River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-04-18
4 GHOST OF THE SIEREAS.
BY BRET pARTE.

BY BRET UARTE.
Il was vast silence of pines, redolent
with balsamic breath. and muiflei with
the dry dust of dead bark and matted
moses. Lying on our backs, we looked
upwards through hundred feet of clea:,
unbroken interval to the first lateral
branches that formed the fiat canopy
above us. Here and there the fierce sun,
from whose active persecution We had
Just escaped, searched for Us through the
woods, but its keen blade was dullcd and
turned aside by intercostal bnughs, and
its brightness dissipated in nebulous
mists throughout the roofing of the dim
brown aisles around us. We were in an
other atmosphere, under another sky, IN
deed in another world than the dazzling
one we had just quilted. The grave 81
Ience seemed so much a part of the
grateful GOODNESS that we heSitated to
speak, and for some moments lay quietly
nutstretched on the pine tassels where we
had first thrown ourselves. Finally, a
voice broke the silence
ASK the old Major; he knows all
about it,"
The person here alluded to, under that
military title, was myself. | hardly need
explain to any Californian that it by no
means followed that | was g Major or
that was "old," or that knew anything
about " IT." or indeed what it " referred
TO. The whole remark was merely one
of the usual conventional leelerS to con-
versation-a kind OF social preamble,
quite common to our slangy camp inter
course. Nevertheless, as [ was always
known as the Major perhaps for no bet
ter reason than that the speaker, an old
journalist, was always called Doctor. l
recognized the fact SO far as to kick aside
an intervening saddle 50 that | could see
the speakers face on level with my own,
and said noting.
About ghosts said the Doctor, after
pause, which nobody broke or was eX-
pected to break. Ghosts! sir. That's
what we want To know. What are we
doing here in this black old mansoleum
of Calaveras county if it isn't to find out
something about EN-, eh''
Nobody replied.
"Thars that haunted house at Cave
CITY. Can't be more than mile or two
away, anyhow. Used to be just off the
trial."
A dead silence.
The Doctor addressing space gener-
ally): ''Yes, sir; it was mighty queer
story
Still the same rep0seful Indifference.
We all knew the Doctors skill as TG-
eonteur; we all knew that a story was
coming, and we all knew that any inter
ruption would be fatal. Time and time
again in our prospecting experience, had
word of polite encouragement, rash
expression of interest, even too eager
attitude of silent expectancy, brought the
Doctor to sudden change Of subject;
time and time again had We seen the un-
wary stranger stand amazed and Devil
Cered between our own Indifference and
the sudden termination OF a promising
anecdote, through his own unIucky in
reference. So we said nothing. 1.-The
Judge"-anOther instance of arbitrary
pretended to sleep. Jack
began to twist cigaritto. Thornton bit
offthe ends of pine needles refectiyely.
.' Yes, SIR" continued the doctor, cody
resting the back of his head on the palms
If his hands, it was rather curious. AL
except the murder. That's what gets me,
for the murder had no new points, no
fancy touches, no sentiment, no mystery.
Was lust one of the old style, sub head !
paragraphs Old-fashioned miner scrubs
along on hard tack and beans, and saves
up a little money TO go home and see re
lations. Old-faShioned assassin sharpena
up knife, old style, loads old flintlock,
brass mounted pistol; walks In on old
fashioned miner on9 dark night, sends him
home to his relations away back to sever
al generations, and walks of with the
swa0. No mystery there; nothing To-
clear up; subsequent revelations only i'm
pertinance Nothing for any ghost to do
who meant business. More than that,
over forty murders, same old kind, COM
mitted every year in Calayeras, and n6'
spiritual post olbitS coming due every an
niversary; no assessments made on the
peace and quiet of the surviving commu7
nity. ] tell you what boys, I've always
been irclined tn throw Off on the Cave
CITY ghost for that alone. It's bad prece
edent, sir. If that kind o thing is going
10 obtain to the Foot Hills, we'll have the
trails full of chaps formely knocked over
by Mexicans and road agents; every littf5,
camp and grocery will have stock enough
on hand to go into business, and whore ,
there any security for surviving life and
property, ehl What's your opinion, Judg,
as a fair. minded legislator
OF course there was no response. Yet
ii was part of the Doctors system of az
sravation 10 be con discursive at these
moments in the hope of interruption, ami
he continued for some moments 10 dwell
un the terrible possibility of state ct
afFairs in which a gentleman could 80
longer settle a dispute with an enemy
without being subjected to succeeding
spiritual embarrassment. But all this
depression fell upon apparently inatteu
tive ears.
Well, sir, after the murder, the CABIN
stood for long time deserted and ten
antless. Popular opinion was against It.
One dag ragged prospector. savage
with hard labor and harder luck, CAME
to the camp, looking for place to hFe
and chance To prospect. After the boss
had taken his measure, they concluded
he'd already tackled so much in the way
of difficulties that ghost more or less
wouldn't be of much account. they seat
him to the haunted cabin. He had a pig
yellow dog with him, about as ugly aud
as savage as himself, and the boys sort o
congratulated themselves, from practtc-
al view point, that when they were gtv'
ing the old ruffian shelter, they We're
helping in the cause of Christianity
against ghost and goblings. They hsd
little faith in the old man, but went thalr