Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-04-12
A Ghost of the Slerras.
Bret Harte in New York Sun.


from whose active persecution We ha,
just escaped, searched Tor us through thC
woods, but IFS keen blade was dulled an,
turned aside by intercostal boushs, anC
its brightness dissipated in ncbulouS mist:
Throughout the roofing OF the dim brown
aisleS around us. We were in another
atmosphere, under another sky. indeed III
another world than the dazzling one We
had Just quitued. The grave silence
seemed SO much part of the grateful
coolness that We hesitated to speak, and
for some moments lay quietly outstretch-
ed on the pine tasSels where VIC had first
thrown ourselves. Finally, 4 voice broke
| the silence
"Ask the old Major; he knows ali 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 anything
about it, or indeed what it referred to.
The whole remark was merely one of the
usual conventional leelers to conversation
"A kind OF social preamble. quite COM
mon to our slangy camp intercourse.
Nevertheless, rs | was always known rs
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 interven-
ing saddle so that could see The speakers
face on 4 level with my own, and said
nothing.
about Ghosts" said the Doctor, after
4 pause, which nobody broke or was ex-
pected 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 out
something about 'em, eh ?"
Nobody replied.
''Thars that haunted house at Cave
City. Can't bc more than mile or two
away. any how. Used to be just off the
trail"
A dead silence
The Doctor addressing space gen
erally)-"Ics, sir; it wdS mighty queer
| story"
| Still the same reposesul Indifference.
| We all knew the Doctors skill is 4 racon-
teur; we all knew that 4 story was COM
ing; and we all knew that any Interrupt
ton would he fatal. Time and time again, |
IN our prospecting experience, had Il word |
OF polite encouragement, Il rash express |
sion Of interest, even 4 too eager altitude |
of silent expectancy, brought the Doctor |
10 sudden change of subject; time and |
time again had we seen the unwary |
stranger stand amazed and bewildered |
| between our own Indifference and the |
sudden termination of II promising anec-
dote, through his own unlucky interier-
ence. So we said nothing. The Judge
another instance of arbitrary numen-
clature TO sleep. Jack began
20 twist a ciganitO. Thornton bit off the
ends OF pine-needles reiectively.
Yes, sir" continued the Doctor, cool.
", resting the back of his head on the
palms of his hands, ait 'caS rather cur
ious. All except the murder Thdt'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-iashion-
ed miner scrubs along ON hard tack and
beans, and saves up a little money to 20
home and see relations. Old-faShioned
assassin sharpenS up knife. old style, loads
old iiintlock, brasS-mounted pistol walks
in on old-iashioned miner one dark night, |
sends him home To his relations away
back 10 several generations, and walks
of with the swag. No mystery there;
nothing TO clear up; subsequent revela- .
tons only impertinencc. Nothing for any |
ghost TO do-who meant business. More l
than that, over lorty murders. same cd
kind, committed every Year in Calaveras. :
and no spiritual post obitS coming due
every anniversary; no assessments I
made on the peace and quiet of the sur |
vivipg community. | tell You what, boys, ,
I've always been inclined TO throw of on {
the Cave City ghost for that alone. It's IA ,
bad precedent, sir. II that kind o. thing is $
going TO obtain in the Foot Hills, wen :
have the trails mll OF chaps formerly
knocked over by road agents every little c
camp and grocery will have stock enough r
on hand TO go into business, and where's t
there any security Tor surviving life and t
property, eh What's your opinion, il
Judge, as 4 iair-minded LEGISLATOR"
OF course there was no response. Yet I
il was part Of the Doctors system of ag- b
gravation 10 become discursivc ut these a
moments, in the hope of interruption, and I
he continued for some moments to dwell b
on the terrible possibility of state of al |
fairs in which gentleman could no
longer settle 4 dispute with an enemy f
without being subjected 10 succeeding e
spiritual embarrassment. But all this di. p
grossion iell upon apparently inattentive l.
ears. c
We'll, sir, after the murder, the cabin Y
stood for a long time deserted and tenant j
less. Popular opinion was against it. One Ii
day ragged prospector, savage with
hard labor and harder luck, came TO the Il
camp, looking for place 10 live and s.
chance TO prospect. After the boys had e
iakcn his measure, they concluded that \
he'd already tackled so much in the way c.
Di difficulties that ghost more or less
wouldn't be of much account. SO they e.
sent him TO the haunted cabin. lie had b
big yellow dog with him, about as ugly n
md as savage rs himself, and the bows :,
sort o congratulated themselves, from O.
practical view point, that while they "
were giving the old ruflian a shelter, they ii
were helping in the cause Of Christianity r:
against ghosts and goblins. They had G;
little faith in the old man, but went their II
whole pile ON that dog. That's where ii
hey were mistaken. y
"The house stood almost 800 ieet from {
he nearest cave. and on dark nights, be- W
ng in a hollow, was As lonely as lit had II
)een on the top of Shasta. II you ever n
'Aw the spot when there was just moon h
nnongh 10 bring out the little surrounding B
dumps of chapparal until they looked like e
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