The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1899-10-21
| Farmer TayIOr's Ghost |
~ Rose L. Colby.


I'll ing Chicago houses In the west,
each, however, carrying different lines
OF goods. Jim was well fixed and owned
a good farm adjoining Cheyenne, To-
cality conveniently situa II for him as
regarded his field of work, but after the
death of his father, who in fit of de-
spondency caused by continued i'll
health had committed suicide, he left
the farm and moved TO Chicago.
IL don't know what TO do with the
old place." he said one day, as we sat
in hotel rotunda enjoying an after
dinner chat and some good cigars.
"John Brownson, whose land adjoins
il. wants to buy IL, but he is not will
ing to pay even half it's actual value.
He has been persistent in his efforts TO
get me TO sell, but hate TO give the
place away, which i would be virtually
doing, il / let him have il at the figure
he offers. Brownson has the name OF
being rather schemer, and l think
he wants TO take the two pieces OF
ground and lay off new addition to
Cheyenne, by dividing the land into
town lots"
IF were you, should go and live
on il. or rent it," suggested.
"The fact is he replied, II could
not get my wife to live in the house,
even though i hired man and woman
to stay with her, and ii is impossible
to get anyone else to live there, or rent
it, at any price"
"Why, what's the matter with itY'
/ asked.
Jim shifted himself around uneasily
in his chair, and looking somewhat
shcepish, answered.:
"They say the house is haunted" i
threw myself back in my chair and
laughed aloud, fairly shouting, the idea
seemed TO me so preposterous-a haunt
ed house in a Wyoming town, at the
dawn of the twentieth century.
"Why, Jim, you certainly don't be-
lieve such rot as that" / exclaimed,
when / recovered myself.
III don't know" he replied, shaking
his head, obviously, strange things
have been seen and heard there, ac-
cording TO the testimony of persons
whose truthfulness has never been
questioned. | believe there is an ele-
ment Of superstition in all human ma
ture, which only requires certain en-
vironments and conditions 10 bring IL
out. While ] don't really. believe in
ghosts, yet / would not stay alone in
the old house all night for any amount
of money"
81 assure you, JIM" broke in, shat
superstition is simply n relic of bar
4. ,.t
chump would confess to n belief In
ghosts nowadays. ! am glad TO be able
TO assert that there is not a grain OF
superstition in my composition, and to
prove IL to you, I'll agree TO sleep in
your house instead Of the hotel the next
time make Cheyenne"
Jim eagerly took me up on my propo-
sitson, and pledged cigars in profusion
IL succeeded in making good my prom
Uses. l. enthused over the prospect OF
demonstrating the absurdity OF the ru-
mors in circulation, not only pledged
myself to stay in the house alone, but
TO sleep in the very room that had been
Jim's fathers, and which had not been
disturbed since his tragic death.
whenInextarrived in Cheyenne gave
Jane the chambermaid of the hotel, a
dollar and asked her TO go over to the
Taylor place and get the front room
upstairs ready for me TO sleep in that
night.
claw sakcsl You don't ever mean 10
sleep there alone" exclaimed Jane.
s'They do say that ole man Taylor's
les trampin' round de house de whole
night long
''Do YOU believe that, Jane?" ] asked,
seriously.
WALL" she answered, timorously, "a
heap o. folks has seen i'm, an dat dere
very front room was his'n. I'm most
nfeerd TO go dere alone by myself in
de day time"
"Well, Jane" I said, you can take a
lot OF your friends over there with you,
when YOU go, for company. ! promised
Jim Taylor I'd sleep there; and, be
sides. | would not be afraid OF old man
TAYLOR il he were alive, and I'm sure
I have no cause to fear him now that
he's dead"
The Taylor house, two-story white
cottage. stood Oft by itself just at the
edge of the town limits. On one side
was an uneven looking hedge fence
forming the boundary line between tn,
Taylor and the Brownson lands. few
tall willow trees grew SO close TO thu
house that their branches touched and
scrnped upon the roof as they swayet
back and forth by the breeze from
the prairie.
IL was about ten o'clock when
opened the front door and found m,
way through the hall by the aid Of {
lighted match. There were no curtain
on the windows, and as | assembled tn
stairs could see through, into tn
empty rooms, where the moonlight
formed fantastic figures on the bar
floors as IL fickered in through tn
branches of the trees outside.
IA 1 stepped on the interpreted stair
they creaked, and gave out hollow
sound which echoed throughout th
bo,~o until IA min u1od with tho mole