Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1901-09-11

earnest truth"
fairs myself" | rejoined; but let me
ask you If you are positively sure there
is no trick in the thingY'
He gave Il hollow laugh.
Hanging in the house," he said, "is
my repeating rifle. Men will tell you
that | am the best shot In the country,
and that's saying good deal l can kill
sparrow, and perhaps butterfly. You
observe that log is not more than fifty
yards distant. and yet | swear TO you
| have repeatedly drawn dead aim
on the thing as Ii danced plainly in
sight. l have fired, but still 1t always
stood shaking its arms wildly in the
air. I've shot dozens of times at 1t,
but can't kill 1t, for 1t is not human"
No one would try the prank for
For instance, suppose they wished to
buy the place cheaply. perhaps this
ghost story might induce you to sell
1t at sacrifice"
do you think" he returned, quick
| ly, that any one who knows Abel
Shelly would care to assume such des-
perate chances before his rifle? Oh.
no. There Is nobody who would take
that risk. Besides, l should have
killed 1t long ago If there was any
thing TO kill. 1t always comes in the
afternoon" continued Shelly, but
never at night. You perceive 1t re-
verses the accepted time of nocturnal
visitation
IL do not consider myself more cour-
ageous than men generally" l replied,
but | would be glad If you would no.
tlfy me IL this object appears again
during my stay. Perhaps | may be
able to investigate more satisfactorily
than you have DONE"
Very WELL" he replied, 81 will do
| so''
| had a sweet sleep that night, and
| no ghost haunted my dreams, and 1t
was only when | awakened that
recalled the conversation of the pre-
| vious day. | could not doubt that Mr..
| Shelly and his wife were both thor
| oughly honest In their convictions,
still | could not bring myself to ac-
cept the thing as supernatural.
| dressed, and, as was my custom, went
out to the kennel to visit my friend
Captain, for by this time there was
| a mutual attachment between us, and
| would sooner have trusted the beasts
loyalty than l would most mems. With
Captain as an ally l should feel com
paratively safe, for he WAS the very
perfection Of bravery.
The day was pleasant, there was not
a cloud in the sky, and gentle wind
blew with delicious GOODNESS. Dinner
had been very late, for Mrs. Shelly was
not well. 1t was drawing toward five
o'clock when l took my accustomed
seat on the porch with my pipe. Shelly
Joined me; his wife was sitting inside
the window. My eyes were involuntar-
lily turning toward the fallen tree. Shell.
ly OWNED my thoughts, for he shook
his head gravely, smoked on and said
nothing. Suddenly there came a half
suppressed cry from Mrs. Shelly, and
at the same instant her husband ex-
claimed:
"There, don't you see 1t! Lookw
gazed steadily at the spot, but could
discern nothing unusual, and told him
so
"And you don't see itT' he cried.
watch how 1t waves its arms toward
us, and dances on the log
l arose to my feet and went to the
edge of the porch. Every foot of the
tree trunk was visible, but nowhere
could l discern a ghost. | absolutely
could see nothing but the old weather
beaten and decaying log.
"Heavens!" exclaimed Shelly, sob
serve how wildly it tosses its arms.
| and see how its drapery trails"
l took a steady look at the speaker,
| for l could not reconcile the matter,
| and l said:
81 will try and solve this thing"
Don't go there" implored Mrs.
Shelly, as l stepped on the ground.
| made no reply, but walked straight
to Captains kennel, and unclaimed
| him.
"Old boy" l said, patting his head,
you and | will try together. Come
along"
The noble fellow appeared to compre-
hend me, for he looked up in my face,
licked my hand, and walked gravely
by my side. He didn't frisk or gambol,
but behaved with the seriousness be-
coming the occasion. | went straight
down the road, mounted the fence and
| Jumped over, Captain keeping little
in my advance. l had excited the crea-
ture by talking to him until the hair
stood stiffiy up on his neck, and his
eyes glared like Goals. TO my utter con-
sternation, when he was dashing ahead
bravely, and about twenty feet from
the tree, he. gazed in a dazed manner
for an instant, and, utterlng a sharp
cry, dropped his tail between his legs,
and rushed back to the house with all