The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-04-18

III 10 mere on my hand still, Donald;
cannot remove It again;
Ihave kept it through labor and sorrow;
It is grown now part Of my paint"
4 GHOST or THE SlEREAS.
ny BRET uARrE.
1t was q vast silence of pines, redolent
;. with balsamic breath. and muftlei with
the dry dust Of dead bark and matted
moses. Lying on our backs, we looke,i
upwards through hundred feet Of clea:,
unbroken interval to tho 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 boughs, and
it, brightness .dissipated. in ncbulous
mists throughout the roofing of the dim
brown aislcs 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
lence seemed so much a part OF this
grateful GOODNESS that we hcsitateu to
speak, and for some moments lay quietly
outstretched Oh the pine tassels where We
had first thrown ourselves. Finally,
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 Major" or
that WAS "old," or that knew any thing
about "it," or indeed what lit referred
to. The whole remark was merely one
Of the usual conventional ieelers 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. I
recognized the fact so far as to kick aside
an Intervening saddle so 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 IT, know. What are we
doing here in this black old mansoleum
of Calaveras county If it ism to find out
something about EN-, eh?''
Nobody replied.
"Thar's 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 a mighty queer
story"
Still the same reposeful Indifference.
We al knew the Doctors skill as ra-
conteur; 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 a 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.
dered between our own Indifference and
the sudden termination Of promising
anecdote, through his own unlucky in
reference. So We said nothing. aThe
Judge'-another instance of arbitrary
nomenclature-pretended to sleep. Jack
began to twist = cigaritto. Thornton bit
odthe ends Of pine needles refectivcly.
!; "Yes, SIR" continued the doctor, cody
resting the back of his head on the palms
Of his hands, lit was rather, curious. All
except the murder. That's what gets me,
for the murder had no new points, no
fancy touches, no sentiment, no mystery.
Was just one of the old style, sub-head
paragraphs. Old-fashioned miner scrubs
along on hard tack and beans, and saves
up . little money to 60 home and see re-
lations. Old-fashioned assassin sharpens
up knife, old style, loads old fintlock,
bras mounted pistol; walks IN on old
fashioned miner one dark night, sends him
home to his relations away back to sever
q generations, and walks of with the
swag. No mystery there; nothing to
clear up; subsequent revelations only I'M
psrtinance. Nothing for any ghost to do
-.lKho meant business. More than that,
0vef forty murders, same old kind, CON-
mitted every year in Calaveras, and no
spiritual post olbits coming due every an
.nivefsary; no assessments made on the
peace and quiet Of the surviving commu-
nifty. tell you what boys, I've always
been Inclined Ia throw off on the Cave
. City ghost for that alone. It's bad prec-
sdent, sir. If that kind o. thing is going
to ohtain to the Foot Hills, we'll have the
trails full Of chaps formely knocked over
by Mexicans and road agents; every little
camp'and grocery will have stock enough
ON hand to 60 into business, and whore
thsre any security for surviving lie and
propeEty, ehY What's your opinion, Judg,
- : fair.minded legislator7'
OF course there was no response. Yet
/; it Was part Of the Doctors system of ag-
Rr1vation to be come discursive at these
moments in the hope Of interruption. and
10 continued for some moments to dwell
>: N ths terrible possibility of a state of
:. aaain in which = gentleman could no
longer settle = dispute with an enemy
without being subjected to succeeding
spiritual embarrassment. But all this
@gFeeeion fell upon apparently inatten
Well, Sir, after the murder, the cabin
STOOD for long time deserted and ten
lntlsee. Popular opinion was against it.
SOoc gay = ragged prospector, savage
with hard labor and harder luck, Came
.Aottnecamp, looking for place to live
and chance to prospect. After the boys
bad taken his measure, they concluded
he'd already tackled 80 much in tho way
Of difficulties that 4 ghost more or less
J wouldn't be of much account. they sent
him to the haunted cabin. He had a bic
yellow dog with him, about as ugly and
bt . savage - himself, and the boys sort o
= congratulated themselves, from practic.
'@'a1 7iew point, that when they were Civ.
~ tho old rufiaan shelter, they were
helping in the cause of Christianity
.66aai1 &host and goblings. They had
Nttls faith In the old man, but went theil
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