The Portland daily press., 1878-03-23
off my leg viii you, you id Greassr AM

But we knew that the doctor had not COM
petely finished his story, and we waited pa
tienty for the conclusion. Meanwhile the
old gray silence of the woods again asserted
itself-but shadows were now beginning to
gather in the heavy beams Of the roof above,
and the dim aisles seemed to be narrowing
and closing in around US. Presently the doc
tor recommended lazay,as if no interruption
had occurred.
''As | said before, never put much falth
in that story and shouldn't have told it but
for rather curious experience OF my own.
1t was in the spring OF '62, and was one OF
party of four coming up from ONellrs,
when we had been showed up. 1t was awful
weather, the snow had changed to seet and
rain after we crossed the divide, and the wa.
ter was out everywhere; every ditch was
creek, every creek river we mad iost Two
horses on the Truth Fork. We were dead
beat, off the trail and sloshing round, with
night coming on and the level hail like shot
in our faces. Things were looking bleak and
scary when, riding little ahead of the party.
saw light twinkling in hollow beyond.
NY horse was still fresh, and calling out to
the boys to follow me aud bear for the light,
l struck out for it. In another moment /!
was before little cabin that half burrowed
in the black chapparel. l dismounted and
raped at the door, There was no response.
then tried TO force the door, but 1t was
fastened securely from within. was all the
more surprised when one of the boys who
nad overtaken me, told me that he had seen
through the window man reading by the
fire. Indignant at this inhospitality, we
both made a resolute onset against the door,
at the same time raising our angry voices to
yell. Suddenly there was quick respone.
the hurried Withdrawing of bolt, aud the
door opened.
e1~< HI ay,a
with pale, careworn face, whose prevailing
expression was one of gentle good hamor,
and patient suffering. When we entered he
asked US hastily why we had not sung out
before.
But we knockedp said impatientIy, 'and
almost drove your door in.'
That's nothing he said patiently. pm
used to that
looked again at the mans patient, fateful
face and then around the cabin. In an in
slant the whole situation flashed before me.
Are we not near Cave City asked.
sYes,' he replied, it's just below. You
must have passed it in the Storm
I see.' again looked around the cabin.
ISN'T this what we call the haunted housep
'He looked at me curiously. 1T is, he said
simply.
'You can imagine my delight Here was
an opportunity TO test the whole story-to
work down to bed rock and see how it would
pan out! We were too many and too well
armed to fear tricks or dangers from outside.
If-as one theory had been held the dis
turbance was kept up by a band of concealed
marauders or road agents, whose purpose
was to preserve their haunt from intrusion,
we were quite able to pay them back in kind
for any assault. l need not say that the boys
were delighted with this prospect when the
fact was revealed to them. The only one
doubtful or apathetic spirit there was our
host, who quietly resumed his seat and his
book with his old expression of patient mar
tyrdom. 1t would have been easy tor me to
have drawn him out, but felt that did not
want to corroborate anybody else's expert
ence; only to record my own. And thought
it better to keep the boys from any predis-
posing terrors.
1--WE ate our supper and then sat- patiently
and expectant around the fire. An honr
slipped away, but no disturbances; another
hour passed as monotonously. Our host read
his book; only the dash of hail against the
roof broke the silence. But
The doctor stopped. Since the last inter
ruption noticed he had changed the easy
slangy style of his story to more perfect,
artistic, aud even studied manner. He
dropped now suddenly into his old colloquial
speech, and quietly said: ''If you don't quit
stumbling over those ratids, Juan, I'll hobble
you" Come here, then; lie down, will
you?'
We all turned fiercely on the cause of this
second dangerous interruption, but sight of
the poor fellows pale and frightened face
withheld our vindictiVe tongues. And the
doctor, happily, of bis own accord went on:
"But had forgotten that it was no easy
matter to keep these high-spirited boys bent
on row in decent subsection, and after the
bir5 ood of,,ro
hibition observed from certain winks and
whispers that they were determined to get up
indications of their own. In a few moments
violent rappings were heard from all parts of
the cabin; large stones (adroitly thrown up
the chimney fell with heavy thud upon the
roof. Strange groans and ominous yes
seemed to come from the outside (where the
interstices between the logs were wide
enough. Yet through all this uproar, our
host sat still and patient with no sign Of in
dignation or reproach Upon his good Thu.
mored but haggard features Before long it
became evident that this exhibition was ex-
clusively for his benefit Under the thin dis
guse of asking him to assist them in discov-
ering the disturbers outside the cabin, those
insideItook advantage of his absence to turn
the cabin topsey turvey.
ssYeu SEQ what the splits have done, old
man," said the arch leader of this mischief.
Lucy NS upSCb tudb UucIo uOur UdrI6l Wullo
we wasn't looking, and then kicked over the
water jug and spilled all the waterv
"The patient man lifted his head and
looked at the four-strewn walls. Then he
glanced down at the floor, but drew back
with slight tremor.
"'It amt waterv he said quietly.
"'What is it then?'
"'It's BLOOD! Look
"The nearest man gave sudden start and
sank back white as sheet.
"For there, gentlemen, on the floor, just
before the door, where the old man had seen
the dog hesitate and lift his feet-there! there!
gentemen-upon my honor, slowly widened
and broadened dark red pool of human
blood Stop him Quick! Stop him, I sayv'
There was binding flash that lit up the
dark woods and sharp report! When we
reached the doctors side he was holding the
smoking pistol, just discharged, in one hand,
while with the other he was pointing to the
rapidly disappearing figure of Juan, our Mexi-
can vacquero!
''Missed him, by G-dp said the doctor.
"But did you hear him? Did you see bis
lurid face as he rose up at the name of blood?
Did you see his guilty conscience in his face.
Eh? Why don't you speak? What are you
staring at?'
'Was it the murdered mans ghost doc
tor?' we all painted in one quick breath.
"Ghost be id! No! But In that Mexi-
can vacquero that cursed Juan Ramirez!-
I saw and shot al hs p,Iirdayor