Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1892-11-09
THE LAUGHING OWL.
The Little Nonsense Sometimes Heard
Proceeding from This Wisest Bird.

proceeding from ms hlsesi biru'
Over twenty years ago, travelling on
foot through rough section i'll the
eastern part of Missouri, | found my
self toward sunset in a solid German
settlement. They almost without ex-
ception keep cross dogs-usually bull
dogs of savage ferocity, often danger
Gus for their owners if approached aft
er being loosened from their chains at
nightfall. For this reason it was haZ'
ardous to travel after sunset, so | be-
gan an hour before shutdown to find
lodging place for the night, but the
Germans either could not or would
not understand me. The shades of
night were gathering when | saw with
pleasure the light of camp fire shin
ing on two white covered emigrant
wagons in the woods down below the
road ! was travelling. They proved
to be Americans, and when told them
how | was situated they gave me
friendly welcome, and we passed
pleasant evening by that camp fire.
After we retired to rest, and perfect
quiet reigned in the camp, there arose
on the still night air the most hideous
diabolical laughter that ever greeted
the ears of mortal man. The boy ly-
ing beside me made a fair imitation of
the sound. what is it?" | asked.
THAT" said the father, is laugh
ing owl; the boy is hooking it in his
sleep"
Some time after, still prospecting in
Missouri, | reached after dark IL ferry
"A 81 10, al on
the Usage River, in a thinly populated
district. The house, was filled with
mulattoes and negroes of all shades,
from that of new "a lie to a pot
black. The ferryman was preparing
for spring work on his farm, SO there
was no room for me. Two negroes
rowed me across the river and going
up the bank | soon found by the star
light road which | followed but a short
distance, when my way was barred by
fence. AS | hoped to strike the road
again at another point, | turned off in
to an apparently new road in the
woods, but soon in the darkness lost
my landmark, the fence and my way,
too.
To stay in the woods on very cool
April night was not desirable SO lis
tened earnestly for some sound of
human habitation, as the growing of
cock or barking of dog, that would
lead me to a house. Standing there
in that impressive silence of the woods
at night, there came at length well
come sound, low laugh as from dis
lance, from some negro hut, perhaps,
but better to sit up at night, even in
negro shanty, than to stumble around
in the darkness in the strange depths
of the Usage woods. | started in the
direction, travelled some distance and
listened again for repetition of the
sound, when suddenly, right overhead,
arose that unearthly, blood-curdling,
fendish laughter.
| have stood face to face with a
furious maniac and looked on his glar-
ing, bloodshot eyes, lips tlecked with
foam, face of cadayerous hue, and
heard his forced, soulless laughter UNI
til it seemed as if more in contact with
some hideous demon than man; yet
to me that night that horrid laughter
of the laughing owl was greater
strain on the nerves than the demoniac
laughter Of the maniac.
However, the laughing owl had done
me good turn in bringing me back
to the road again, for his voice was the
low laughter in the distance | first
heard. | climbed over the fence, fol-
lowed the road about mile, reused up
the inmates of farmhouse, and was
comfortably lodged.
| have examined works on natural
history, but cannot find any descrip-
ton or picture of the laughing owl.
As | never saw him. he exists in mem
DRY and my Imagination only as some
imp of darkness. -KansdS city Times.