The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-03-10
PILOTED BY A GHOST.
A LOST MAN AND A STARVING BABY
SAVED BY A SPIRIT.


Home whore Littlo Girl Was Slowly |
Famishing-A True Story.
checked my horse, and after one long, |
Rtraining look around owned to myself
that l was lost. | had suspected the fact
some time since, but had stubbornly fought
down the suspicion, though my horse evi-
IDENTIFY realized. With patient endurance
he plodded along, resignation plainly eN-
pressed in the droop of his tail and ears.
In place of the ranch, the hearty welcome,
pleasant words, bed, supper and fire had
expected to reach by sunset, there was
nothing to be seen before behind, on either
hand, but the dead level Of the plain.
There were paths in plenty; in fact, she
trouble was there were too many-al mar
row and winding for whose meandering
there seemed not the slightest excuse, ex-
cept the general tendency TO crookodness
most things, animate and inanimate. alike
possess But it would have taken the in
stinct of a bloodhound or trailing Indian
to have said which paths had heen made
by horses feet or those Of cattle.
Now that the sun was gone, l found my
knowledge of the point of the compass
gone with it. As sat perpleXed and wor-
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.
a SPIRIT APPEARS.
1t was now quite dark, and very dark at
that, though at short intervals close to the
horizon faint gleam Of lightning showed
too distant to cast brightness on my path
and only sufficient to intensity the black
ness about me.
All ut once saw man walking about
fifteen feet in front Of me. Yes, know l
said it was inJSnsely dark, but all the same
repeat it. saw man walking in front
of me, and, Furthermore, could see that
he was q large man, dressed in rough but
well fitting clothes; that he wore 4 heavy
red beard, and that he looked back at me
from time to time with an expression of
keen anxiety on his otherwise relaxed feat
ures.
"Hallo" l cried, but as he did not halt
concluded he did not hear me. AS q second
hail produced no result spurred my weary
horse up TO overtake the stranger But,
though the gray responded with an alac-
rity most commendable under the circum-
stances, l soon found that this strange pc
destrian did not intend to let me catch up
with him. Not that he hurried himself
He seemed without any eXertiOn to keep u
good fifteen feet between US.
Then began to wonder how, with the
intense darkness shutting me in Us four
black walls, was yet able to see my
strange companion SO clearly, to take in
the details of his dress, and even the ex-
preston Of his face, and that at distance
more than twice my horses length, when
l could hardly see his head before me.
am not given to superstitiOus fancies, and
my only feeling was of curiosity.
FOLLOWING A GHOST.
We went on in silence for nearly half an
hour when, as suddenly Us he had appear
ed, he was gone. flooked around for him,
half afraid, from his instant and complete
disappearance, that l had been dreaming,
when | perceived that | was close to a
small, low building of some sort. | reined
in and shouted several times, but not the
slightest response could hear, and at last
rode boldly up and tapped on the wall
with the butt of my riding whip. Then,
as this elected no sign of life, concluded
that I had stumbled on some deserted
house or that it was the abode of my &C.
centric friend: so, dismounting and tying
the gray, I resolved to spend the rest oI
the night under a roof or to find some good
reason for continuing my journey.
| felt my way along the wall till
reached door, and trying this and finding
that it yielded to me, l stepped inside
striking a match as did so. Fortunately
carried my matches in an air tight case
and as it was dry the one I struck gave me
light at once. found myself in a largl
room close to a fireplace, over which a rud,
shelf was placed, and on this mantel | saw
an oil lamp to which applied my match.
On the hearth was hoped a quantity o
ashes, and over these crouched child, I
little girl OF or g. At the end Of tn,
room, which was plainly and sCantily fur
nished, lay man across a bed, and as
raised the lamp saw that he was the SAM
had been following, but there was some
thing in his attitude and face that strucl
me as peculiar, and was about to go for
ward and look at him when the child VIII,
had at first seemed daZed at the light, fair
iy threw herself upon me.
Have you anything for Nelly to eat2'
she said, and then, "Oh, Nelly 50 hungry =
THE DEAD MAN.
Iran my hand into my pocket and drew
forth what had been paper bag of choco
late candy, but was now a pulpy, unap
petizing mass I must confess to a child
ish fondness for sweets, which / usual
carry in some form about me- hande
the remains of my days supply to tn
child, and then walked over to the bed
Yes, it was the same man, red beard
al - bn
cent frame to perfection; the same man
but dead, long dead
/ took bis hand only to find it stiff an
cold, while his face had the dull gray as
pect never seen in the newly dead As
stood gazing down on him little han
touched mine.
nelly so hungsyn' said the child.
Have you eaten all the candy2" aske
her.
Yes, yes But me hungry, for me ha
no dinner, no brekkus, no supper, an
papa won't get up"
The house, which consisted Of the larg
room, a smaller kitchen and o shed, wher
found quantity Of hay and fodder
seemed quite bare Of food, but by dint {
searching in the hay discovered a mes
which Nelly informed me was there, an
in it two fresh eggs. These boiled fc
her. When she had finished soothed h,
to sleep on bed made for her before I'll
FIRE. Then after had put my horse In IL
shed room and fed him l performed 1
we'll as / could a service for the dead
When day dswned was able TO dscer
at some distance from the house n line
telegraph poles, and taking the child wit
me followed these to the nearest tow
where notified the authorities Of the deaf
The dead mans name was Frederic
Barnstaplc. He was an Englishman, 81
found, n recent arrival in those parts. II
daughter was restored to her family aero
the water and is now n pretty girl Of
have never told this story before, but
am ready to take an affidavit to its trut
It all happened about thirty miles fro
Dallas Philadelphia Times.