Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-03-09
A MIRAGE IN TEXAS.
WHAT THE SHEEP MAN SAW
AND HOW 1T STIRRED HIM.
AS TRUTHFUL MAN HE DESCRIBES
THE SCENE, BUT DRAWS
NO INFERENCES.

"Mi-rosh?" said the old Texas sheep
man who was doing most of the talking
II don remember of ever seein mi-rosh,
but | seen mi-ridgcs lots of times There
was one, now, | seen in Encinal county
that was, you might say, peculiar, consid-
erin other things that happened along
with it"
do these mirages" said the Young
man from the east in the striped shirt and
straw hat, appear to be reflections of OBJ
jects In the vicinity, or are they sometimes
phantasmagoria of unrecognized scenes
from unknown distances. or even illusions
conjured up by some mysterious effort of
nature that seemed to present objects real
ly noncxistent?'
Il told you. said the old sheep man. -
never saw no mi roshes, and don't know
II they cut up capers such as you attempt for
to describe or not. was goin to tell you
about this mi ridge what | spoke about
''One day was ridin after II bunch of
muttons what straycd off from one of my
tocks, and about shutdown found | was
lost was down in a big mesquite flat
and couldn see 80 yards in any direction
You might think it strange for an old
ranchcr like me to get lost, but the best
oI EN- Go sometimes
Well after | was sure | was lost
stakcd my pony and laid down for the
night | was too worried to sleep much,
for left my wife and 3month old baby
ut home, and | knew she d he awful wor-
RED about me AS soon as it got light
enough to see jumped on my boss, and
rode up hill to sec where | was | seen
Iona Alta mountain. and the line of the
Er, nd I | IN, AZ, -,
was, struck out. and when it got good
daylight l was ridin up the chaparral
ridge on Green branch and seen the motto
OF coma trees that | knuwed was Just D
mile from my ranch
When got on top Of the hill, pulled
my pony up. and liked to jumped cat of
my saddle | seen the Fro river which
knowcd was good % mile away risin up
and hangin on the edge of the horryzon,
kind of pale and ghostlike, but as plain to
bc seen rs if it was only quarter of a
mile Oft | seen the leaves on the live oak
trees that lined the banks And Just
across the river | seen my house and cor
rails and everything about the place lookin
not bit farther of than good hollcrin
distance | seen the Woodpilc near the
door and the AK stekin in chunk
seen our pet sheep a=walkin about in the
yard, and | seen the saddles on the fence
ana the water barrels in the wagon and
the milk pans Settin on the shelf under the
trees Everything looked kind of spooky
like and sccmc; tn be driwrd out up and
down like You see things in some lookin
glasses what got flaws in en-
i say stopped my pony IA minute and
Just looked 1t a Kind OF funny leelin TO
see things that look like YOU could hit
nm win a rnrk md know tbnv mr., ~
uiI.o off / ,y.,.1,., obnnt ia .tirl nv
s,,,r. il, ,,,a L.otf u, h,,,, t l..,l ,i,,,,. ~
my bousc which =v,. t.,.iu M. .t,,.,,ad
,Gd my ,yif..,.,,3a-. md .+,ad j., it r=itb tEa
hohv in h.r arm. / yelled at nor r,t,,r,,
.tonnoa to tbink md tben falt fnnIi1b
Inst thcn soon = fl,rI,A shn,]o>v -,,nvin
,bro,,,,b ,b, ,,i.t and ,b,n !, co,,, mo
what | s'nosc va,l.d cali rho nrosnective
md seen il WIS a hig Nexican cr,.ttir off
his boss ,t thr o,tr Un.tuu1hle, in tho
ward and | seen hr was drunk Nv wife
Skinned inside and shut tho door Tho
Mexican grabbed m, nx out of tho wood
nib and sn,asbed tb. ,,n.l of RI. door in
II was awful to 500 this and knoy them
miles what laid down hctwo.n me- and
thar Their, mi r,dt,e meyer heard :, sound
of course but I seen the snlinters nv from
the door and then | must have lost ny
snnse for :, u,inut, holm worked nm so i
r,n,omhor cussed once rn,l low down
and l grabbed INV winchester out of its
scabbard and drawed a head ON the infer
nal rreaser and banged AWAY
Nv gun sounded like a cannon. every
thing was so still. and cussed myself
agin for bein a fool, and stuck INV spurs
in NV boss and the gravel flew through
tho cbanarral like hail
The sun was pretty near nm. and inst
then the RIDGE hogan to oct all cracked
and kind If Went mn in stcam covered
them u miles in an hour. and when
rode nm thr hin at nv home and iumnad
off nav boss had tears i'm his eyes and he
leaned nm ngainst the feed rack and looked
nt mo rn,,rn,chfuI I x,fnt thinkin of ,,n
boss | yelled for NV wife and | wa,
afraid IKE d,atb She wouldn't ansvyer
When she came rnmhlin ont the from door
=. erwin hut safe and sonna with tho lid