The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-05-13
longer than was customary in those

longer than was customary in those
primitive times.
Katrine was exceedingly anxious to
have him leave before her step-mother's
return, and had almost entirely ceased
speaking. So, with half audible sigh,
Solpaugh rose and took his hat. Katrine
most obligingly opened the door for
him.
"What q dark night" she said peer
ing out. s'You could scarcely see the
horseman if you met him tonight, unless
his horse really breathed forth fire, as
some people say"
"Oh, / h-h-hope I shan't meet
him!" stammered Tjerck, appalled, at
the idea.
"If you should, be sure and remember
just how he looks, and what he does or
says" laughed Katrine. 'sGood- might,
Mr.. Solpaugh."
And she closed the door somewhat
abruptly.
Poor Tjerck hurried along the noun
tain path, SO blinded by his fear that he
stumbled over every root or stone that
came in his way. Every twig that
cracked beneath his tread, he imagined
some one in pursuit of him; every moan
of the wind was cry of the murdered
Matte, or at least of her faithful cow.
On he ran, unmolested,; until he was
quite near the Kaaterskill Falls, and was
just beginning to comfort himself with
the idea that his journey was nearly
over, when he distinctly heard tread of
horses hoofs behind him. He cast q
terrified look over his shoulder, when,
to his indescribable horror, he beheld
the very specter that Katrine had de-
scribed-a large white horse, with
flames issuing from his nostrils, a figure
in white on his back, and dragging
along the rocky road was something
doubtless the skeleton of the murdered
girl!
Tjerck gazed a moment in speeches.
dismany, then he ran desperately on,
hoping that he was unseen. But the
faster he ran, the faster grew the beat of
the hoofs behind him, while means and
cries, apparently from the ghostly rider
and his victim fell on his ears. Evil
IDENTIFY the apparition was gaining upon
him! Yes, it was almost close to him,
and, with wild cry, Tjerck rushed on
till he reached the falls where the water
dashes over two precipices, the first one
hundred and eighty feet high, the sec
ond, few rods below, over ninety feet.
By this time the ghostly rider was so
near him that the frightened man ex-
pected momentarily to be seized and
carried off to unknown regions.
He ventured once more to glance
backward, and plainly saw a female fig
ure swaying from side to side along the
ground, evidently fastened to the horses
tail, and at that instant low, mournful
wall burst on his ear! With a howl of
terror he rushed forward directly toward
the edge of the precipice! Another
moment and the foaming waters would
have swept him down hundreds of feet,
when directly in his path was a second
phantom, thereby saving him from a
water grave. Tjerck stopped in utter
bewilderment, then, as the creature
moved, he recalled Katrine's story,
and concluded that it was Nattie's
cow that had rescued him. But two
ghosts, one in front, the other in
the rear, left little time for reflection,
and with a yell which would have done
credit to a Camanche, he dashed again
into the path, and never stopped nor
looked behind him, till he had burst in
to his own house, and bolted the door
securely.
Several days passed. Nothing was
heard of Tjerck. Solpaugh at the farm
house of Hans Van Elten. The dame
had been summoned from home to at
tend dying relative, and Hermann and
katrine ventured to meet once more,
when the latter heard for the first time
of Tjerck's ghostly escort.
"How did you manageit, HERMANN"
she asked.
81 covered the old horse with sheet,
and hung a small lantern each side of
his head" replied her lover, "and
trusted to Tjerck's fright to make him
ing flames"
"And the cow?" asked Katrine.
"The COW was personated by two
boys, good friends of mine, who under
took, with the help of an old hide and
pair of horns, to keep Tjerck from
jumping over the precipice."
Katrine shuddered at the idea.
"Where is hep" she asked presently.
"He has not been at our house since
that night. Is it possible the fright
killed him?''
Hermann laughed.
"Never fear," he replied. "Tjerck
was seen the next morning, with a bum
die in his hand, hurrying down toward
the river. 1t is my belief we shall never
see him again.
And he was right. Weeks rolled by,
but no Tjerck appeared. Dame Van
Ellen had returned home, and in answer
to her diligent inquiries after her favor
lite, she was finally told by fisherman
that he had rowed Tjerck across the
river on the morning after he was
last at her house; that Solpaugh
had seemed very nervous and excited,
and at last had intimated that he should
not return. ''He was going back to his
own country, where there we're not so
many spoOks.' On the fisherman in
quiring what he had seen, he only drop
ped some dark hints about horses in
flames, and murdered girls.
Thoroughly disguised with the failure
of her plot for wealth. Dame Van FL