The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-12-25

steps leading to the groundin front of
the room in which ! had slept. An
other shot showed me the door, on
which, however, there was o heavy,
old-fashioned lock without a key.
Hall a dozen shots from my revolver
broke the rustic iron-and / was
freel''
Covered with blood and slime, 1
stood at length beneath the stars; my
head ached violently, my teeth chat
tered with cold, but | was free! O,the
delight of that moment! Free!"
My first feeling vas that it was my
duty to call some of the men and
search the house; but that I couldnot
bring myself to do. No, / must not
be seen by them in such a plight, nor
must they ONE until l had solved
the mystery. My own outerdoor was
too securely bolted to force open; but
making my way through another en-
trance, easily blew the lock of an inner
doorofcommunication. Graspingmy
pistol tightly, | cautiously entered.
There, directly across the room, was
the figurel"
"Bangl bang! and l sent two more
bullets crushing throughit. Whatever
it was it certainly was no living thing.
If not, what then? What or who had
struck me that blow? Who'll had open
ed the solid floor and castme into the
pit beneath? With eye and ear upon
the alert read forfoe, human or other,
| reached the table where the lamp
stood and felt for a match. None.
But | had some in my pocket. Ny
clothes were upon the otherside OF the
bed. | went slowly around, found the
matches, came back to the table, and
keeping my pistol in my right hand,
removed the globe and chimney Of the
lamp, struck u light, took a hurried
look about the room, put the fire to
the wick, replaced the chimney, and
turned again to the white mystery.
There it stood; but whatlt was Icould
not even guess. One thing was certain,
it had not been there when l went to
bed. In the light it looked like agreat
white box some ten feet high open on
the sides, and standing against thewa
opposite the foot of the bed. Taking
up the lamp walked toward it. What
is that on top? BY heavens, it is my
trunkl'
"What do you think the ghost was!
1t was an old, white-painted dumb
waiter leading to the former kitchen.
My trunk had CHANGED to beplacedd i-
rectly an it's top, which was level with
and formed part ofthehoor. Thejar
and the footsteps had loosened it's old
weights. | had taken the tray of
clothes from the trunk, and the
dumb waiter; gradually loosened
had shot up, as such things
will at times do-a couple Of
hours later. 1thad long been discussed
and the shelvings removed. When,
therefore, rushed at it | had simply
fallen into a hole, some three feet by
two in the floor between the elevators
sides; had struck the bottom board,
the machine had gone down with me,
and, my weight removed, had again
risen. / had come down very hard on
the stone paving in theformer kitchen,
had cut myself on some projecting
edge, for there were two pretty bad
places from which the blood still drip
ped-and that was my ghost; that the
mysterious agency which had hurled
me into that awful pitt"
did you eve hear of a ghost doing
more? Inever heard of one who could
do half SO much"
"Butjust think if I had gone bare
footed and bedraggled, called up my
men, and led them to combat with
an old white dumb-waiter!!"