Smyrna times., 1902-02-19
JIM'S SPIRIT
! RAPPIN' YARN
By Charles Weisted
wright, 1901, By A. S. Richardson.

ronDin' business amt in my line. New
or did go much on it, and l was always
rrillin to give it the go by" with the
rest of you until the night when No.
rs missed that holdup down near the
canyon. Never told you fellows just
how that thing happened, did [? Well,
the reason l didn't make my little
speech then holds good now, only 1
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 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 l went over with the
girl-that's Mamie. my wife now-and
a couple of her friends to see the little
man do his turn. l saw it, and darned
if it didn't give me the creeps-that
ere plaster hand waggin' and rappin'
top of a 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 1
was on the night shift. It's a lonely
job bein' a 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 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 it didn't. 1 rushed to the
door. jerked it open, and there stood
Mamie herself and two of them wo-
men folks. Well, smotherin' Moses!
I thought had taken a fit, when all
at once l 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 hard look. cause l guess | had
acted queer, and just then l 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. Hunkers is a 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 filed at that time with rail-
way orkers, W. o were fixin' the new
iron | idge outside the town. Well, 1
goes ack to my desk, and after the
usual messages were off. though it is
ag'in ihe rules, 1 lay down for a nap
and fixed my clock with the alarm to
rattle off in an hour.
There was a good hour and a half
before the next train was due. 1t was
Just little after midnight when l lay
down. l 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 a holdup wreck
Somewheres. When l wakes enough
TO know just where l was, l had a
laugh to myself and lays down again.
But | woke again, and this time |
could swear l heard the telegraph in
srument rattle off zee. .. :.
=. -. - =, - - -
- =.
Hold 18-danger ahead" 1t was O
most unusual kind of message. l wait
ed In silence and listened, but no, the
instrument never budged. looked al
the clock. Only been asleep, all told
twenty-five minutes. No. IS was the
express. and by this time she must bt
within fifteen miles of Foxdale. Then
great snakes and spiders! l heard
again .". =. =. -. -..
= = :.
ana was watchin' my instrument
100. Not one moved. Mamie was OIL
that train or perhaps l would have
laughed the thing off. No. heard il
all right.
grabbed the key and called Platt
Fllie' Foxdale and Hunkers. all in turn
fsXln, did you send any orders t.
rorest CityF" Queer thing for me t.
uo' cause in ordinary events / had tC
respond to the call before l could get