The Press., 1902-07-03
TINS SPIRIT
! RAPPlN' YARN
By ChAries Welsted
} Copyright, 1901, by A. 8. Richardson.

~ee@e@eSS Il
Copyright, 1901, by A. 8. Richardson.
4S>s-e-..~-s.~-.-~l~A%-..%.-~.-~~~~>~>
Well. now, tell you, boys, this spirit
rappin' business amt in my line. New
er did 60 much on it, and I was always
svillin' to give it the ''go by" with the
rest Of you until the night when No.
18 missed that holdup down near the
canyon. Never told you fellows just
how that thing happened, did 1? Well,
the reason l didn't make my little
speech then holds good now, only /
am goin' to give it to you, and you can
laugh and be hanged!
You all know that night afore the
capture of Spike McCree's gang at
the canyon that a smooth faced duck
came In town and rented the big hall
over Sherlie's to give spirit rappin'
exhibition and git messages for the
women folk from the unseen world"
With his clean shaved face and pious
look. the women fairly worshiped the
little man. He had been here once or
twice afore, SO went over with the
girl-that's Mamie, my wife now-and
couple Of her friends to see the little
man do his turn. I saw it, and darned
IL 1t didn't give me the creeps-that
ere plaster hand waggin' and rappin'
top Of a sheet Of glass and the room
dafkened and as still almost as death
itself.
Well, quit afore the game was over
and turned up at the station here, for /
was on the night shift. It's lonely
Job, bein' q telegrapher at a small
station like this way up here. and l
got to thinkin' and wishin' Mamie
would give up goin' to them affairs.
when suddenly there were a rap on the
Office door, and heard Mamie's voice.
Great snakes! l bet turned green
and white at once. 1t sounded like
one OF them voices from that :'unseen
world the little man was teilin'A Of
hanged IL 1t didn't I rushed to the
door. jerked it open, and there. stood
Mamie herself and two of them wo-
men folks. Well. smotherin' Moses!
tAought ! had taken fit, when all
ast Oh co ii ramemb mbered that the women
were goin' down to Hunkers on the
midnight express. which in those days
used to take in water here. I had
clean forgot. too. that Mamie was go
In along. In they came after givin'
me a hard look. cause l guess had
acted queer, and just then gets word
over the wire that the express was two
minutes ahead of schedule time.
In she rolled in few minutes, with
old Teddy Bloss at the engine lever
and Bob Fox firm. found just a
word with both as l gave the "con."
bis reports. Then ! piled Mamie and
the women into the coach and came
back to the Office.
Now. Hunkers is good seventy five
mile from here and the canyon just
about fifteen mile this side. Foxdale,
just afore you enter the canyon, was
pretty well filled at that time with rail-
way workers. who were fixin' the new
iron bridge outside the town. Well, |
goes back to my desk, and after the
usual messages were off. though it is
ag'in the rules j. lay down for a nap
and fixed my clock with the alarm to
rattle off in an hour. .,. ..
There was a good hour and half
before the next train was due!~, 1t was
just a. little after midnight when lay
down. Il could not have slept long
when suddenly / awoke all in sweat
with excitement. had dreamed that
the spirit rappin' gent was gettin mes.
sages from, Mamie for me- and she had
just been killed in IA holdup wreck
somewheres. When l wakes enough
to know just where ] was. had a
laugh to myself and lays down again.
But ] woke again. and this time
could swear heard the telegraph in,
strument rattle Off .... -. = =.
Hold 18-danger ahead!' 1t was q
most unusual kind OF message. | wait.
ed in silence and listened. but no. the
/ instrument never budged. looked a,
the clock Only been asleep. all told
twenty-five minutes! No. 18 was the
express. and by this time she. must be
within fifteen miles of Foxdale. Then
great snakes and spiders! heard
IL AGAIN =. -. -....
and was watchin' my instrument
too. Not one moved. Mamie was OF
that train or perhaps l would have
laughed the thing off. No. t. heard ID
AL right tt n. ~ fs@3.-F y. ,H NJ.
grabbed the key and called Platt
vile, Foxdale and Hunkers. all in turn
askin'. did you send any orders te
Forest CityY Queer thing for me tc
do. cause In ordinary events | had te
respond to the call before | could gel
the message. so OF course In each case
the reply came .no."
There was somethin' up with me
sure! ! turned to get my pipe and
have smoke to quiet my nerves. fol
was just a !, little worked uI
Wnen- SEP -.
There is no use talkin'. boys. heard
that message. Sonethin' had TO be
done quick. decided to act FIRST ant
think after. but then II was wrong my
/ excuse for holdin' the express would
mot 60 at headquarters. Again
hesitated. thinkin' excitedly. and In ths
| midst Of IT. .... =. -. 80.
seized the key and called Foxdaie
'Hold No 1877 flashed along. Then
why added It I can't say. but i CON
tinued. Stranger here who says traci
to Hunkers out of order" They dret
all sorts OF queries at me and finally
replied. "Don't know the man. and b
has gone" ..,ss,
Wen. wired this same fake to head
| quarters. for had gone that FAR nov
and had to carry 1t out. II ever Their
: was sorry man. It was Jim Neither