Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-08-01
THE PHANTOM PINTO
An Adventure with the chos Guardian Enchanted Canon
BY BOURBON WILSON.

OF the Morris party, creepy sensation
went up my spine, and l shivered il
spite OF myself at sight of the rough
stones, each bearing in rudely chis
eled lines the tell-tale crossed arrows
that marked the graves of the muir
1ered men.
This is tn place. pardner," Lew
said in an awed whisper. 9TH rec
devils was up in tn rocks there, or
both sides. an tn pore boys didn't
have no more show fer their lives'r
er rabbit. Ugh! but amt things here
ghosty-lookin?"
Ghostly looking they were, without
a doubt; l no longer wondered that
even harmless spotted pony had
given such place the reputation OF
| being haunted. 1T can't be anything
but a pony" l thought, "and if the
gold is still in the canon, he has my
thanks for soaring others away, from
it."
We camped where the valley mar
rowed into the canon, and l am not
ashamed to admit that. amid such
surroundings my sleep that night was
not entirely unbroken. Sunrise the
next morning found us busily cooking
our breakfast, and that eaten. we at
once packed up and started into the
canon. We went perhaps half a mile
when Helen, our pack mule ("Helen
Damnation" Lew had christened him
Immediately after receiving a kick
from the animaD, showed a decided
objection to going farther; stopping
short and whistling as though in fear,
he planted his forefeet in the ground
and would not bulge another inch.
Maybe it's er hunch, pardner," Lew
said. wrathfully surveying the stub
born animal; "at any rate we'd Jest as
well try fer gold here as anywhere
else"
We unpacked Helen and Lew took
pan and went to the edge of a pool,
remnant Of the torrents that poured
through the canon in the rainy season,
where he filled it with sand and be-
gan washing, while l picketed Helen
in grassy place where he could Craze
Presently cry from Lew carried
me running to his side; he was point
ing into the pan, and looking tire |
saw perhaps a spoonful of gold dust
cleaning dull yellow
We've struck 'er rich. pardner,"
Lew cried. tremblig with excitement
III that ghosfof er pintoll jest keep
away Wei get our pile right here"
'NoSense! There's no such thing
as 2 ghost. Lew" returned; mot
hee, at any rate"
Lew stared at me as though he
hought had lost my senses. "Not?"
lie cried; "yuh amt seen that, then"
And he raised his arm to point to the
side of the canon.
Where we stood the canon was about
100 yards wide, and the mountains on
10Th sides rose almost perpendicularly,
omething like thousand feet above
IS. Looking where Lew was pointing,
was startled to see village of half
uined cliff-dwellings nesting in a
reat niche high up the side of the
pposite mountain. Silent as the grave
nd without sign of human occupan-
y. 1t was strange, weird sight that,
Though 1t was in broad daylight, sent
mother creepy sensation writhing up
~ back.
There's ghosts a-plenty round that
lace. pardner,' Lew said, earnestly.
amt never seen one O. them dead
n gone lnjra towns yet but what
as haunted; III bet twas right round
ere somewhere t pore old Domin-
lez saw tn pinto pony"
II saw that Lew Wac intopca1y ip |
arnest, that his belief in ghostly man
estations was too deep-rooted in ig-
orance to be overcome by anything
could say. We'll, there may be
hosts here. as you say" l answered,
but If had nice little girl waiting
'r me, all the ghosts in Arizona
louldnt stampede me from rich dirt
ke this; they're not going to do it,
II is.'
did not misjudge my man. I'm
ith yuh there, pardner!" Lew said, s
ith determination. These here guns ;
mine was made fer biz
l was still gazing at the village, and
saw something that caused {
e to raise my hand to the brim of S
y hat SO that l might see better. +
Lew instantly hushed and looked I
here l was looking. whats tn f
after? What'd yuh see?" he pres l
lily asked. swallowing hard.
"Oh. nothing; just a shadow,
less" l answered, carelessly. At the n
oment had thought it human face h
ering above crumblins wall, but G
great was the distance, and so a
ickly did the object disappear. l C
rs far from sure what 1 had seen. t.
d l deemed it best not to arouse fl
'w's superstitious fears to a higher tt
tch; l did not relish the idea of being Il
t alone in the canon, and / was de- Il
'mined to stay there and get the "
Id. n
Lew said nothing more, but could W
that he was not entirely satisfied; Il
hitched his revolvers around to p
lere they would be convenient to his o.
nds. and set to work again. All of al
at day we worked hard. and at its ir
'se had something like a pound of
- rl e.,