The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-10-23

/
ashy paleness of the depressed features;
the skin lay stretched over the unearth-
ly surface almost like the parchment
| head of a drum. Two fiery eyes of
| prodigious circumference, with strange
and irregular motion, flashed like mete-
| ors upon Charley, and q mouth that
reached from either extremity of two
ears, which peeped forth from under a
| profusion of matted locks of lusterless
blackness. This head, which the figure
had evident Y hitherto concealed from
Charley's eyes, now burst upon his
| view in all its hideousness. Charley,
although lad of proverbial courage In
the county of Cork, could not but feel
his nerves little shaken by this unex-
pected visit from the headless horse
man, whom he considered this figure
must doubtless be.
The crop-eared head of the gigantic
horse moved steadily forward, always
keeping from six to eight yards in ad-
vance. The horseman, unaided by the
whip or spur. and dIsdaining the use OF
stirrups, which dangled useless from
the saddle, followed at trot by Char
ley's side, his hideous head now lost
behind the lapel of his coat, now start
ing forth in all its horror as the motion
of the horse caused his arm to move to
and fro. The ground shook under the
weight of it's supernatural burden, and
the water in the pools was agitated into
waves as he trotted by them.
On they went-heads without bodies
and bodies without heads. The deadly
silence of night was broken only by the
fearful chatter of hoofs and the distant
sound of thunder, which rumbled above
the mystic hill of Cecauno a Mono
Finnea. Charley, who was naturally
merry-hearted and rather talkative fell
| low, had hitherto felt tongue-tied by
apprehension; but finding his compan-
ion showed no evil disposition toward
him, and having become somewhat
reconciled to the Patagonian dimensions
| of the horseman and his headless steed,
plucked up all his courage, and thus ad-
dressed the stranger:
"Whv, then. your honor rides mighty
well without stirrups."
"Humpr groHled the head from
under that horseman's right arm.
"This is not an over civil answer,
thought Charley; "but no matter, he was
| taught in one of them riding houses,
| humping his leather breechas at the
rate of ten miles an hour. I'll try him
on the other tack. Ahem !" said
| Charley, clearing his throat, and feeling
| at the same time rather daunted at this
second attempt to establish a converse
tion. "Ahem that's a mighty neat
coat of your honor's, although tits
little too long in the waist for the pres
emit cut"
"Humph I" growled again the head.
| This second humph was a terrible
thump in the face to poor Charley, who
was fairly bothered to know what SUBJ
ject he could start that would prove
more agreeable. "'Tis a sensible
head" thought he, "although an ugly
one; for tbs plain enough the man
| doesn't like fattery." A third attempt,
however, Charley was determined to
make, and having failed in his observa-
lions as to the riding and the coat of
his fellow traveller, he thought he would
| just drop triding allusion to the won
derful headless horse that was jogging
on SO socially by the side of the old
mare; and as Charley was considered
about Carrick to be very knowing in
| horses, besides being a private in the
Royal Mallow light horse volunteers,
who were every one of them mounted
! like real Hessians, he felt rather san
guine as to theresultof his third attempt.
s'To be sure that's brave horse your
honor rides" recommended the persev-
ering Charley.
"You may say that, with your own
ugly mouth" growled the head.
Charley, though not much fattered
by the compliment, nevertheless chuck
| led at his success in obtaining an an
swer. and thus continued {:
"May-be your honor wouldn't be af-
ter riding him across the country ?"
evil you try NE, Charley p said the
head, with an inexpressible look OF
CHASTITY delight.
Faith, and that's what I'd do" re-
sponded Charley; " only I'm afraid, the
night being so dark, of tanning the old
mare, and I've every halfpenny of a
hundred pounds on her heels.
This was true enough. Charley cour-
age was nothing dashed at the headless
horseman's proposition {; and there new
er vas steeple-chase, riding or leaping,
in the country that Charley Culnane was
not al it, and foremost in It.
"Will you take my word ?" said the
man who carried his head SO snugly IN
der his right arm, 81 for the safety. of
your mare"
DOu6, bAlu SudIIoJs anu away bLlSJ
started, heller SHELTER, over everything,
ditch and wall, pop the old mare never
went in such style, even in broad day
light, and Charley had just the start of
his companion, when the hoarse voice
called out; Charley Culnane, Char
ley, man, stop for your life; stop ?''
Charley pulled up hard. cay" said
he, "you may beat me by the head, be-
oil 1ofo
you; but if the bet was neck and neck,
and that's the go between the old mare
and Desdemona, I'd win it hollow I"
It appeared as if the stranger was we'll
aware of what was passing in Charley's
mind, for he suddenly broke out quite
loquacious.
"Charley Culnane." says he, "you
have a stout soul in you, and are every
inch of you:a good rider. I've tried you
and I ought to know, and that's the
sort of man for my money. A hundred
years it is since my horse and I broke |
our necks at the bottom of Kilcummer
hill, and ever since I've been trying to |
get man that dared to ride with me,
and never found one before. Keep, as |
YOU have always done, at the tail of the |
hounds, never bank an inch, nor turn |
away from a stone wall, and the Head |
less Horseman will never desert you
nor the old mare"
Charley in amazement looked toward |
his right arm for the purpose of seeing
in his face whether or not he was in
earnest; but, behold, the head was
snugly lodged in the huge pocket of
the hoIseman's scarlet hunting cloak.
The horses head had assembled per-
pendicularly above them, and his extra
ordinary companion rising quickly af
ter his avant-courier. vanished from the
astonished gaze of Charley Culnane.
Charley, as may be supposed, was
lost in wonder, delight and perplexity;
the pelting rain, the wife's pudding, the
new snsfle-even the match against
Squire Jephson-all were forgotten
nothing could he think of, nothing could
he talk of but the headless horseman.
He told it directly he got home to Judy;
he told it the following morning to ali
the neighbors. and he told it to the
hunt on st. Stephens dav; but what
provoked him, after all the pains he
took in describing the head, the horse,