Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-28
a GHOST STORY.
WHAT jim BExAR AND HIS
PARTNER BOB SAW
Dead Mexican's Head In Pickering
Light Not Conducive to Sleep.

you UeueVe IN gnOStSE"
We were all sitting in the cosy little par
Tor of the Cameo fat after tea, raking up
odd furniture from our mental garrets, and
each one trying to beat the others tall eX-
periences.
"Huh,n said Jim, ''do 1 believe in my
bootss" looking down at those incontestable
and conspicuous facts belligerently.
Why" everybody vociferated smoker
ingly, 1--WE thought you weren't supersti-
tiousp'
'.Ain't," said Jim, 'sbut I've got sense
enough to know thing when see it,
when you see itr' The giggling ceased.
s'Oh, MIR. Bexar, tell US about it, please
and we all settled ourselves for good
creepy ghost story. jim gazed around on
the circle of respectful and deeply inter-
ested faces with modest pride, and nothing
10th began:
Il had been out cow-hunting all day, on
the track of little bunch of Z-6cattle that
were missing. 1t was wet and cold, every
arroyo came to was running full, and my
pony had to swim more than once; and
every time crossed divide and failed to
lind the bunch in the next draw I was all
broke up, and had half mind to go back
home. 1 kept on bearing further west
from my own place, and no sign of them ;
so finally decided, as it was getting late,
to push on and spend the night with Bob
Cross at the Kenmore ranch.
1.-The Kenmore is owned by Scoth COM
pany; Bob is their resident manager. and
lives pretty snug in little 'dobe house that
was on the ranch when they bought. When
l came to the place what did see but Bob,
all by himself, sitting out in the front of the
house, with his chair kicked back against
it, smoking his pipe.
''1t was misting pretty bad about that
time, and hollered to him: sAin't you
got sense enough to go in out of the
rain2''
RAINS all right he growled out; then
when he saw me getting down, and who 1
was, he whacked his chair down and got
he said: sgoin to stay all night"
'I'm used to having folks being right
glad to see me-in Texas-they're lone
some, and glad to see anyone; but Bob was
most too glad. Taking it with his sitting
out there in the rain, and being all sole
alone, thought maybe he was little off.
He turned my pony into the little pas
ture, and told me I'd find something to eat
in the kitchen. hustled round, got fire.
made some coffee and hunted up some bread
and canned goods; and all the time Bob sat
in the front of the house and smoked. l
thought this was blessed funny way to
treat folks that come to see you; but 1 was
too hungry to get mad; thought maybe he
felt bad somewhere.
II supposed he'd had his supper; but
when l was eating mine l called out to ask
him if he wanted anything, and he asked
me to bring him out cup of coffee and
chunk of bread.
Whats the matter you can't come in
here said, broke your leg2'
'tHe got sulky and wouldn't answer, so
toted the grub out, and he ate as if he
was half starved. He said the Mexican
that cooked for him had gone off that MORN
hos laa, 4.
a bite to eat all day. Said he had mind to
cut and run about 3 o'clock
"NCut and rum says l, you talk funny
so feel funny said he, awful solemn.
"Well, as he wouldn't come in, and the
rain let up little, got a chair and sat out
beside him, and smoked till 1 got so sleepy
l could hardly sit up. Let's turn in says
l. Bob sorter groaned, and said he reck-
oned we'd have to some time. Aftera while
he says, very deep and solemn, Jim, did
you ever see ghost2' / was mapping off
again when he said it and jumped, and felt
a cold streak go down my back.
g. NO said l. did your
60, no. he says, but I had bad dream
last night; and when told Juan about it
this morning he cut out and said the place
was haunted, and something awful was 60
ing to happen, and he wasn't coming back
till it was over. l cussed him out for fool
and told him 1 guessed I could stay here by
myself; but somehow l haven't gone back
in the house since I came out this morning,
and I'm awful glad you came
81 was too beat out and tired to mind
this story much. %, never mind your old
dream I said; Pm dead for sleep;
come on
1--WE went in; I lit a lamp, and Bob
gazed round, and SHE'D and jumped like
bronco first time he sees train. After we
turned in, the lamp went out, and for about
an hour every time I'd get comfortable
asleep Bob would jump all over and wake
me up, till | told him l was going to get up
and shoot him, and see if that'd keep him
quiet.
81 reckon he must have sobered down and
got to sleep, for the next thing knew was
by somebody grabbing my arm;
finally made out that it was Bob He kept
shaking my arm and whispering my name
over and over, in voice that sounded as if
somebody was choking him. Hooked round
he room. Dark as pocket; but, as my
ayes came back to the foot of the bed l saw
sailing around in the air little light speck.
AS looked 1t it it got bigger and bigger,
and wavered and f1ickered Like the reflec-
ion of running water. Then began to see
something awful in the middle of it. 1
iidn't want to see any more, and I shut my
ayes. In a minute I had to open them-L
iidn't want to see, but l had to. There it
was, out worse, n0atlng IN the middle OF
he light spot, a head with horrible dead
ace. A dark Mexican face. His eyes were
ihut; his jaw dropped; he looked as if he'd |
,een dead a long time.
''But every feature Of the face twitched |
md jerked and flickered till I couldn't |
tand it. 1 couldn't shut my eyes, however |
lard tried, so l gave whoop that the |
Joys over at Bar Six could have heard, and |
,overed up my head with the bed clothes. |
Bob laid there with his teeth rafting, and |
lie says the thing staid an hour, and then |
AIDED and flickered out. But I know it |
wasn't two minutes from the time covered |
ny head till he said: It's gone, JIM and |
" and by we crawled out and lit the lamp.
I'VE sat up and smoked the rest of the |
light. / felt just as Bob did about the |
louse being close and disagreeable; so we |
at out in front mostly, and Bob told me |
What his dream was the night before
He thought he was right there in bed,
anne as he was, and that he suddenly |
vaked up and saw three Mexicans in the
Dom. They were quarreling, and there
vas money on little table, in three piles.
III the furniture in the room was different
rom what it really was, and the men didn't
eem to see him at all Finally two Of tho
nen changed looks, and doubled teams on
he other. One of them stepped up behind
i'm and pinned his arms, and the other
tabled him in the neck and breast, again
nd again. Bob saw him fall over dead;
ut he said he wouldn't have cared so much
i i L