The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-09-01

for thinking that ghosts in general, or
Bobbett' ghostin particular. are endued
with knowledge of the Morse alpha
bet2''
II have told you before" said Hop
kius, with crushing solemnity. :. that
Bobbett was clever man, and knew
most things.
..Wen, what about the what-d' ye-call-
ems-the young women, the Marthas?'
asked Frank.
i" waited some days before closed
the account. hoping that Bobbett might
send me instructions about them some
how, but as l heard nothing from him. |
bought them back at ten per cent less -
That. Isuppose. means a satisfactory
conclusion. and you Melted something's
Three thousand pounds. 1t ought
to have been more had | dared to wait:
for they fell fifteen before they stopped
Perhaps, added Hopkins, thoughtfuIly
and regretfully. chad waited till then,
Bobbett would have sent me message
to close"
He said this in such serious good faith
that we stared ut one another. When
we recovered from our establishment. /
asked:
:. That profit, of course, went into the
partnership accc unit
. OF course it did, sir replied Hon
kins, almost angrily. After deducting
my travelling expenses Ipassed his share
to his credit
= And I hope" said Frank, with a
solemn face, YOU paid the company the
shilling for the Geographic message
which Mr.. Bobbett sent without their
permission.
Hopkins rose with manner almost
dignified.
s'NIr. Blair" he said, this is the one
subject never Jest upon | have told
YOU. in the simplest language, Il strange,
but true, tale and viii now wish You
goodnight.
So saying he went
Frank. rather hufled at his last words,
only shook hands with our departing
guest. but | conducted him downstairs
and saw him out As | closed the door
heard tremendous grunt indeed, so
loud was il l thought it must be a sum
mons for readmittance- l opened the
door again, and to my surprise. saw
Hopkins leaning against the ratings
with every muscle of his broad back in
motion. / was quite alarmed. and said
hastily:
Are you i'll, old fellow?'
The quiyering motion ceased, aud
Hopkins turned round and looked up at
me, and his great face, under the lamp
light. was empty of expression as ever.
mo; only the recollection OF those
things | told you always upsets me.
Goodnight. Poor old Bobbettr'
Strange tale, Frank | said. when
having closed the door on Hopkins de-
parting sigh, we settled down once
more.
very Had any one else but Hop
kins told it, | shouldn't have believed n
word of it; but he could no more invent
it than he could paint my Alexander
and That's.
How do You account for it?'
Cant account for it. The only ex-
PLANTATION / can see Is that Bobbett, who
must have been no end of a rascal. laid
some plan for wrecking the trains, and
arranged to have the telegram sent of
previously. But then. he WAS in the
train and was smashed up himself so
that won't do
Il have seen it asserted, | said, I'm
book on spiritual Influences that a
person dying, and thinking of some one
at distance has been able to make a
sort of resemblance OF himself appear to
that some one. B0bbat's thoughts. d;
rectly the smash came. may have turned
TO his one passion speculating. and
acted somewhatin the same way
NONSENSE said Frank, '.lhat won /
bold water; l can account for H.
Neither can /.
And we never dill. Hopkins declined
to talk any more upon the subject. which
he said was q painful one To- him; so we
soon ceased 20 think about il.
And yet there IS one thing that puzzles
me. Some years afterward | spoke
about Hopkins and his peculiarities, or
rather lack OF peculiarities. 20 a mutual
friend, when suddenly remembering his
tale. / said:
BY the bye, did You know his late
partner, Bobbett2'
20, yes; very well-sharp man he
was. tOor'
"KilIed in a railway accident. be.
, iieve2'
No; he died in his bed. like other
people. and left lot OF money behind
! him
Now this piece Conformation, coupled
with the recollection OF Hopkins as saw
him, leaning against the ratings outside
the front door quivcring with strange
emotion, caused a feeling of uneasness
| in my mind, and sometimes now, in
spite of his unmeaning features and
commonplace demeanOr, l ask myself,
in confidence: "Were we wrong after all,
and did Hopkins possess Imagination