New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-13

s,,.ss T had never known what fear
WAS till then, But that ngnt 1 quaked Win o
brave mans terror the terror ne ,es wnen he
nannot grapnle with the danger because he can
not see it or feel it, or even .n,nd soou a ~
All he knows is that IL Is teto Cones dn, vron
him with weight no coward can conceive.
III Il was not that / feared death; you soon gct
used to the idea Of that OUT hacI .ran s Pwhicb
II was the rows and rows OF Dnon olees VIZ" 49,
seemed ready to march down upon me. Some
snnaared to be climbing the canon waiI 10 Owl
look mc-rans and ranks OF onnirh. ynt
mmerngs and p %bsn thought Of it It
the graveyard shining white On u ~ ,yero ettino
hank by Smiling Ford, and VIC "'ic so'~ns
nearer to ii every stride branch foil from
Crash every now and then pranon ieii III ~
tho ruined stems with an awful eisooet ~ , s,o
silent night / could have screa. "I rard Ton for
and I listened for voice glvitts ~ "" march and
the ranks Of the skeleton foress " for
All the time knew the graveyard Vas "ai'ins ioA
StiIl kept on mile after mile rlolng as ,ass
as could. but nothing couh sop Sne thu ,ims
horror growing more and more 10y 'ns d ne Il
was out Of the canon felt ! couiu enuai ,'or ~
no longer. Instead OF diminishing my s sevny
increased. TILL as reached the ass Sop raevard
the creek and knew should see the graVeyaru
from the top to my horror fouhu ny my ulam-
ing rein. was rooted to the spoo any NJ u brain
trembled and snorted under me. Hg W. e ta',nr
reeled my muscles relaxed, ana tne e"'' """' 20
it might be, was on me. So. ,-
All at once / knew l was on my knees pray
ing fervently Just where / had halted, ana my
gray stood patiently at my de Cor tori
that had so lost my trust IN heaven s anu ioi
gotten to call upon it in my need; And even as
prayed my fear seemed gone ana paT St tbins "'i'
only trees and tho graveyard hoiy .nihg'
Imounted my gray again and rode up the slope
The creek was sparkling prettliy Ia sne nrith o
moonlight below me- and on r 1S radiant
and white A iilight sense Of uneasness possessed
me again as my eyes fell on IL, but ! RODE down
to the ford, crossed it in safety, ana then WIN
n round of CHEEKY words urged my weary gray
into q canter up the slope. So continually tals-
ing to him for company | passed the uncanny
spot, and half an hour afterward WIS sure III
nv uncle's shanty.
There is nothing very strange in all this; you
will say. No more there would be and l should nd
have forgotten all about IL probably, II III nau
me always remember that fearful ride, and you
won't be surprised that il did when you hear;
Nv uncle never recovered his fever and died
some weeks afterward leaving al ne mo mao 90 20 gooi
that thought would tell them ABOUT the paw
gravel in Goporrah Gulch. The miners were
very excited, but we could find nothing IN ror-
teus' Sermons till one day, when was turning
it over, always harpng on the goid, no.ceu
little mark under some OF the letters Lake
o fash the key of the mystery came 70 me.
out wrote them in order, and In hah an hour
had clear directions for finding the spot,
An expedition was organized at once. The gold
WINS found. So was Black Jem, and they, lynehed
him in front OF the dug-out They staked claim
for me, and very good one 10 has proved.
stopped there working it. till the whole thing
grew big. and the trail up the Golden canon was
alive again We began TO talk OF big Joint
fume, and as water got scarce offered 10 90 into
the city 10 arrange for IL and IND an engineer.
After that never went back, Tor There wis plenty
Of business 20 be done in town, as was agent
for all my old friends.
/ had been there about year. and the memory
Of my ride was growing dim, when one day l met
the sheriff OF q little Western town. 10 my sur
nrise he said he was looking for me. H. told me
he had arrested n horse-thief few weeks back.
The man had been badly shot before he was taken.
and every one thought he would die before be
could be tried. He thought so himself, and ne
was always craving 20 see me, the sherlh sara;
II was long way off, was very busy, ana oia
not recognize the mans name; but the sheriff
urged me so that at last consented 70 90 back
AS soon as entered the cell where the man
was I Knew that had never sol eyes on him
before and felt annoyed that had been dragged
all this way TO n stranger. He was n forbidding-
looking rascal enough. but began speaking 20
him as comfortably AZ c uld. However, he
faint that talk wanted he said, roughly
but not rudely. " IL is something wanted 10
tell you. Since ! have been " ng here have
have got 10 think that wanting 70 commit muir,
der is as bad as doing ~. So nj last felt would
never die easy till 1 confessed how / neatly did
for you
:" For no other said he. 1T WAS that night
you rode up Gomorrah Guleh. daresay you re-
member its
Indeed do said ], as the horror Of that
hight seemed all at once t0lse hold OF me again.
Well" the horse-thief went ON, consider
did my first and only murder that night. and
1t was you / murdered, though didn't exactly
kill you. Tiler-him you saw die-had got the
way 10 the gravel wrote down somewhere
me and Black Jem knew that Black Jems way
TO get IL was too rough for me, and IL made me
sick Send for the parson,' says l. The par
son III worm IL out OF him. Trust parson for
that Then we can knock him on the head and
get IT. But Black Jem said he wasn't bad enough
for that So ! says it's better than breaking q
man 70 bits, and volunteered for the Job That
what we agleed, and / went OH and lay In the
graveyard al Smiling Ford after had showed tho
notsNunder the door. i knew you must pass
there and there meant to shoot you, and would
have done 1t, too That's what l wanted 10 say,
and feel better that ! have
" But why exclaimed !, as he seemed TO have
finished his story. "why did you not p
'Tain't likely | was going to- said he.
L" But why notp' said with strange feeling
coming over me which could not explain =.
Well faint likely he repeated when ID
was three 20 onen
Three TO onel' I cried, feeling my knees
trembling under me- 81 was alone. weak lad
and alone
well he answered. looking at me in blank
amazement did always say as you parson-
chaIs was liars. Why, Tell you as you came
down the slope | saw there was man riding on
each side of you
Well. / was a good deal overcome when heard
that, can tell you IL is an awful thing 70 have
been riding between angels unawares. But L
stayed and prayed with the man long time. and
when ] came out knew quite we'll what God had
saved me for.
That is why became parson, lad. and am
sure you can't wonder at it-1Julan Corbett in
Time