Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-07-12
CRAZY PEPITA.

glanced up at the sky, which was
one mass of whirling black clouds,
through which flashes of lightning
were beginning to CLEAN,
Jack, you're right!!' ! answer
ed. The best thing we can do, is
to fly for the nearest shelter. You
know this region better than | do
do you happen to know where
that may be?"
Jack shook his head.
Dashed if | do, Doc. Unless
we could reach the haunted cabin,
over in the dell, there" And he
pointed beyond the rise upon which
we CHANGED at that moment to be,
Lets go for it. Never mind the
'haunts,' be they black spirits or
gray so they will allow us to share
their SHELTER" said laughing, hav-
ing small fear of "spirits" of any
sort before my mind.
"Oh, ! don't think they visit the
place, these days." answered Jack,
as we dashed along. "The old
story used to be that "a hunter was
murdered in that cabin, and after
wards was seen to wander about
the place on moonlight nights.
The negroes and the poor whites
rather be shot than go there after
dark; but ! guess you and |, Doc,
hadn't any hand in the scrape, and
won't be disturbed. There's the
place. We won't reach it a minute
too soon, either"
Indeed, the fierce blast almost
threw us from our horses, as we
tried to dismount, and the sky was
so inky black that it was impossible
to see three feet in front of us.
"There used to be some sort of a
shed alongside the cabin" said
Jack, peering about. IF we can
find it, we'll tie the beasts under it.
Here, this way, Doc"
CROPPED after him, leading my
horse, which was restless and alarm
ed, and we presently had both the
animals secured beneath the rickety
old shed, the flashes of lightning
serving to show us where to tie
them.
"Come around here, Doc" said
Jack, making his way to the en-
trance of the old cabin. stop a
second" he added. "Got your
pocket lantern with your
"Yes."
Better light it, then. We may
chance to encounter something
worse than "a ghost in that old
house. This region is haunted in
daytime by Black Donald's band of
cut-throats and robbers, and some
of them may have been caught out
as we were"
made several attempts to light
the lantern before succeeded, the
wind putting it out as fast as |
could strike it; but by holding it
under my coat, managed at last,
and we entered the cabin.
Nothing was to be seen but II
pile of straw in one corner, and
three or four old broken pieces of
furniture-no spot which could
hide human being, and we sat
down on the straw in silence for
few moments. 1t would have been
useless to try to speak to each other,
for the fury of wind, rain, thunder,
and the crash of breaking pine
branches prevented any commune
cation between us for the time be-
ing.
At last the wild force of the gust
seemed to have spent itself, the
wind retreated, the rain dashed less
fiercely, and the thunder rolled on
across the slopes with low, deep
mutter.
Faith, Doc, we didn't miss it
by hair, did we?" said Jack.
mot much. I'm glad we were
not out in all that Now let's look
after the horses, and then see if our
saddle-bags won't furnish us some
thing to eat" | said, rising from
my cramped position on the cabin
floor.
II reckon we've got "a bite or two
slowed away, Doc, but I'd like"
Jack stopped just there and cast
a keen glance at me. We both
heard a sound very much resemb-
ling human voice in great pain.
We listened and heard it again.
hats that?" whispered Jack.
1T sounds like somebody in
trouble" ] replied. Jack there
must be human being besides our