The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-01-05
THE WOODS GHOST.

Possibly General Fawncliffe was &C.
centric because he could not help it,
but 1t is more probable that he did
things in a n entirely different
from anybody else because he wanted
to be odd and wanted to make a seusa-
ton. He was a wealthy man, and there
fore he could do very nearly as he
liked. He was naughty, ~overbearing
and irritable. l always thought that if
he had been the car of Russia or the
shah of Persia he would have played
his role very well. He had built a fine
house on the banks of the Delaware,
and at the verge of the Block woods,
Of which he was the owner. He was
not o than as years old and appear
ed to be entirely alone in the world; at
any rate, no n in Rockville yer
heard that he had any relations.
At the time of which l write / was a
young fellow of IS, of no sort of conse-
quence whatever, and my name was,
but is not now, Pardon Sashwood,
though mother and everybody else call
ed me Pardy. My mother was a dress
maker in the town and did a big bust
ness. She e said anything about
my father, and l did not know anything
about him, and 1 concluded that he had
been hanged, or otherwise nipped in the
bud, and l did not press my inquiries in
regard to him. l was a regular resi-
dent in Block Hall, as General Fawn-
cliffe called his elegant mansion, and
my first duty is to explain how [ hap
princely roof. I was very fond of fish
ing, and my mother was very fond of
eating fish, for l caught very nice ones
in the river. One day l sat upon a rock
that projected out into the stream just
below the generals mansion. Above
me was a sandy beach, and while l sat
there the general drove down upon it
in his buggy, with a high spirited
horse. 1 wondered what he was doing
there with such a turnout.
The horse was full Of spirit, and the
choleric driver seemed to be we'll sup
piled with spirits, though of the arti-
fetal sort. The animal pranced and
SRPO4Cu Ou Ii OAHU, anu ulo lOl dp-
pear to have learned that his master
was as impatient as he was eccentric.
The horse had a way of his own, and
so had the general, and as the two
ways did not run in the same direction
it created an unpleasantness between
them. At last the driver used his whip
without the exercise of much discretion,
and the brute manifested himself in a
very decided name Then I decided
that he was trying to drive the horse
into the water, where he was unwilling
to go. But the general got the best of
it IL the end and drove the obstinate
creature straight into the river, as
though he intended to cross 70 the other
side. In a few moments the animal
had to swim, but he struck out brave
ly, the general applying the lash all the
time; in fact, he seemed to be whip
ping him for his W satisfaction. now
that the brute had yielded the point.
In another moment the buggy, which
appeared to be floating, suddenly top
pied over and spilled the occupant into
the drink. He lost his hold upon it,
and then l saw that he could not swim.
The horse took a circle around the
spot and swan ~leisurely to the shore,
dragging the buggy after him. Just
below the rock on which I was seated
was a bateau, and l lost no time in
rushing to it. I had some skill in the
use of the paddle, and I soon reached
the general, who was foundering about
in the water like a grounded whale.
He was a large man, and I saw that it
would be impossible to get him into the
boat. l asked him to take hold of the
stern to support himself while I pad
died to the beach. He used explosives
and insisted upon getting into the boat.
I told him 1 would leave him to his fate
if he did not do as I directed. The
threat carried him, and he held on to
the boat till his feet touched the bot
tom.
81 will kill that horse." he exclaim-
ed when he reached the beach and had
recovered his breath. He is the ug-
hest brute I ever drove"
HE is not so much of a brute as
you are, general" 1 replied. "You
acted like a heather when you whipped
him, and 1 had half a mind to let you
drown"
He looked at me in establishment.
Perhaps he thought l had earned the
right to speak my mind, but whether
L had or not l expressed myself as
plainly as though 1 had peer the gen
eral and he had been Pardy Sashwood.
Doubtless it was a new thing for any
one to ''speak up" to him.
boy, 1 want You to come and live
with me-! he said, and l was amazed
then.
81 won't do it," I replied. II would
not live under the same roof with such
a porcupine as you are for all your
money"
He actually leased me, and he ex-
pressed his obligations to me very hand
somely, but I stuck to my text. 1 help
ed him right his buggy, now that the
horse had cooled off, and he insisted on
driving me home, which / permitted
him to do. My mother saw me when