The Red Cloud chief., 1892-09-16
n GHOST GAME,
How n Pokor Party Was Brokeu Up nj q
critical Moment.

critical Momcnt
The quiet Of this unusually peaceful
locality has recently been rudcly dis
surbcd. and that, too, in nm apparently
unearthly way, sufficiently startling Ia
scare the stoutest unbclievcr. The scene
of the spiritual visitation Is an old
saloon on The river road to Corville,
long since deserted by all ave rats and
beetles.
A year ago the house had the rcputa-
ton of being haunted. but nothing
definite was known about IL, and since
the stage line quit using that road tho
place has been untcnantcd. Recently
passcrs-by have said that they saw
lights in the building of the conven-
tional ghostly blue, and heard u hoarsc,
chokcd voice singing and laughing late
at night, but the knowing ones merely
winkod the other eye and said "tramps,"
and that seemed to settle IL.
Bert West and Bob Follctt, two Their
malito boys, were out hunting ducks,
and or their way home late in the even
ing were ovcrtaken by the rain.
Stumbling along in the inky darkness
they ran against the old stage station.
Being newcomers they didn't know tho
ghostly reputation of the house and ac-
cordingly they entered. Striking u
match they found n candle on the old
counter, and finding the place dry and
comfortable and being we'll provided
with lunch they decided TO stay until
morning.
From half n dozen packs Of cards
scattered about the floor they made up
a full pack and proceeded TO play poker.
Bob had been having hard luck, but
had just dealt himself a hand Of three
aces and n pair Of kings when u blast Of
cold air blew through the place and ex-
tingulshcd their candle.
To their establishment the room did
not become dark. but was filled with n
pale light, in which all the objects in
the room were plainly visible. In this
peculiar light they could see q figure Mt
tired in shirt and overalls lying on the
lounge apparently asleep.
While they looked they saw a trap
door in the middle of the room rise
slowly up and out Of the cavity below
thin almost to skeleton leanncss His
eyes glared and his face, as he saw the
figure on the lounge, assumed IN cx-
| preston almost dcvilish. lie was al
most naked. having only n few rags
hanging about him, and tottcrcd with
weakness us he stcalthily made his way
across the floor. In his right hand he
carried n piece Of iron rudely fashioned
to the shape of n knife.
While the two paralyzcd boys watched
him he made his way to the sleeper on
the lounge and struck savagely and re-
pcatedly with his knife ut the throat
and breast of the man before him. With
q choking cry the sleeper awoke, Crap
pied with the Chinaman and threw him
to the floor, stamping On him with his
feet savagely after he had fallen. Then,
after standing q moment with the blood
squirting from his wounds, he gave vent
to n horrible choking laugh and fell,
apparently dead, to the floor.
As he fell the light faded out and the
two boys regained enough strength TO
betake themselves speedily from the
building, leaving their guns and bag Of
game to BIO recovered later. They ar
rived ut Thermalito late that night and
next day went back after their prop
crty, which they found just as they had
left it. Even in daylight they did not
remain in the building longer than ncc-
essary, but noticed Is they came out
that there was a trap door where they
had seen the ghost emerge the previous
night.-San Francisco Examiner.