Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-03-13


some cheerfuller. but reIr giau enough
when seen the butte where the Wells
and the stone cabin was and thought Of
a fire and blankets.
ssWhen I'd got to within p'r'aps a
quarter mile of the cabin, see some
thin never seen before and couldn't
no ways account for. It was like long,
wavy line of mist, comm from the east,
movin through the air just above the
ground and maxim for the butte faster n
locomotive and straight's bee flies!
1t didn't look like mist exactly
neither, but more like string of misty
figures, with long, while streamers
BLOWN ont behind 'em on the windl /
scarcely had time to spec late what it
was, when just by the cabin it melted
away and disappeared altogether. The
air was clear and as dry as a bone, SO l
knew it couldn't be just fyin vapor
I'd seen, and besides there was nary
breath of wind to drive it.
While / was wonderin at all this, a
light broke out of the cabin door and
through the little window, like some
one had just started fire inside. Then
next see campfire fame up, just
down the hill by the Wells, and men
and animals moyin about near by. !
thought 1t was queer I hadn't seen 'em
till just that minute, for the country
was open all round, and up to now there
hadn't been a sign of life anywhere.
ssThen I says to myself, Most likely
it's prospectin party, and they was
hid by the willows CROWN round the
Wells, but somehow this explanation
didn't satisfy me, and rode up toward
the cabin. feelin glad at the prospect Of
company, but still wonderin considera-
BILE. The place had got to be. sort OF
public property ever since old man Hig-
gins died, and / didn t feel no kind Of
delicacy in ridin right up to the door,
even if there was some one ahead Of
me- So / dismounts. unsaddles, and
after hobblin the mule steps in.
''I'll never forget how all struck stiff
l was by the sort of old man see stand
in by the fire and just startin to come
toward me, with both hands stretched
out and smile on like he'd been ex-
pectin me. But when he seen who
was he stopped short, and the smile
died out, and he looked sort of disap-
pointedlike, and his hands dropped,
and then see he'd thought I was some-
body else he was waitin for.
He was dark complexioned aud very
old, judgin from his long white beard
and the wrinkles on his face, but be
was tall and as straight as a tampin
stick, and his eyes, though deep in the
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 buIged out all
round in a roll. He was buttoned up
close in 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 be was
somethin out of the common and wasn't
no prospector, but what he was couldn'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 I.done with a Thank
you, for somehow, without bein any
ways q ppisll, the old man acted like he
owned the whole place, and feltsome-
how like he did too We'll, when set
down. he set down and mumbled some
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
"While I was gain at him and wen
derin who and what be was, and where
he come from, and was maxim up my
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 clearest can put it-and
findin him standin just outside the cabin
door lookin of. over the desert. He
hadn't got up from that chair, SO far as
could see, and there he was, 20 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
old man might bo 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.
s'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
havin got there in no natural manner.
with me standin just in and fillin up
the doorway and only realizin where
they'd gone to when heard 'em talkin
foreign languages behind me.
IT 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. Seein the two old
gen 'lemen was busy talkin over roll
Of parchment with queer letters and
figures on it, which the second old man
had brought along with him, thought
it 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 tho animals
81 found four men standin close
round the fire, tryin to keep warm, two
of 'em dressed somethin like the old
gentleman I'd seen when first come,
only palmer, and two of EN- rigged out
like the other one, with black sombreIos.
and wrapped up in garments lookin like
Mexican serapes. There was about
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,
q = i L IL 4