Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-02-22
INNS SPIRIT
] RAPPIN' YARN
Copyright, 1901, By A. 8. Richardson.
By Charles Welsted

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Well. now. tell you. boys. this spirit
rappin' business amt in my line. New
err did go much on II. and | was always
willin' TO give II the go by" with the
rest of you until the night when No.
is missed that holdup down near the
canyon. Never told you fellows just
how that thing happened. did l! Well.
the reason | didn't make my little
speech then holds good now. only l
am goin' To give il 10 you. and you can
laugh and be hanged.
You all know that night afore the
capture of Spike McCree's gang ut
the canyon that II smooth faced duck
came In town and rented the big hall
over Sherlie's tc give a 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. saw IL, and darned
If II didn't give me the creeps-that
ere plaster hand Vaughn and rappin'
top of sheet of glass and the room
darkened 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' n telegrapher at a small
station like this way up here. and
got 10 thinkin' and wishin Mamie
would give up goin' to them affairs.
when suddenly there were rap on the
office door. and heard NAMES voice.
Great snakes. bet l turned green
and white at once. 1t sounded like
one of them voices from that unseen
world the little man was tellin' Of
hanged If IL didn't. l rushed to the
door, jerked it open. and there stood
Mamie herself and two of them wo-
men folks. Well. smotherin' Mosesi
/ thought | had taken a fit, when all
at once | remembered that the women
were goin' down TO Hunkers on the
midnight express. which in those days
used to take In water here. | had
clean forgot. too. that Mamie was 60
in along. In they came after givin'
me n hard look cause ! guess l 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 a few minutes. with
old Teddy Bloss at the engine lever
and Bob Fox firm. l found just a
word with both as l gave the con-"
his reports. Then l piled Mamie and
the women into the coach and came
back To the office.
Now. Hunkcrs Is good seventy-flve
mile from here and the canyon just
about fifteen mile this side. Foxdale.
| just afore you enter the canyon, was
pretty well filed nj 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 II Is
ag'in the rules. lay down for n nap
and fixed my clock with the alarm TO
rattle off in an hour.
| There was good hour and q half
before the next train was due. II was
just little after midnight when l lay
down. could not have slept long
when suddenly awoke all In a 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 holdup wreck
somewheres. When I wakes enough
TO know just where | was. | had
laugh TO myself and lays down again.
But | woke again. and this time
could swear heard the telegraph in
strument rattle of Gee. :. -.