Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-10-09

Major Max's Ghost.

marked Mrs. MAX, moving back
little from the CRATE with the uncon-
soious purpose to mako room for the
setter, for that amiable dog was fret
fully accomplishing his customary
advantage of securing the best place
before the fire.
"What did Billings have to say ?"
inquired the major.
81 did not say Col. Billings was
with her." Mrs. Max declared.
"He is in town, hence could be
with her, hence was"
ooh, WE'LL" began Mrs. Max with
brow as nearly vexed as its fixed
placidity permitted. 81 don't know
what he said. One is not interested
in what man says when he says it
in the presence of another woman he
is more Interested in than he is in
YOU. think he was glowing about
the service at his club; the milk for
coffee served in his room was not
boiling hot. Anyway, Polly Slanger
won't marry him as long as he trots
about so much with Mrs. Jack. Polly
says it would be unfair to deprive
Mrs. Jack of her only beau, at an age
when Mrs. Jack would not be sure
of another. Isn't Polly awfulS But
she and Mrs. Jack are great friends.
Gas for Bob Bollings," said the
major, sternly, eff l hear him com
plain of the club service, l shall re-
mind him of the miserable quarters
he once occupied-when l met a
ghost.
"Major ghost P' cried Mrs. Max
with the sudden and interest ever
aroused in the gentlest of her sox by
the prospect of grisly story.
"Rather !" responded the major.
"But it is story l could not tell un-
less you try the recipe I gave you
for-thank you one lump in mine.
One winter-we were captains them
| was luxuriating at the Persidio in
San Francisco while Bob was freezing
to death in a wretched one company
post in Northern Nevada +; but my
pull in Washington suddenly ceased
as Bob's was strengthened, so we
were ordered to come down from Ore
gon, and went to meet it at the rail
way station nearest the post, but the
troop was delayed by snow, 80 rode
out to the post, whore l found Bob
and his troops ready to mount and
depart.
"My, but they were glad to go"
"There was a.3hance that the lieut.
enant with ny troop might yet come
out that evening, or I should have
asked Bob for detail of soldiers to
remain with mo. did not and they
rode off with cheer and whoop.
"Now, am no more timid than
the next man, but am more grega-
rious than the next 10000, so l felt
decidedly bored when l discovered
that / was absolutely the only soul
on the post not trader, sutler, fol-
lower, not Chinaman-not even a
Piute Indian l never before knew
how lonesome it was possible to be.
"The wind that ragged down from
the rusty, ragged, treeless mountain
and sweep across the dismal sage
brush plain rocked the cabin that had
been Bob's quarters and now was
mine, raved at door windows, moan
ed and shrieked to get in and defeat
ed, whirled on with maniacal laugh
ter through the whirl of drifting
snow the deserted barracks and sta
bles took shape of strange monsters,
and, as shivering dusk descended, the
hideous howls of coyotes seemed to
give those strange monsters raucous
voice.
"Bob had left beautiful larder
and locker not destitute of COM
forting things, but ! am a man,
madam, to whom glass without a
lass-well, if you insist. You made
the last 80 well. A votre sante
"There was no way Of keeping
that cabin werm one baked his back
and froze his front, or reversed tho
treatment. l tried to sing-I'd" a
voice in those days Ito recite, to
read, play solitaire-useless At
last, worn with loneliness, bored,
cold, | went TO bed, and, with the
long, lone howl OF the hungry coyotes,
the despairing shrioks of icy blasts
dinning my ears, fell into troubled
sleep.
"IIow long slept l know not, but,
when reused into startled wakeful.
ness, it was with a sense that was
not alone in bed. In my sleep
had instinctivcly tried to tuck the
blankets against nv back. and i'm do