The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-03

away from 1t, without so mucn as St1rrln
a leg! Naturally, this excited my curiosity
considerable. And / got up and went to the
door, too, TO see what the old man might
be up to next. He was gain off toward the
way, too, when see what took my breath
away.
professions kitin in through the air from
the south and maxim dead for the cabin.
Before I'd q chance to rub my eyes and look
again it had got close to the door, melted
away, and another queer-dressed old man
was enlbracin' the first one, the two of EN-
standin' there within five feet of me- Next
second they was sittin together inside the
cabin in the chairs before the fire, never
havin' got there in no natural manner, with
me standin' Just in ma, and tiliin up the door
when I heard 'em talkin' foreign languages
behind me.
Il was gittin' sort of used to this little
joker business, and begun to feel ready for
most anything in the surprisin' line. But 1
hadn't seen just nothin yet TO what was
comm. Seem the two old gentlemen was
busy talkin' over a roll of parchment with
queer letters and figures on it, which the
second old man had brought along with him,
l thought it would be considerate to let EN-
be alone together for while, and | stepped
out and down toward the camp fire to try'n
pick UP some points there and take look
at the animals.
Il found four men standin' close round
the fire tryin' to keep warm, two of 'em
dressed sometin' like the cd gentleman I'd
seen when l first come, only palmer, and
two of EN- rugged out like the other one
with black sombreroS and wrapped up in
garments Iookin' 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 bur-
ros. 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 1
them three it would make just the packin
outfit l was lookin' for, and then | could
quit my trip in off the desert, go right back
CT q
two. Then could start in with consdera-
BILE Of a stake and not have to come right
away back, as I'd besn inrendin
80, haVin this in mind l told the men
by the fire what wanted and showed EN-
the biggest ball of bullion 1 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,
ana lookin' powerful solemn, pointed up to
the cabin, as much as to say, I'd have to
see the boss So l just went on up, and,
steppin' in, found the old gentlemen where
I'd left 'em, still talkin', sixteen to the
dozen over the roll of parchment with the
queer figures on it. They didn't pay no at
tention to me comm in at all, they was so
took up with what they was talkin' Of but
stood by waitin' for lull in the CONVERSE
ton; and when it come, l cut in and, adj
dressing the old man in the yeller silk over
coat told him, plain as I could, what I
wanted, and showed him the fiVe-ounce ball
to let him know 1 meant business. and was
willin' to pay well for what l got
He looked at me in the same sort Of abb
him. but he smiled and nodded like he
meant yes and said somethn' l didn't just
get on to, 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
f1ve-ounce ball. He wouldn't take it to be-
gin with, but me insistin' and the second old
man gettin impatient-at me nterruptin
their talk, reckori-he bowed and smiled
again very pleasant, and dropped the ball
kind of careless like 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 l want round, and he'd clean forgot
"Findin I want in it with the old men,
started to &c, down and see the burros I'd
the trade. Just then the necromancin' be-
gun all over again, only this time for keeps,
as you'll see. They was, as I've said, both
talkin' together very earnest, sttin' in the
chairs before the fire, and when I turned to
go out they was still there, but 1 stepped
outside, there they both was, miraculously,
carryin' on like they was sayin goodbye.
Then things begun develcpin pretty
lively. When the old gentleman had wound
up the goodbye. 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 together, like it was a
want no old men standin' there at all!
II looked down toward the camp fire and
all about, and there want a Twin thing in
sight Not man, nor a mule, nor burro.
But goin' through the air like streak
one toward the east and one toward the
south--was two of them cloudy lines Of fig
ureS, with the misty StreamerS -WaVin', like
I'd seen EN- when the two old men first
come.
Yes, sir; everything was gone, pretty
near. but me and the cabin and the camp
fire. Not only them two designin old men
and their circus outfit, but with em the
three burroS I'd just bought and paid for,
my five-ounce ball of bullion, and actually
the mule I'd come on. When the rest of
the party blew off in that interestin' way
he'd somehow got caught in the draught,
l suppose. and had to, go along, too.
foot, packin' my blankets, for Old Woman's
Springs. There hired burro and went in
to stay for the winter. Now you can see,
sir" concluded Calkns, addressing the The
when L said I'd met a couple of them
gifted bein's' you was talkin' Of and that
they didn't uses me no ways square, any
"a most extraordinary experience, Mr..
Calkins-most extraordinary exclaimed
the Theosophist, with some excitement. II
shall want, with your permission, to take
notes of the occurrence for submission to
our little society for psychical research at
Beaconsville. l believe, though, that
through even my limited acquaintance with
those venerable men, whom you were SO
fortunate as to encounter at their desert
rendezvous, in quite different light from
that in which you now regard it; that is
when have had time to digest fully the
particulars Of your most remarkable narra-
tive"
p'r'aps some wouldn't you recollect," said
blanket roll and turned to his bunk
AS he moved from the fire thought
1 caught his eye he coughed unpleasant'y
and regarded me with a vacant, solemn
stare. San Francisco Argonaut
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