautiful bride, and the lovely reception, Johnny never got around to asking Jane about it. And when he did remember, she got a bit teary-eyed, and said: “We are so happy together, what difference does it make?” And Johnny decided she was right.

Johnny and Jane raised a family of four, with the usual ups and downs, laughter and tears. When their golden anniversary rolled around, Johnny once again asked Jane about the yellow ribbon around her neck. It was the first time he’d brought it up since the week after their wedding. Whenever their children asked him about it, he’d always hushed them, and somehow none of the kids had dared ask their mother. Jane gave Johnny as sad look and said: “Johnny, you’ve waited this long. You can wait awhile longer.”

And Johnny agreed. It was not until Jane was on her death bed a year later that Johnny, seeing his last chance slip away, asked Jane one final time about the yellow ribbon she wore around her neck. She shook her head a bit at his persistence, and then said with a sad smile: “Okay Johnny, you can go ahead and untie it.”

With shaking hands, Johnny fumbled for the knot and untied the yellow ribbon around his wife’s neck.

And Jane’s head fell off.

 

Read more Wisconsin ghost stories in Spooky Wisconsin by S.E. Schlosser.

Comments

oh wow, that was unexpected

I know a story exacly like that, except the ribbon is green.

i loved all the stories on this website!!! i shared them at a sleep over and al the girls loved them and i told my little sister the tung twisters and the native american stories and the little tall tails and children stories and my teeacher loves native americans and she was so pleased that she reads them out loud!!!

that was cool.

I know a story just like this too!

'tis unexpected,it was

(Yoda impression)

so how did her head get cut off?

hmm well umm ok

I know the same story
exept it was called the red bandanna

thet was great

really weird but not that scary

wow.

WASNT SUPPOSE TO UNTIE DAH RIBBON UMMMMMMMMM SORRY FOR UR LUCK BUDDY UMMMMMMM

wow. well, at least she was already dying when he pulled it off!

I know the same story but it was a longer story about the same thing except this time the ribbon was red not yellow

wow i heard the same storie but the ribbon was red and how did the head fall down that is cool

"I like that her head fell off" -Justin

"It got suspensful toward the end." -Aiyanna

"I didn't like it, but I read it twice." -Arnim

""When he kept asking her about the yellow ribbon, I thought it was annoying to keep reading" -Cristina

she was on her death bed... johnny took the ribbon off... her hed fell off WTF!?!?!?!? SICK STORY MATE :):)

dumb dumb dumb dumb DUMB!

Oh wow! I expected that!!! Lol i guessed it hahahaahaahahahahaahhahahahahahaaa and her head was attached by tht ribbon. =]

I thought she was gonna have some type of bite that was infected wow was i way off

woww ummm shuldnt of untied the ribbon

Ah, I know this story, but it was with a green ribbon in stead of a yellow one

my teacher told us this story in 3rd grade....i luv how it just goes straight to "and janes head fell off" hahaha luv it

Lol i know a story like that but its a Girl with a scarf.

WTF!?!?!

HA! that is HILARIUS! it was so unexpected it made me jump! 11/10!!!

WHOA MADISON I'VE READ THE SAME STORY!

i read it twice, i think its sad when his wife died.-kaytlin
good-ian

ok ,ok

Damn Scary storie... I honestly did not expect the ending.... wow

Good story.....

not so scary!!!!!!!

I know a story like this, but the ribbon is green

I read this when I was in third grade but the ribbon wasnt yellow it was green

I know THREE storys just like that except they had a green,a red, and a blue ribbon!!!

!?huh
!? so wtf he killed her by taking off the scarf or like she was living dead and he pulled it off!

I have to tell this to someone I loved it so much!!

I read another version of this. It is called 'The Black Ribbon'. The husband was too curious and undid the ribbon.

I am 12 and I have read a book just like this but had different stories too. It was call The Dark Dark Room.

wow sucky story if ur not even gonna tell how her head got cut off

WOW! What the HECK just happened! How is a ribbon supposed to keep your head on!!! Cool story!!! Poor Johnny!!!

I know this story except it's a tiny bit different

I wonder whether she felt comfortable wearing the ribbon throughout her life.WELL,I enjoyed reading the story.

awsome dude

I Always Want To ear tHat Story Again I Heard It When I 5 And Now I Am 13

loved it my freind told me that but u told it bttr

wow that is not scary

ive known this girl since kindergarden and she has always weared this one ring I wonder if her finger will fall off

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