The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-02

front of me. Ind furthermore | could see
that he was a large man. dressed in rough,
but well-ftting clothes; that he wore a
heavy red beard, and that he looked back
at me from time to time with an expression
of keen anxiety On his otherwise rather
fixed features.
"Halio.'' | cried, but as he did not halt I
concluded he did not hear me. As a second
hail produced no result l spurred my weary
horse up to overtake the stranger. But,
though the gray responded with an %alacrlty
most commendable under the circum-
stances, l soon found that this strange
pedestrian did not intend to let me catch
up with him. Not that he hurried himself
He seemed without any exertion to keep a
good fifteen feet between US. Then l be-
gan to wonder how, with the intense dark
ness shutting me in as four black walls, l
! was yet able to see my strange companion
i SO clearly. to take in the details of his
| dress, and even the expression of his face,
and that at Il distance more than twice my
horse's length, when / could hardly see his
head before me. l am not given to super
| stitious fancies, and my only feeling was OF
curiosity.
We went on in silence for nearly half an
hour, when as suddenly as no had appeared
| he was gone. | looked around for him, half
afraid, from his instant and complete disap-
pearance, that | had been dreaming, when
l perceived that | was close to Il small, low
building of some sort. l reined i'll and
shouted several times. but not the slightest
response could | hear, and at last | rode
boldly up and tapped on the wall with the
butt Of my. riding whip. Then, as this 9
elected no sign of life, | concluded that |
had stumbled on some deserted house, or
that it was the abode of my eccentric
trienu; so, d~ismounting and tying the graz.
1 resolved to spend the rest of the night
under a roof or to find some good reason
along the wall till | reached a door, and,
trying this and finding that it yielded to
me, l stepped inside. striking a match as
did so. Fortunately, l carried my matches
in an air-tight case, and as it was dry The
one ] struck gave me a light at once.
foundm myself in Il large room close to a fire
place, over which a rude shelf was placed,
and on this mantle | saw an Oil lamp, tic
which | applied my match.
On the hearth WIS heap ped a quantity OF
ashes and over these crOuched a child.a LITTLE
girl of five or six. At the other end of TIT
room which was plainly and scantily furn-
ished, lay n man across q bed, and as
raised the lamp / saw he was the same ! ha,
been following. but there was something il
his attitude and face that struck me as pc
%culiar, II l was about to go forward ant
look at him, when the child who had at frs
seemed dazed at the light fairly threw her
self upon me.
"Have you anything for Nelly to eat?
she said, and then: "Dh. Nelly so hungry,
| ran MY hand into my pocket and DIRE
forth what had been a paper bag of choco
late candy, but was now a pUlpy unappeti
zing mass. | must confess to n childisl
fondness for sweets. which / usually carr,
in some form abou me. handed the re
mains of my days supply to the child, an
then walked over to the bed. Yes. it wa
the same man, red beard, rough clothes, bu
setting off the magnificent frame to perfec
lion; the same man, but dead, long dead.
took his hand only to find it stiff an,
cold, while his face had the dull gray aspec
never seen in the newly dead. As l stoot
gazing down on him a little hand to,,che
mine.
Nelly SO hungry said the child.
"Have you eaten all the candy?" / aeke
her.
"ies, yes, But me hungry, for me ha
no dinner, no brekkus, no supper, and pap
won't get up"
The house, which consisted of the larg
room, a smaller kitchen and a shed, where
found q quantity of hay and fodder, SCENE
quite bare of food, but by dint of searchin
in the hay | discovered Il nest. which Nell
informed me was there, and in it two fires
eggs. These | boiled for her. When sh
had finished | soothed her to sleep on
bed made for her before tho fire. Then
} after had put my horse in the shed room
fed him, | performed as we'll as / coui.
/ a service for the dead.
When day dawned l was able to discer1
at some distance from the house q line q
telegraph poles, and taking the child wit
) me | followed these to the nearest tow
where / notified the authorities of tn
death.
The dead mans name was Frederic
3 Barnstaple. He WIS an Englishman, 80
! found, a recent arrival i'll those parts. Hi