Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-12-30
AN ADVENTURE ON THE ROAD.
A Drummcr's Ev ,ning Ride and Its I'M
pleasant Incident.

pleasant Incident
II remember on one occasion, said
the drummer, apparently going far
back In his memory, ''when had ono
OF the queerest experiences that eySr
fell to my share.
''We all have them" ventured a
youngster, who was out on his tirsy
trip.
The drummer merely looked at him
and then went on with his story.
II was going to see customer who
lived about ten miles from the rail-
road" he said, ''and as l reached the
station about o'clock In the evening
and it was a half moonlight night, 1
concluded I'd drive over at once and
get back in time for the train at 10
O'Clock next morning. The road was
fairly good, though it was lonesome
one, and felt pretty sure could
drive 1t in three hours, carrying a
heavy trunk. 1 got away by 8 o'clock
with pair Of horses, doing my own
driving, and for the first i've miles
nothing occurred. In fact, everything
was going so smoothly that began
to doze. After number of rods I
was suddenly awakened by the noise
OF the wheels just behind me, and
looking back was almost frightened
by horses nose nearly over my
shoulder. He was hitched to buggy
in which sat a man and woman.
.''Look out, there, 1 yelled, and
whipped up my team.
Their horse fell back. but they
made no reply and drove on and
nodded again, only to be awakened as
before.
''Then became angry and said q
number Of things to which l received
no answer. Indeed neither man nor
woman so much as looked up at me,
but kept their faces down, and did
not even pull up their lines. The horse
scii t.assls s:Snrssa ansk srlt-;;;,si'f- ~ =
twenty feet or more behind me, The
mson was beclouded at this time and
could not see very distinctly, but
did not nod any more, for was not
exactly satisfied with my company
1 called to them several times, but
they remained silent. They kept
right along behind me. though, for
three miles, and at one or two places
l took little side roads knew Of
which led back again to the main
road, and the Others did the same.
Once or twice on long stretches II
touched up my horses, but the horse
behind me followed at the same
speed. The longer this thing kept
up the more nervous became, aud
once or twIc, thought / must be
having nightmare. The last mile
OF the road was good, and l con-
| cluded rather than to have row
with these midnight intruders I
would run away from them, and as /
turned into the home stretch, let
my team go at its best, and went
along at a four-minute gait but right
behind me came the other horse, trot-
ting smoothly and whinnying every
now and then. Somehow l felt the
| cold chills down my back, aud a panic
seized me. didn't know why, laid
the whip on and my team broke into
dead run, evidently feeling my own
fright and showing the signs Of fear
they say animals show in the presence
| of ghosts
But running was of little avail.
The other horse was much better than,
mine and he came after me with his
nose nearly in my buggy, and the two
! people never making move to pull
him up. With yell at last dashed
up to the store OF my customer, who
hadn't gone to bed yet and he came
out with three or four men on the
| rush, and / almost fell out of my rig
as he asked what was the NATTER
There. screamed, there, there, ;
and l pointed back to where had
seen my ghostly yisitants, but they
disappeared:
He's got the iim-jams, loudly
suggested one Of the men, and
thought possibly had, but I rubbed
my eyes and looked around, and fifty
| yards down the road saw the thing
that had followed me. It had evil
dentlyipassed me when l pulled into
the store so suddenly, and told the
men to 60 after it. They did so, and
in minute they came back with a
yell that beat mine.
"'Jim-jams, is it?' l asked scorn-
fully.
No; dead people, replied one
with his teeth chattering-
ut was SO, too. found out when
we had got drink, and braced IN
enough to go after it again. They
had been strangled for pure malice
evidently and had been tied in their
buggy and sent adrift. The horse
being stfage one in that section,
had been simply following my team
by instinct and was probably al
badly frightened as | was and didn't
know half as well where to 90.
''My customer took care Of the
horse and buried the bodies and II
was week before he learned that
the people lived about q hundred
miles to the north and were on /;
driving trip 1t was never knowr
who had killed them, but it was sup
posed to be tramps, who had expected
to get money by murder and wer,
afraid to steal the horse aud buggy. )
When the drummer finished th,
youngster got up and stretched hi
legs.
.sWen," he said, s'if that sort q
thing goes with this travelling busl
ness. ! guess I'll send my sample
into the house and quit