The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-01-31

tE0"~ W camp ONcE u IOukN,
~ rocky way, leading
through lonely gorges,
such as n sees nowhere as in the
picturesque State of Colorado. His
pony had that day lost a shoe. Hence,
it was not possible to urge the animal
rapidly over the uneven road, or Tune,
much as he wished to get back to his
comrade at the camp, disliked to be
inhuman enough to do so.
Occasionally, his path would he sur
rounded by high, dark, frowning
ridges of rock, Whispering pine trees
chung ~lonesomely, and seemed to W
into murmurless subsection the dwarf
cedars below them. Then, again,
down into picturesque gullies, with
limpid mountain streams urging their
torturous courses among the e%ternally
silent powders that iutted ever and
anon across the canyons and gulches
through which he guided his pony.
At N of these beautiful streams
Earnest Tune reined in and permitted
the thirsty animal to drink. One by
one the stars had crept out in the violet
vault above, so far, far above, from
horse and rider in the gorge. Dense
shadows lurked about and refused to
yield space to the dainty starlight that
dared invade those dark, gloom
ensllrouded recesses. The young man
looked about him. The night was calm.
The scene was sublime. Here the din
and tinsel display of boosted civiliza-
ton We're unknown. 10 n young fellow
used all his life to u home in a CAV
Eastern city, the gulch, with it's gloomy
mountains reaching away phantasmal-
ly into the night, held something mex
pressibly fascinating. almost divine.
To his right. and overlooking the spot
where he had paused, doomed bold, out
standing cliffs, their rugged sides here
and there clothed in meager patches of
spruce and pine, their SUBMITS gray,
vague and barren, as if Ceres and Flora
had united in affecting them with an
irremovable, blighting curse. AS his
eyes swept the slladowy cliffs he start
ed and almost leaped from his saddle.
Earnest Tune was an educated man
and not given to superstition and wild.
imaginings. He had always hooted the
idea of supernatural visitations. But
now! He was confronted by an appa-
rition rs beautiful as it was startling.
Brave as he was, he felt his blood grow
chilly, and he seemed deprived of the
power to speak OF stir.
The spectacle that enchanted his
gaze was a most lovely object, ghostly
though it was. A beautiful girl, clad
in a white, flowing dress, with wild
masses of midnight tresses falling
around a pale, delicate face, stood re-
vealed oil the lone mountain side. She
stood directly within the halo of u
strange, greenish light that glowed
steadily, casting its dcathly hues
around the weird yet namelessly lovely
figure of the cliffs.
"Great heavens!" he managed at last
to articulate, though his voice was
hoarse and unnatural. "Am I in a
dream? How awful, yet how beauti-
full"
With one pale hand she motioned.
him away, AWAY. But Earnest sat as
if transfixed, and continued to gaze
with terrified fascination upon the
spectral object of the cliffs. What
could she mean by waving him off?
Suddenly the animal ceased drink
ing, lifted its head, saw the specter in
all its beauty and awfulness, uttered o
snort ofterror, and ere the srell-bound
rider knew it the pony had cleared the
rocky stream, leaped away through the
dusk of the gorge, and was rapidly
bearing him from the ghostly vision on
the mountain.
When Earnest succeededin quoting
down his animal, they had got too far
to go back. He was venturesome
enough to do SO, and resolved to in
vestigate the mystery on the following
night, alone, if he could not persuade
his friend to accompany him. The
pony trembled in every limb and
showed evidence of deep fright.
Very soon horse md rider stopped
before a tent in a charming green
valley, not more than two miles from
the haunted cliffs. Earnest dis
mounted, put his horse away, and en-
tered the tent, where his comrade was
waiting supper for him.
Earnest Tune and Willard Rollerton
were young men from New York, out
on a sporting expedition in the West.
Rollerton, a. good-looking, well-made,,
dark-eyed fellow, was engaged to
pretty Gertrude Tune, Earnest's only
sister. The marriage was set forearly
winter, and the young friends were n
joying an outing in Colorado ere the
wedding came off.
As Earnest entered the tent, Willard
greeted him:
Hello! you didn't find the grouse?
But, l soy, old pard, you are as pale
aAm II" Earnest said, as indiffer-
emily as he could; and he removed his
hat and approached his friend, saying:
"Just have the kindness to tell ME ii I
have turned gray"
Willard playfully ran his fingers
through the luxuriant gold-brown
Jcurls of his sweetheart's brother $50
like the tresses he loved), and an
swered laughingly: II find no silver
threads among the gold. But what
mystery have you to unfold? / know
from your manner you have met with
some adventure. Come, let ,as eat,
and as VI do SO, you can recount any
thrilling Ute encounter or spectral
vioion khok vor unov have 1on,, &nro~oS