The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1892-12-24
PlLOTED BY A GHOST.
A LOST MAN AND A STARVING eAey
SAVED ~ 4 SPIRIT.

Wandering Herssmss 70 the DesoistA
Home Where Little Girl WISE Slowly
SA"ishi"g-A Tvss story.
fchecked my horse, and after one long.
strainiDg look around owned to myself
that WAS lost had suspected the faca
Acme time since. but had stubbOrnly fought
down the suspicion. though my bore evi-
IDENTIFY realiz1sI With patient endurance
he plodded along, resignation plainly ex-
pressed 10 the dr0op OF his tail and ears.
Up place OF the ranch, the hearty welcome.
pleasant words. he'd, supper and fire had
expected To reach by sunset, there WIS
I nothing to he seen before. behind, on either
hand. but the dead level OF the plain.
/ There were paths In plenty: In fact, the
trouble WAS there were TOO many-all mar
row aud winding. for whose meaudering
there seemed not the slightest excuse. ex-
cept the general tendency To crookedness
most things, animate and inanimste. alike
/ possess. But IL would have taken the In.
stinct Of = bloodhound or trailing Indian
I 10 have said which paths had heen made
by horses feet or those Of cattle.
{, Now thxt the sun was gone, ! found my
knowledge Of the point Of the comp1os
gone with It, As SAT perplexsd aud vpe.
ried the gloom Of twilight gathered fast,
and the chill! Of coming rain smote me
through and through. while In the distance
there WAS the roll Of thunder.
SPIRIT APPEARs.
Il II was now quite dark. aud very dark u
that. though ut short Intervals close 70 thu
horizon faiut CLEAN Of lightning showed
too distant TO cast brightness on my paaL
and only sufficient to intensity the black
ness about me.
/, All at once ! saw q man walking about
fifteen feet In front Of the. Yes. know
said II WAS intensely dark. but all the SAME
] repeat II. ! saw n man walking In front
Of nae. and. furthermore. could sss that
he was large man. dressed 10 rough but
well fitting clothes: that be wors . heavy
red beard. and that he looked back at mt
from time TO time with an expression OF
keen anxiety on his otherwise relaxed feat,
ures.
"iiallof' I cried. but as he did not halt
concluded he did not hear me- A \ second
hail produced no result spurrod my weary
horse up 10 oyertake the stranger. But,
though the gray responded with An alac
! sity most commendsble under the circum
stAiic-s, ] soon found thst this strange pc
destriau did not intend to let me catch u;
with him Not that he hurried himself
He seemed without any exertion TO keep q
good fifteen feet betwern Us.
Then ! began 70 wonder how. with the
Intense dark ness shutting the In ~ foul
black wallis. | WAS yet able to see ny
strange companion 40 clearly. 20 take il
the details of his dress, aud even the ex
Preston Of his face. and that Mt n distance
more than twice my horses length. wbet
| could hardly s-e his head before me.
am not given TO supers,itious fAncies. ant
my only FEELING VIA OF curiosity.
FOLLOWING GHOST.
We went on in silence for nearly half N
hour, when. ~ suddenly a. he had appear
ed, be was gone. looked Aroupd for him
half afraid, from his instant and comple;.
disappearance, that had been dreaming
when ! perceived that l was Close 10
' ANAL, low building OF some sort I refine,
r ia and shouted several times, but not tn
slightest response could hear. and 1t las
rode boldly up aud tapped on the wal
with the bntt Of my riding whip Then
as this ELECTED no sign Of life, | conclude
. that | had stumbled on some deserte
z house or that IL Was the abode Of my &C
! centric friend: -. dismouuting aud tyin
J the gray, ! resolved to spend the rest @
6 the night under roof or 10 find some goo
= reason for coutin uing my journey.
q felt my way along the wall till
reached door. and trying this and findin
l that IL yielded 10 me. ! stepped insit,
sirikias a match ~ did "a. Fortunaiei,
y l carried my matches In AN air tight CAS-
aud IL was dry the one struck gave IA
a light a, once found myself in = larg
= room close to n fireplace. over which a rud
/ shelf was placed. and on this mAntel I sa
F.! Sn oil lamp 20 which ! applied my match
On the hearth was heaped quantity {
y A>hes, aud over those crouchcd u child.
a little girl Of ) or 8 Al the end Of Il
r room, which WAS plainly aud scantily fu
10 ntshcd, lay a man srross = bed, and ~
II raised the lamp ! SAW that lac WAS the sau
le I had hssu following, but there WAS som
y thing in his attitude and face that struc
u me ~ peculiar, and WAS about to 60 70
10 ward and look at him when the child. wi
'r had at first seemed dased 6, the light. TAI
ly,hrew bersclf upon me
Have YOU anything for Nelly - eAt'
sbe .a,d, aud then, oh, Nelly 80 hungry
Il TIN pEAD MAX.
= l ran my hand into my pocket and Dire
nf forth what hal been paper bag OF choc
il late candy. hut was now a pulpy, una
be petizing mass ! mus, confess to chill
"a ish fondness for sweets. which ! usual
ii carry ia some form about me. I hand,
or the remains Of my days supply to Il
ne child. and then walked over to the be
sh les, IL was the same man, rel bear
IA rough clothes, but setting of the mAgni
K cent frame to perfection: the same ma
al bu; dead, long dead.
ri ! took his hand only TO find II still n
u oold, while his face had the dull gray q
pect never seen in the newly dead. A,
IL, stood gazing down on him a little hal
an touched mine
n Nelly SO hungry" said the child.
It, Have You eaten all the candy" I ssk
ID her.
ri YES, yes But me hungry, for me h
M papa won't get up
Az The house. which consisted OF the lar
ri room. a su,a"sr kitchen aud shcd, whs
! found a quantity Of hay and fodd'
seemed quite bare Of food. but by diut
searching in the hay discovered a ne
which Nelly Informed me was there, \
w., IN il two fresh eggs. These l boiled
Nv her. When she had finished soothci
,' TO sleep on bed made for her before I
-, fire. Then after had put my horse in
YET shed room and fed him performed
'o' well rs I could a service for the dead.
Ne When day dawned was able to disc<
=. at some distance from the house line
, telegraph poles, and taking the child ~
nv me I followed these to the nearest TOW
"e where notified the authorities Of the dca
'ne The dead mans name was Ereder
nj. Barnstapic. lie WAS an Englishman, .
" found, a recent arrival in those parts.
NJ daughter was restored to her family acr
the water, and Is now a pretty girl OF
I have never told this story before. br
am ready to take an affidavit to it's tru
an II all happened about thirty miles fr
les Dallas Philadelphia Times.
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