The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-04-18

every feller about yer sees when ho'i
half full and out late o nights"
Where p
"Where9 Why. where should d
/ ghost ho ? Meanderln' round her grave
ON the hill yonder, in course"
Its suthin bigger nor thot, pard,
said Dick, confidently "no ghost kin
rake down the pot ag in the keerds I've
\ got here. This aint nc hiun =
"Well, go on T. said dozen excited
voices.
Dick paused moment, difidently,
with the hesitation of an artistic rdcOH-
| tstir.
well, lie said, with affected delib-
/ Grafton, let's sec Ii is nigh onto an
/ hour ago eE | WAS down thar at the
show. When the curtain WAS down be-
\ twixt the ax, looks round fer Daddy.
No Daddy thar goes out and asks
some o. the boys. Daddy was there a
minnit ago, they SAID must hey gone
/ home. Bein' kinder responsible for
\ the old man. hangs around, and gSes
/ out in the hall and sees "A passage lead
I in behind the scenes. Now the queer
thing about this, boys, ez that suthin IN
my bones told me the old man is thar
l pushes IN, and, sure as gun. / hears
his voice. Kinder pathetic, kinder
I pleadin', kinder"
Love maxim! !" broke in the impa-
| tient Robinson.
You've hit it, pard, you've rung
I the bell every time But she says, /
wants thet money down, or I'll -
and here | couldn't get 10 hear the
I rest. And then he kinder coa1es, and
she says, sorter sassy. but lisGnin' all
the time, women like, We know, Eve
and the sarpint and she says, IN
see tomorrow. Aud he says, You
won't blow on me Z? and / gets excited
and peeps in, and may be teetotAlly
blamed ef didn't SEQ"
"What p yelled the crowd.
"Why, Daddy oH his kfisss 10 thar
/ there dancer, Grace Somerset Now,
/ II Mammy's ghost is meanderin' round,
why, cts about time she left the Gene
terry and put in an appearance IN Jack
sons Hall. Thet's all T.
Look var, boys" said Robinson,
rising, 81 don't know ez it's the square
thing 10 spile Daddy's fun. / don't Oh
ject 10 il, provided she aint takin' in the
old man and giyin' him dead away But
ez we're his guardeens, propose that
we 20 down thar and see the lady, and
find out ef her intentions is honorable.
II she means marry, and the old man
persists, why, reckon we kin give the
Young couple a send-oii thet won't dis
grace this yer camp! Hey, boysg"
IL is unnecessary % say that the
proposition WAS received with Acclama-
ton, and that the crowd st once departed
on their discreet mission. But the re-
suit was never known, for the next
morning brought a shock 10 Rough-and-
Ready before which all other interest
paled 10 nothingness.
The grave OF Nanny Downey was
found violated and despoiled; the coffin
opened, and half filed with the papers
and accounts Of the robbed benevolent
association; but the body OF Nanny
Was gone Nor, on examination, did il
appear that the sacred and ancient form
OF that female had ever reposed in It's
rccesses
Daddy Downey was not 10 be found,
nor is il necessary 10 say that the ingen-
uous Grace Somerset was also missing
For three days the reason OF Rough
and. Ready trembled in the balance. No
work was done IN the bitches, in the
hume, nor in the mills. Groups OF men
stood by the grave OF the lamentei relict
of Daddy Downey. as open-mouthed and
vacant as that sepuleher. Never SINCE
the great earthquake Of ~ had Rough
and Ready been so stirred 10 its deepest
foundations.
On the third day the sheriff Of Gala
veras-a quiet, gentle, thoughtful man
arrived in town, and passed from one
to the other Of excited groups, dropping
here and there detached but concise and
practical information.
Yes, gentlemen, you are right, Mrs.
Downey is not dead, because there
wasn't any Mrs. Downeyl Her part was
played by Geo. +. Renwick. OF Sydney
"A ticket-of-le man, who was. they
say, a good actor Downey? Oh, yes
Downey was Jem Flanagan, who, in 90,
used 10 run the troupe in Australia,
where Miss Somerset made her debut
Stand back little, boys. Steady The
money! Oh, yes, they've got away
with that, sure How are We, Joe7 Why,
you're looking we'll and hearty ra-
ther expected We court week. How's
things your way?"
"Then they were only play-actors,
Joe Hall 2" broke in a dozen voices.
81 reckon I" returned the sheriff,
coolly.
"And for matter o. FIVE blank years, V
said Whisky Dick, sadly, "they played
this camp l'-ScribHer's Aagazine.