Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-04-10
!. GHOST OF THE SIERRAS.

of clear, unbroken interval to the first
lateral branches that formed the flat can
opy above us. Here and there the fierce
sun, from whose active persecution we
had just escaped searched for us through
the woods, butts keen blade was dulled
and turned aside by intercostal boughs,
and its brightness dissipated in nebulous
mists throughout the roofing of the dim
brown aisles around us. We were in
another atmosphere, under another sky,
indeed in another world than the daz-
zeling one we had just quilted. The
grave silence seemed so much part of
the grateful GOODNESS that we hesitated
to speak, and for some moments lay
quietly outstretched on 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. hard
ly need to explain to any Californian
that it by no means followed that 1 was
"major," or that [ was "old," or that
| knew anything about sit" or indeed
what it, referred to. The whole re-
mark was merely one of the usual con-
ventional feelings to conversational
kind of social preamble, quite common
to our slangy camp intercourse. Never
theless. as was always known as the
major, perhaps for no better reason than
that the speaker, an old journalist, was
always called doctor, [ recognized the
fact SO far as to kick aside an interyen-
ing saddle so that [ could see the speak
er's face on level with my own. and
said nothing.
about ghosts said the doctor, after
pause, which nobody broke or was
expected to break. "Ghosts sir.
That's what we want to know. What
are we doing here in this blank old
mausoleum of Calaveras county-if
it isn't to find something about 'em,
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
trail"
A dead silence.
,, The doctor, addressing space gener-
Yes, sir; it qUas mighty queer
story
Still the same reposeful Indifference
We all knew the doctors skill as a rd-
c0atte,tr; we all knew that story was
coming; and we all knew that any in
terruption would be fatal. Time and
time again, In our prospecting expert
ence, had a word Of polite encourage
ment, a rash expression of interest, even
a too eager attitude ofsilent expectancy,
brought the doctor to a sudden change
of subject; time and time again had we
seen the unwary stranger stand amazed
and bewildered between our indifference
and the sudden termination of prom
Using anecdote through his own unlucky
interference. So we said nothing.
The judge another instance of ar
bltrary ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS to
sleep. Jack began to twist cigarrito.
Thornton bit off the ends ofpine needles
refectively.
Yes, sir," continued the doctor, cool
ly, resting the back of his head on the
palms of his hands, " it was rather curl
Gus. All except the murder. that's
what gets me, for the murder had no
new points, no fancy touches, no senti-
ment, 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 a little
money to go home and see relations
Old fashioned assassin sharpens up
knife, old style, loads old fintlock, brass
mounted pistol; walks in an old fashion
ed miner one dark night, sends him
home to his relations away back to sew
eral generations, and walks off with the
sWag. No mystery there; nothing to
clear up; subsequent revelations only
impertlnence. Nothing for any ghost
to do-WhO meant business. More than
that. over forty murders, same old kind,
committed every year in Calaveras, and
no spiritual post obits coming due every
anniversary; no assessments made on
the peace and quiet Of the surviving
community. [ tell you what, boys, I've
always been inclined to throw off on the
Cave City ghost for that alone. It's a
bad precedent, sir. If that kind o'thing
Is going to obtain in the Foot Hills,
We'll have the trails full of chaps former
ly knocked over by the Mexicans and
road agents; every little camp and gro
Gerry will have stock enough on hand to
go into business, and where's there anv
security for surviving life and property,
Ell? What's your opinion, Judge, as a
fair-minded legislator"
OF course there was no response.
Yet it was part of the doctors system of
aggrayation to become discursive at
these moments, in the hope of Interrupt
ton, and he continued for some mo-
monts to dwell on the terrible possibility
of a state of affairs in which gentle
man could no longer settle dispute
with an enemy without being subjected
to succeeding spiritual embarrassment.
But all this DEPRESSION fell upon appar-
emily inattentive ears.
Well, sir, after the murder, the cab
IN stood for long time deserted and
tenantless. Popular opinion was against