The Arizona champion., 1884-01-12
BEN STEGALL's GHOST.

that point.
 He lived in sparsely settled country, and was the accepted suitor of the prettiest and liveliest girl in the com munity, Millie llarkrider. He went to see her twice week, their homes being but a few miles apart-soon reached on horseback. On one oi his visits the conversation turned upon ghosts. and though he denied the possi- bility of supernatural visitations, Millie was sure that ghosts were to be seen at certain times and places, and told him that on his road one had been seen the night before. He gave no credit to the story-leaded it out as original natter and soon forgot it altogether
 When the hour for him to return home had arrived, he mounted his horse and rode off. About half way he reached an extremely dark and lonely piece of
 woods when suddenly his horse stopped and snorted. Looking up he saw direct | lv in front of him small figure draped
 in white and was somewhat startled, | but soon collected himself and attempted
 to ride forward. His horse, however,
 refused to go. He then dismounted
 and tied his horse to sapllng that
 grew at hand, determined to find out
 what it was that blocked his way. By
 this time, however, the apparition had
 disappeared, and no efforts of his could
 trace it.
 To his mind there was something pe-
 culiar in this, for he was perfectly ia
 mliar with every foot of the ground in
 the vicinity and could conceive Of no
 place where man or ghost could hide. 1 He pondered the matter over on his
 way home and till sleep closed his eyes,
 but, could gain no light on the subject Could it be, thought he, that such Il
 thing as ghost did exist? That it had been no optical illusion he was
 quite certain, for his horse had seen it
 as we'll as himself. Then that was il
 Soon after this, Ben again called to
 see Millie, and, as usual, remained
 until after dark. He said nothing of
 his recent adventure, lest he should
 frighten her. On his way home his
 horse again stopped with fright while } he was passing through the dark stretch
 of woods, and there in the same place
 stood the white figure. This time Ben spoke to it, hoping to find out what ! it was.
 } "Who are you ?" said he. 7 "Ask me not" came the answer. , "But why do you cross my path ?" ) 'I am your guardian angel and would heiriend you."
 "In what way?"
 'Do you not know there are robbers ! in this country"
 I do."
 "Wen, I am here to irighten then , away"
 | As the apparition thus spoke ht passed behind tree and disappeared l another search, but in vain. He wa: ) half convinced that he had seen Il veri i table spirit from another world. Look a it as he would he could not account fol l what he had seen upon any other hypo 3 thesis than that some supernatura l agency was at the bottom of the affair $ There had been several highway rob . berries committed in this vicinity recent i ly, and the remarks of the apparition . seemed plausible to Ben, and he fel l rather pleased that the ghost, or what s ever it might be, had taken such al l interest in him, He did not fear it f but it puzzled him.
 . In a few days Ben once more visited
 the Harkriders.' Again, while return
 ing home after dark, he was met in tn , road by his ghostly friend. A feN !, words passed between them and tn
 ghost was just turning to go ava ., when it fell. Ben sprang from hi :, saddle without waiting to tie his horse ~ hastened toward to where the prostrat ,, form lay. Tearing away tine sheet tha D enveloped the form he beheld the fai
 Millie She had slipped on rock an 4 sprained her ankle.
 She soon explained to him how sh ,t had tried to frighten him out of pur ~ mischief, how she had prepared q bar f door which she placed in frond of q, large llolc III uct NlllNll SlOpu llcu :, and how she would go in there an o hide. She knew shorter way irol ~, her home to the place, and by ridin 70 horse to within fifty yards of th
 tree she managed to get there and ii
 herself as the ghost before Ben cam n along.
 ts Ben and Millie are now one and ofte Ie laugh over their experience with or a n ghost, and Ben ayers that for 10 while he believed in a ghosts as stron rs as anybody,
 !" X SCRAP OF PAPER-A friend T. mine said to me the other day; "A ,S the money you ever handled couldn 1T buy that little piece of paper" Ut With that he handed me q soile to scrap of paper, on which could at fir h- see nothing. At length l decipheret to in rude, disjointed letters, the tv II words, "Dear papa" He had di
 covered it in the play house of his lit t. daughter, who died only few da. r. ago. Sometimes when, in the midst l. her play, her little heart had turned t ,u ward him, she had scrawled these tv le words, and then, having borne test in many of her love, threw the pap