Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-12-10
A WRESTLING.

Mike Sbeehan tossed awake in the moon
light
Mike, with his feet of manhood, was
well in request at the country gatherings,
but of late, said the folk, the man had
turned queer In that melancholy, stately
country by the sea madness especially of
the quiet, melancholic kinds thing
very common. A year ago wrestling
match between him and Jack Tierney
had gathered two counties to see 1t. No
man could say which was the champion
Now one was the victor, again the other
They kept steady pace in their victories.
Jack, too, was the captain of the Kilsal-
lagh team of hurlers, Mike of the Clone
gala. That would be a great day for the
men and women Of his following when
either champion should decisively lead.
The country people scarcely guessed at
the time their two champions became en-
emies Indeed it was secret locked in
their own breasts, scarcely acknowledged
even when in his most hidden moments
each man looked at the desires of his
heart. 1t only showed itself in new fierce
ness and determination in their encoun-
tiers. Each had sworn to himself to con-
quer the other. The soreness between
them came about when, by some sad mis-
chance they fell in love with the same
girl. Worse luck, she wanted neither of
them, for she was vowed to the convent.
In the long run one or the other might
have tempted her to an earthly bridal, but
she made no choice between them, and
each mans chance seemed equal when she
c1i hot int
churchyard. When she lay there, neither
man could say she had distinguished him
by special kindness from the other, and
their rivalry waxed more furious with the
woman in her grave.
But six months later and their battles
still undecided, Jack Tierney fell sick and
followed Ellen to Kilbride. Then Mike
Sheehan was without an equal for many
miles. But little comfort it was to him,
with the girl of his heart dead and the
one man he had desired to overthrow dead
and unconquered. He secluded himself
from the sports and pastimcs and lived
lonely in his cabin among the gulls, eat
ing out his unsatisfed heart. None other
would satisfy him to wrestle with but his
dead rival, and indeed he, in common
with the country people, thought that no
other might be found fit for him to meet
Ki1bride churchyard is high on the main
landNknd lies dark within its four stone
walls. The road to it is by tunnel of
trees that make shade yelvety black even
when the moon is turning all tho sea sill
yer. The churchyaM is very old and has
no monuments of importance, only green
headstoncs bent sideways and sunk to
their neck and shoulders In the earth. A
postcrn gate, with fight of stone steps,
opens from Kilbride lane Here every
night you may see the ghost of Tobin, the
murderer, climbing those steps with rig
i'd burden hanging from his shoulder.
But as Mike Shechan assembled tho steps
out of the midnight dark he felt no fear
Ho changed the gate Of the sacred quiet
place in way that set tho silence echoing
Some mad passion was on Mike Sheehan
surely, or he would not so have desecrated
the quiet resting place of the dead There,
by the ruined gable of tho old abbey, wac
fresh mound unusually great in size.
Mike Shechan paused by it.
"Jack!" he cried in thundorous voice
hoarse with its passion, leone, let us once
for all see which is the better man. Come
and fight me, Jack, and if you throw me
let Ellen be yours now and forever"
The blood was in his eyes and the sea
mist curling in from sea. His challenge
spoken, lie swayed dizzily a moment
Then his eyes saw. The place seemed full
of the sea mist silvered through with the
moon. AS hc looked to right and left SUBJ
stantial things had vanished, but he saw
on either hand long rows of shadowy faces
watching him.
Many of them he knew. They were tho
boys and girls, the men and women of his
own village who had died in many years
Others were strange, but ho guessed them
ghosts from Kilsallagh~ beyond Roscar-
berry, tho village where Jack used to live
He looked eagerly among the folk he re-
membered for Ellen face. There was one
who might be she the ghost of woman
yelled in her shadowy hair, whose eyes he
could not see And then Jack was upon
him.
That was great wrestling in Kilbride
churchyard. The doad man wound about
the living with his clay cold limbs, caught
him in icy grips that froze the terrified
blood from his heart and breathed upon
him soundlcssly q chill breath of the grave
that seemed to withcr him, yet Mike
fought furiously, as ono who fights not
only to satisfy hate, but as one who
fights to win bride He had a dim knowl-
edge OF the fight he was making, dim
premonition that the dead man was moro
than his match Tho ghost]y spectators
pressed forward more eagerly; their shad-
owy faces pccred; their shadowy forms
swayed in the mist. Tho ghost had Mike
Shcehan In death grip, His arms were
imprisoned, his breath failed his flesh
crept, and his hair stood up He felt him
self dying of tho horror of this unnatural
combat, when there was whisper at his
ear. Dimly he seemed to hear Ellen's
voice; dimly turning his failing eyes, he
seemed to recognize her. eyes under the
veil of ashen fair hair. DRAW him to the
left on tho grass" said the voice. land
trip him." His old love and his old jeal-
ousy seemed to surge up in Mike Sheehan
With tremendous effort he threw off
those paralyzing arms. Forgetting his
horror, he furiously embraced the dead,
drew him to the left on the grass, slippery
as glass after the summer heats, for q sec.
ond or two swayed with him to and fro;
then the two went down together with
great violence, but Mike Shcehan was up.
permost his knee on the dead mans
breast.
When he came to himself in the MOON
light, all was calm and peaceful. 1t was
close upon dawn, and the moon was very
low. He looked about him at tho quiet
ness. Another man might have thought
he had but dreamed 1t; not 80 Mike Shec-
han. He remembered with flcrco joy