Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-12-27
THE GHOST ROBBER.


1880 a stranger, mounted on a no.
ble-looking horse, passed slowly
over the snow white limestone road
leading through the Black Forest.
just as the sun was going to rest
for the day, wher the gloomy shad-
ows were beginning to stalk, he
drew rein, as he said:
"This must be near the spot,
surely. I'll stop here anyhow for a
while, and see what | can learn"
He thereupon dismounted and
entered the parlor of the inn, where
he sat down beside a small table.
''How can | serve you meinheer!"
said tho landlord.
"See to my horse outside" re-
piled the guest carelessly, butat the
same time eyeing the landlord from
head to foot, "and let ME have some
wine-Rhine will do"
The landlord was turning to
withdraw from the strangers pres
ence, when he stopped and said:
(Which way, meinheer, do you
travel?"
"To Nanstadt," replied the guest.
"You will rest here tonight, |
suppose" continued the landlord.
Il will stay here for two or three
hours, but | must then be off SO as
to reach my destination there in
the morning. am going to pur-
chase lumber for the market"
"And you have considerable
money with you, no doubt?" asked
the landlord innocently.
eyes, considerable" replied the
guest, slipping his wine disinterest-
edly.
"Then if you'll take my advice" +"
said the landlord, "you'll stay here
till morning"
why" replied the stranger,
looking up curiously.
4" Because" whispered the land
lord, looking around as if he were
disclosing a great secret, and was
afraid of being heard by somebody
else, "eyery man that passes over
the road between this and Nan
stadt at midnight for the last ten
years has been robbed or murdered
under very singular circumstances"
"What were the circumstances 2"
asked the stranger, putting down
his glass empty, and preparing to
fill it again.
"Why, you see," the landlord
went on, while he approached his
guests table and took a seat, {"
have spoken with several who have
been robbed; all l could learn from
them is that they remember meet
ing, in the lonesome part of the
wood, something that looked white
and ghastly, and that frightened
their horses so that they either ran
away or threw their riders; they
felt a choking sensation and sort
Of Smothering, and finally died, as
they thought, but awoke in an hour
or so to find themselves lying by
the roadside, robbed of everything!'
"Indeed, calculated the stranger,
looking abstractedly at the rafters
in the ceiling, as though he was
more intent upon counting them
than he was interested in the land
lords story.
The innkeeper looked at him in
.astonishment. Such perfect cool
ness he had not witnessed for o long
time.
"You will remain then ?" Sug-
gested the landlord, after waiting
some time for his guest to speak.
"I?" cried the stranger, starting
from his fit of abstraction, as
though he was not sure he was the
person addressed. go, most GER
tainly not; Pm going straight
ahead, ghost or no ghost, tonight"
Half an hour later the stranger
and a guide called Wilhelm were
out on the road, going at a pretty
round pace toward Nanstadt.
During a fash Of lightning the
stranger observed that his guide
looked very uneasy about some
thing, and was slackening his
horses pace az though he intended
to drop behind.
&" Lead on" criad Tho atpanoar