The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-25

whipped out a revolver with either hand
The odds were against him: however.
Danforth. who stood at one side was tco
as Steering's hand showed above the
table. The boy fell back. firing one shot.
which went wild as he tumbled. Danforth
freed from the liquor in my brain at
once 1t had been close call for my
partner. Steering had shot him i've years
BET, before in Texas and after r1bp ping nm, nm
his nerse had been his stock in trade
until Texas became too small for nim-
Drake had disappeared during the TOW
and when Hollis showed Danforth< how
the boys cards were marked my money
was returned 10 me-
must preserve order and weed cut
the blacklegs, was Danforth's comment
Steering was buried without any fuss.
and / saw il done. You can imagine. gen
tlemen. how the affair shook me; Hollis
and 1 worked together with varying luck
for two years longer. and then Hollis cut
out for Texas TO try cattle grazing feit
badly at losing him, and / got to drinking
steadily and heavily An itch to play Tor
high stakes took possession of me- | had
collected about 5000. and one day l ieli
in with a party that was bound for ST.
a short fling and then return There is
something about st. Louis that makes
you want to drink hard. That was the
way it affected me. We reached town in
/ found my way to Tom Schloss' rooms.
sat at faro and as played / drank. Luck
was dead against me. My money slipped
through my hands The lights multiplied
and the colors on the board ran together.
suddenly a stranger. covered TO his
eyes in big coat, sat down in the seat
lessly- His hat was pulled down over his
eyes. As he settled into his chair he
slipped out of his overcoat and looked at
me. Our eyes met. For fully two minutes
wa cfo rod Ut nnI 9TH NO col
spoke to me sharply l didn't stir. OPP
posite TO me sat the boy, Steering, the
cutthroat whom had seen shot 10 death
and buried in Denver. His face hadn't
aged. There was the same innocent. con-
hding smile lurking around the corners
of his mouth AS he looked at me l could
see the light of recognition coming INTO
his eyes. His expression hardened, and
he began slowly to bring his hands up
from under the table
Shot at the Ghost.
"'No. you don't you blacklegr
shouted. and before he could level on
ne had my revolver out and empticd
right into, him. didn't miss him. but as
G0S was i e the hospital They told Sa me
that had been delirious at Schloss and
mad fired on my revolver. That was four
weeks before. l asked for the BOY. and
they said that had only imagined that 1
saw him. They probably were in earnest.
L know that / had been drinking that
night, but also know that the boy came
in and sat opposite me- just as well as
know that you are in this. camp: 1t was
the boys ghost haunting his old resorts.
know IL. Making allowances for all that
1 had been drinking, 1 am still confident
of it.
When 1 was strong enough came di
rectly home TO the Adirondacks. 1 get
lonesome here at times, but l wouldn't
go back TO the mining regions for good
deal. The boys ghost still haunts that
country, and l know It, Before Hollis
died | always intended to write and ask
him If he saw the boys ghost. but never
did. If Danforth is still alive. he will
back up all that 1 have said about the
way that Steering was shot. Perhaps he
also has seen his ghost. / have never
been near a cardroom since. Even in
camp here when you gentlemen start in
to play little poker nights, / roll myself
in my blankets and close my eyes. If
the boys ghost is wandering around he
might drop in at a little game here as well
as anywhere else. l shouldn't like to see
him again. but all the argument in the
world wouldn't convince me that hadn't
seen him in ST. Louis That's my ghost
experience" and Uncle Bill went out to
see that the dogs were properly fed