Evening star., 1896-01-25

and that my skull was all right, picked
myself up and started to walk down the
track till should come to q house. After
walking, as I should Judge. about a. half
mile. I came to East Fabiusville. where
there is little tavern. and mighty glad
I was to see it. I knocked the landlord up
and got a bed, and 1t was noon the next
day before I woke up.
There wasn't any train to Jericho until
after 8 o'clock, SO not having anything to
do, I looked up the landlord, and found
he was an old acquaintance of mine, by
the name of Hank Simmons. When told
him that had come to Fabiusville by q
night train, he sort of smiled, and could
see he didn't believe me. I don't say that
the train stopped here I said, for the
last / saw of 1t was a mile or SO up the
road. where fell of the rear platform or into into
a snowbank. But all the same, did come
most of the way from Manlius last night
in Pullman sleeper
Then, you must have come on what
the boys call the ghost train says Hank
"'What trains that says 1.
Why, it's the ghost of the train that
went Off the bridge on the Muskahoot river.
The boys do say that every once in while
there Is a train made up Of locomotive,
a baggage car and a Pullman sleeper, that
comes down the road hustlin', and goes on
the Muskahoot bridge into the river. l
never saw no such train myself, but there's
lots of folks living along this road that
have seen it, and you'd have hard work
to convince 'em that 1t isn't the ghost of
the wrecked train. Come to think OF II
that there train was wrecked just a year
ago last night and It's probable that her
ghost was out for an airing, as you might
say
"Well, when came to think the thing
over came to the conclusion that hank
was right, and that the Pullman WIN ne Ine
wet bedclothes and the rotten beilcord. was
nothing more or less than the ghost OF d
car. However, I didn't say much more 10
Hank about it at the time. for the less a a
man talks about seeing ghosts the better IL
is for him, If he wants to be considered re-
liable man. But as soon as / got back to
Jericho went to see the division superin-
tendent and told him the whole story.
"'See here,' he said, when I had got
through, I suppose I ought to report you,
but, considering that you were not on duty
last night, and that you're not drinking
thing about 1t. But If you'll take my ad-
vice, you'll not tell that ridiculous story TO
anybody else
""Then you think I was drunk and
| dreamed the whole thing, do you? 1 asked:
"T don't think so,' says he. I'm sure or
1t. I've just been over the division reports,
and no such train as you describe has been
seen at any station. Besides, know where
every Pullman car in the company's service
| is just at this Identical time, and It's i'm
possible that Pullman should have been on
| the Manlius branch last night. No train
| of any kind went over that branch between
| 8 o'clock last night and Z o'clock this morn
ing
"'Then 1 wish you'd explain how I trav-
e;ed from Manlius station to East Fabius-
| Vile last night between 8 and r. can
prove by the conductor of the up-train that
| he let me off at Manlius after O'Clock last
| night, and l can prove by the landlord of the
Fabiusville Tavern that l put up at his
| house just before II o'clock. A man.
| whether he is drunk or sober, can't travel
seventy miles in three hours, unless he does
| 1t on railroad train
"The superintendent was mighty smart
| maA but this conundrum of mine was
| more than he could answer. So he only
| smiled in an aggravating sort of way, and
said: You'd better take my advice and
| tors on any man that drinks too much
whisky If you go about talking of this
| adventure of yours, the chances are you'll
| lose your place.
| piece of bell-cord that 1 had taken from
| the car. 1 put my hand in my pocket and
| there 1t was, sure enough. 1 held 1t up
| and said to the superintendent: There's a
piece of the rotten bell-cord that told you
| about. Perhaps you'll say l dreamed six
| feet of cord into my pocket
| THE superintendent took 1t, and I could
| see that he was considerable staggered.
| You say you got this out of the Pullman
| sleeper that you dreamed about? he asked.
| That's just exactly and precisely the
Identical place where got that cord afore-
said.' says l, as solemn as If was on my
| oath.
| "Well!' says he, I take back what I
| said about your having been drunk. That
l
| this road for more than a year. The last
| car that had a cord like that was the one
| that went into the Muskahoot river. That 8
| a cotton cord, and We don't use anything
| but hemp nowadays.
Then you think that I was on ghost
| train, after ALL, says 1.
| "1 think says he, that the less you say
about 1t the better-that is, If you care to
| follow my advice. If you keep on talking
about it. you'll have half the trainmen on
| the division watching for ghosts and ne
| glecting their regular duties
"Of course, I promised to do as the su-
| perintendent said, and I never mentioned
| the ghost train until this particular super
intendent had skipped to Canada with over
| 100000. He was a most amazing smart
| man, and if I had gone against his wishes,
| I wouldn't have stayed in the company 8
| service very long. However, when l did
| begin to tell the story. nobody believed me,
| except now and then an old train hand
| who had seen ghost trains himself, and
knew all about 'em. I've told you the story
| as straight as die, and you can take it or
| leave It, just as you choose. AS Horace
| says, There's more things in heaven and
the other place than any philosopher ever
| dared to dream about.
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