The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1895-04-23

bb4Ohs duo LIS CJCog uhOA6A NOOR 49, eAAS
sockets, was as bright as hawks, but
kind and friendly, thought. He was
dressed out queerer'n any man ever
see outside of the-a-ter. His head was
wrapped all about with great strips of
white muslin, which bulged out all
round in roll He was buttoned up
close in a long dull yeller colored.
quilted silk overcoat, with broad fur
collar, and his shoes was red and turned
up in long points at the toes.
81 seen at the first glance he was
somethin out of the common and WASH t
no prospector, but what he was oouldn' t
make out neither / said Good evenin, >
and he said Good evenin' back, pleasant
enough, but speakin queer, like he
want much used to speakin English
Then he motioned me, lookin very hos
pit-able, to take seat in one Of the
three old rawhide bottomed chairs be-
fore the fire, which done with Thank
you, for somehow, without bein any
ways uppish, the old man acted like he
owned the whole place, and felt some
how like he did too. Well, when I set
/ UQWus ITO b6b QOWu 440 JILL O4O0 cOAu0-
thin / didn't just make out, bein In a
language I'd never heard before, and,
though lookin pleasant an smilin, he
seemed sort Of absentminded and kept
lookin toward the door, like he was ex-
pectin some one. ss
"While was gain at him and won
derin who and what he was, and where
Iy{rr v
mind how to lead the conversation round
kind of delicate up to them points, l
was startled clean through by seein the
old mans chair suddenly get empty
that's the dearest I can put it-and
findin him standin just outside the cabin
door lookin off over the desert. He
hadn't got up from that chair, 80 far as
could see, and there he was, 30 feet
away from it, without SO much as stir
rim leg. Naturally this excited my Gu
riosity considerable. And got up and
went to the door, too, to see what the
i old man might be up to next. He was
gain off toward the south, and hadn' t
more'n just looked that way too, when
/ see what took my breath away.
''There was another Of them misty,
wavy professions kitin in through the
air from the south and maxim dead for
the cabin. Before I'd chance to rub
my eyes and look again it had got close
to the door, melted away, and another
queer dressed old man was embracin the
first one the two of 'em standin there
within five feet Of me. Next second
they was sittin together inside the cab
in, in the chairs before the fire, never
lhavin got there in no natural manner,
with me standin just in and film up
the doorway and only realizin where
they'd gone to when heard 'em talkin
foreign languages behind ME.
"I was gettin sort of used to this lit
tie joker business and begun to feel
ready for most anything in the surprisin
line. But hadn't seen, just nothin yet
to what was comm. Seem the two old
gen 'lemen was busy talkin over roll
of parchment with queer letters and
figures on 1t, which the second old man
had brought along with him, / thought
1t would be considerate to let 'em be
alone together for awhile. and stepped
out and down toward the campfire to
try and pick up some points there and
take look at the animals. Asi'
II found four men standin close
round the fire, tryin to keep warm, two
Of 'em dressed somethin like the old
gen 'leman I'd seen when I first come,
only palmer, and two of 'em rugged out
like the other one, with black sombreros
and wrapped up in garments lookin like
Mexican serapes There was about a
dozen animals, all told-three white
mules and one coal black one, and the
rest was fine, stout. big necked burros.
My mule had got friendly with three of
the finest in the whole outfit, and they
was nibblin round apart from the rest,
like they'd been raised together. Right
away begun thinkin that if could get
hold of them three it would make just
/ the paokin outfit was lookin for, and
then could quit my trip in off the des-
ert, go right back to the arastra and
make another run or two Then could
start in with considerable Of stake
and not have to come right away back,
as I'd been intendin. 9
$50, havin this in mind, told the
men by the fire what / wanted and
showed 'em the biggest ball of bullion
had-weighin close on to five ounces
and offered it for the three burros
pointin 'em out After about minute
they seemed to catch on, and lookin pow
erful solemn pointed up to the cabin,
as much as to say I'd have to see the
boss. So just went on up, and steppin
in found the old gen 'lemen where I'd
left 'em still talkin 16 to the dozen
over the roll of parchment with the
queer figures on 1t. They didn't pay no
attention to me comin in at all, they
was SO took up with what they was
talkin of, but stood by waitin for
lull in the conversation, and when it
come cut in, and addressin the old
man in the yeller silk oyercoat / told
him, plain as could, what l wanted
and showed him the five ounce ball to
let him know meant business and was
willin to pay well for what got.
He looked at me in the same sort of
absentminded way he did when first
seen him, but he smiled and nodded
like he meant Yes and said somethin /
didn't just get onto, but it seemed clear
to me from his way of goin on that it
was all right about the burros, and then
/ handed him the five ounce ball. He
wouldn't take it to begin with, but me
insistin, and the second old man gettin
impatient-at me interruptin their talk,
reokon--he bowed and smiled again
very pleasant and dropped the ball kind
of carelesslike into little fancy cloth
bag he wore for pocket fastened on
the belt round his waist. Then he went
right ON talkin again with the other old
man just like want round, and he'd
clean forgot me and my business.
Findin want in it with the old men,
l started to go down and see the burros
I'd bought, feelin very well pleased
with the trade. Just then the NEGRO
mancin begun all over again, only this
time for keeps, as you'll see. They was,
as I've said, both talkin together very
earnest, sittin in the chairs before the
fire, and when turned to go out they
was there still, but as stepped outside
there they both was, miraoulously, out
side, too, ahead of me, embracin and
oarryin on like they was sayin goodby.
''Then things begun develepin pretty
lively. When the old gentlemen had
wound up the goodby act. they stands
facin each other, both of 'em holdin up
their hands and lookin up into the sky.
Then they says some foreign words TO-
gether, like it was verse they was re-
peatin, and then--there WANT no old
men standin there at all.
II looked down toward the campfire
and all about. and there want livin
thing in sight. Not man, nor mule,
nor burroi But goin through the air
like a streak-one toward the east and
one toward the south-was two of them
cloudy lines of figures, with the misty
streamers wayiu. like I'd seen 'em when