East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1864-04-27

/
} AT the same time tho pony becam
restless il tossed its head, pricked VI
its ears, it started, pranced, and theI
made bound on one side, perfect,
regardless of whip and rein. 1t trie,
} TO scramble up the sand bank in it
alarm, and i had to thow myself OF
and catch his head. l then cast
; glance behind me at the turnpike.
saw the bar bent, as though some on,
were pressing against it; then with ,
clink, it flew open, and was violently
! dashed back against the white post Il
which it was usually hasped in tn,
daytime. There it remained, quiver
ing from the shock.
Immediately / heard tho rattle
rattle--rattle OF the tax-cart. / con
fess that my first impression was te
laugh; the idea Of ghostly tax-car
TMgsap Msa v SSssepslssly pas SBal5icroSs but sAi tAi
brought me TO a graver mood, and, re-
mounting Taffy, | rode down to thu
station. - .....
4 The officials were taking their case
as another train was not due for some
while; SO l stepped up to the station.
master and entered into conversation
with him. After a few desultory re-
marks, mentioned tho circumstances
which had occurred to me on the road
and my inability to account for them
$50 that's what you're after" said
the master, somewhat bluntly. =
"Woll can tell you nothing about
it, sperits don't come in my way, saw
ing and excepting those which can be
taken inwardly, and mighty comforta-
be and warming things they be when
so taken, If you ask me about othor
sorts of sperits, I tell you l don't be-
lieve in 'em, though l don't mind
drinking the health of them what
does" ,l...,...., ~,
Perhaps you may have the chance
if you are, little moro communica-
tive" said /. -s-r
"Well, I'll tell you all know, and
that is precious little" answered the
worthy man. ''I know one thing for
certain--that ono compartment of a
second-class carriage is always left va
cant between Brighton and Hassock's
Catchy the $3.50 up train"
"For what purpose y"
"Ah, that's more than / can fully
explain. Before the orders came to
this effect, people went into fits, and
that like, in one of the carriages"
ANY particular carriage {"
THE first compartment of the Soc
ond class carriage nearest the engine.
1t is locked at Brighton, and | unlock
cd at this station
"What do you mean by saying that
people had fits ~
81 mean that l used to find men and
women screechin and hollorin like
mad to ba let ont; the'd sore'ut as
pa ssing through the Clayton tunnel.
That was before they made the ar
rangement j told y Of"
"yery strange" said /, m:lita-
lively.
"Wery much so, but true for all
that. i don't bell, We in nothing but
sperits of warming and cheering ma
ture, and them sort aint to be found
in Clayton tunnel, TO my thinking"
Thpre was evidently nothing more
to bo got out of my friend. L hope
that he drank my health that night;
if he omitted to do SO it was his fault,
not mine.
As rode home, revolving in my
mind all that | had heard and seen,
became more and more settled IN my
determinatihn of thoroughly investi-
eating the matter. The best means i
could adopt for SO doing would DO to
come out from Brighton by The $50
train, in the very compartment OF the
second class carriage from which the
public were considerably excluded
Somehow L felt no shrinking from
the attempt; my curiosity was so in
tense that it overcame all apprehen-
sions for the consequences.
Ny next free day was Thursday,
and / hoped then to execute my plan.
In this, however, was disappointed,
as found that battalion diill was
fixed for that very evening and | was
desirous of attending, being somewhat
behind hand in the regulation number
of drills. Twas, consequently, obliged
to postpone my Brighton trip
On the Thursday evening about five
o'clock i started in regimontals, with
my rifle over my shoulder, for the
drilling grounds, a piece of fuzzy com
mon near the railway station.
/ was speedily overtaken by Mr.
Ball, corporal in the rifle corps, Q
capital shot, and most efficient i'll his
drill. Mr.. Ball was driving his gig
He stopped on seeing ms and Offered
me a seat beside him. 1 gladly &c
ccpted, as the distance to the station
is a mile and three-quarters by tht
road and two mios by what is com
monty supposed to bo the short Gu
across the fields.
! After some conversation on volun
teering matters, about which Corpora
Ball was an enthusiast, we turned ou
of the lanes into the station road, ant
took the opportunity of adverting t
the subject which was uppermost il
my mind.
"Ah / have heard good dea
about that" said the corporal. an,
, workmen have often told me some
cock-and-bu stories of the kind, bu
; / can't cay as how 1 have believed
them. What you tell mo is, 'oweyer
, very remarkable. never 'ad it ol
+ such good authority afore. Still l can
{ not bclcvo that there's hanything s'l
pcrnaturnl about it."
II do not yet know what to belicyc,
} 1 replied, "for the whole matter is Z
me perfectly incxplicable."