The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-03-28

ike skulls, you'd begln 70 UNDERSTAND
how big contract that man and that
yellow dog undertook,
"They went into possession that after.
noon, and old Hard Times set out to
cook his supper. When it was over he
sat down by the embers and lit his pipe,
the yellow dog lying at his feet. Sud
| denly Rap rap 7 comes from the door.
Come in, says the man gruf1y. Rap =
again. Come in and be - TO you,
says the man, who has no ides OF getting
up to open the door. But no one re-
sponded and the next moment smash
goes the only sound pane in the only
| window. Seeing this, old Hard Times
gets up, with the devil in his eye and a
revolver in his hand, followed by the
yellow dog with every tooth showing,
and swings open the door. No one
therel But as the man opened the door,
| that yellow dog, that had been so chip~
and step backward, step by step, trem :
| bling and shiveTiug, and at last crouches
| down in the chimney, without even so
| much as looking A his master. The man
slams the door shut again, but there
| comes another mash. This time it
seems to come from inside the cabin, and
it isn't until the man looks around and
sees every thing quiet that he gets up,
| without speaking, and makes dash fer
| the door and tears round outside the
cabin like mad, but finds nothing but
silence and darkness. Then he comes
back swearing and calls the dog. But
that great yellow dog, that the boys
would have staked all their money on, is
| crouching under the bunk, and has to be
dragged out like a coon from hollow
tree, and lies there, his eyes starting
| from their sockets; every limb and
muscle quivering with fear, and his very
hair drawn up in bristling ridges. The
man calls him to the door, He drags
himself q few steps, stops, shifts, and
refuses to go further. The man calls
him again with an oath and threat.
| Then, what does that yellow dog do ?
He crawls edgewise toward the door,
crouching himself against the bunk
| till he's fatter than knife blade then,
half way, he stops. Then the yellow
dog begins to walk gingerly, lifting each
| loot up in the air, one after the
other, still trembling in every limb.
| Then he stops again. Then he cTOuches.
Then he gives one little shuddering leap
mot straight forward, but up-clearing
| the floor about six inches, as if
"O Over something" interrupted the
judge, hastily, lifting himself on his
elbow.
The doctor stopped instantly. "Juan,
| he said, co0lly, to one of the Mexican
| packers, quit foolin' with that ridtd
! You'll have that stake out and that mule
| loose in another minute. Come ever thi
way ~
! The Mexican turned a scared, white
face to the doctor, muttering something
/ and let go the deer skin hide. We al
up raised our voices with one accord
the Judge most penitently and apologet
ically, and implored the doctor to go on
| f' I'll shoot the first man who interrupt
you again." added Thorntoa, persuas
lively.
But the doctor, with his hands Ian
guidIy under his head, had lost his in
terest. Well, the dog ran off 20 tn
hills, and neither the threats nor tn
caioleries of his master could ever maxi
him enter the cabin again. The mex
day the man left the camp. What tim
is it7 Getting on to sundOwn; amt it
Keep of my leg, will you, you
GreaseT, and stop tumbling round there
Lie down"
But we knew that the doctor hSd no
completely finished his story, and W
waited patiently for the conclusion
Meanwhile, the old, gray silence of tn,
woods again asserted itself but shadow
were now beginning to gather in tn
heavy beams of the roof above, snd tn
. dim aisles seemed to be narrowing ant
, closing in around us. Presently tn
2 doctor recommended laZily, As If no in
terruption had occurred.
8 Gas l said before, l never put mucI
D faith in that story, and shouldn't hav
p. told it, but tor a rather curious experi
g ence of my own. 1t was in the spTin
l of '62, and I was one a party of foul
/ coming up from O'NeilPs, where we ha
e been showed up. 1t was awful weather
/. the snow had changed to sleet and raj
), after we crossed the divide, and tn
x water was out everywhere; every ditc
4 was a creek, and every creek river. w
o had lost two horses on the Truth FOrl
: We were dead beat, off the trail an
o sloshing round, with night coming OF
{; and the level hail like shot in OU
+ faces. Things were looking blea
= and scary when, riding little ahea
:, of the party, / saw a light twinklin
|, in a hollow beyond. My horse WI
), stiu fresh, and calling out to the boys
e follow me and bear for the light,
3 struck out for it. In another moment
II was before a little cabin that half bu
u rowed in the black chaparral- di
d mounted and raped at the door. The
II was no response. / then tried to for
r. the door, but it was fastened secure
n from within. | was all the more su
il prised when one OF the boys, who rs
V overtaken me, told me that he had iu
e seen through a window a man readiI
b by the fire. Indignant at this inhOsE
Int
d against the door, at the same time raisil
!, our angry voices to a yell. Sudden
there was quick response, the hurTi'
# Withdrawing of a bolt, and the do
IF opened.
se "The occupant was short, thick S
D, man, with pale, csreworn face, who
20 prevailing expression was one of gent
be geod hunnor, and patient suherin
10 When we entered, he asked US hasti
" why we had not sung out before.
lg "sBut we knocked" 1 said, imE
Is tiently, and almost drove your door Il
t. "' That's nothing he said patient
I'm used to that
in "I looked again at the mans patiel
Id fateful face, and then around the cabi
st In an instant the whole situation fash
pc before noe. Are we not near Cave Cit.
ne l asked.
We F.F Yes he replied, its just belo
be You must have passed it in the storr
n. s'eI see.' I again looked around
en- cabin. Isn't this what they call
,st haunted houseP
70 ''He looked at me curiously. 1t
cd he said, simply.
tn =" You can imagine my delight H
n. was an opportunity to test the VIII
ed story-to work down TO the bed-ro
1t. and see how it would pan out! We W
Id too many and too well armed to +
in tricks or dangers from outsiders. II
.ts sne theory has been held-the distu
he ance was kept up by band of concea
on marauders OF road.agents, whose purpc
is was to preserve their haunts from int