Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1901-12-18
A Fidd1ing
Ghost
By WILLIAM uoHTFooT vSscHER.
CcOpyright. 1901. By Authors syndicAte.l

'This is an unexpected pleasure"
Sarcasm that was whitening Kissed
in its heat between the teeth of Paul
Mitchell.
He was known to be dangerous
man, albeit of good family and edu-
ca ton. It would have been expected
that he would STAY any man that came
between him and his pride, but he
turned and went away.
ST give you to each other. You'll
punish yourself enough" And he was
gone.
Irene Raglan was a poor girl, work
ing in a candy shop, when Mitchell
met and loved her. They were mar
ried and their home was lovely nook.
Mitchell was kindness, consideration,
affection personiied to the pretty
girl, and his sisters were jolly and
sweet with her.
But Irene was vain, frivolous, cheap.
Love never sees such things until it
is too late. A former admirer-Tom
Pointer, of her own class, won her
away from duty-loyalty. Paul Mitch
ell happened on a scene between them
"a love scene-and he went away,
dashed out upon the sea of a ruined
life, tossed about upon the wreck of
] his happiness.
Then he made a raft of his broken
heart.
In every camp, from Cheyenne to
Fraser river, 80 years ago, Bill Brand
teth was known. He was not "bad
man" On the contrary, an exceed
ingly jolly one. But was eminently
capable of taking care of himself, un-
der even the most pressing circum-
stances.
Bill was unusually fond of draw
poker. He also played the fiddle. The
fiddle was pastime. Poker was bust
ness, and Bills weIl-known dislike of
any trickery in the pursuit made it a
serious matter for anyone engaged
with him at it to indulge in any 'con-
nubiatin," as he was pleased to term
the extraneously helpful process.
One day Bill Brandeth disappeared
from Conconnully, and the places that
had known him knew him no more
forever.
On the shores of Lake Chelan there
was a picturesque cabin, surrounded
by evidences of small-farming pros
perity. Inside, evidences of culture
books, pictures and other literary and
: artistic adjuncts. A hale old man with
a great shock of white hair and long,
: silver beard, comfortably dressed in
the part-garb of ranchman and miner,
: met US in a breezy, good-humored and
l broad-mannered way, extending to us
: the Inequalities of his home. eff you
t can put up with my shack and our
, STYLE" he said.
: Hooked around and wondered where
sour" came il. I learned later on.
The guide had told US, before we
reached the ranch, of this semi-hermit
whose nearest neighbor lived 20 miles
away.
''He's old Bill Brandeth,' the guide
had said, "but he swars at Bits dead
An it won't do to doubt him on that
pint, nuther," he sententiously added
"You can stay all summer, and al
winter, too, as to the matter of that
if you can put up with our style, and
1 reckon you cam the old man con
tinued. ga mile or two from here you
can shoot elk, the lakes full of fish
and you can hunt bear, if you are sc
minded, and find 'em, too. I DOM
ever do that, because I haven't lost
any bear"
and it was one of the most picturesque
spots imaginable. Southeast lay the
clear, blue and dimpling waters of the
lake. To the northwest were visible
snow-capped peaks of the Cascades
Immediately about US were undulat
ing prairies, northward stood a ia
cade of the mighty and primeval for
est.
There were about 20 acres in thu
ranch, and he could have had thou
sand, or more. But with pride the oil
man showed us what he raised in grain
fruit and vegetables, wheat, oats, pc
tatoes, cabbages, beets, melons, ap
pies, plums, apricots, and all sucl
stuff, in astonishing perfection AM
prolifcness. His live stock and poul
try were fat and healthy, and evident
by as happy as he, and he took deligh
in showing all this TO US. Near to tn
; cabin, at it's left front, lay the objec
that proved to be the most interestin;
thing associated with this strange oil
man, who on all other subjects SCENE
to be, not only perfectly sane, bu
possessed of more than ordinary intel
hgence.
, The object was to all appearance
grave. 1t was a mound of that shape
walled about it's base with CAREFUL
selected stones and minerals, quart;
onyx, pyrites, galena and silver ore!
A great and bloom-bent rosebud stoo
at the foot, while over the headboar
clambered luxurfant ivy vine. II
: side the waEling was a strip of gras
all the way around, and inside of tina
. covering the top of the grave, gre
: mass of many colored and asto1
: ishing pansies. Upon the headboart
which was thick cedar slab, that ha
been carefully made and polished o
I the front surface, these words we1
carved:
IN Sacred to the Memory of
ut WILLIAM BRANDETH
At. Dieter Known as BID
q, Who Went Over the Range,
Mt October 20 1899.
or or ''There lays poor Bill" the old ma
il said, as he drew near to the spot. n
he was a good fellow, but" shakin
nd his grizzled old head-"Fn tell yo
q