The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-02-28


very poor himself he found it all h
could do to pay his board, and could d,
nothing for her.
one night as he was trying to devise
some plan which he could assist he
a happy tn, MT occurred to him: why
! could he not spend a night in the
haunted room in the Miners Resort,
! and obtain the reward. That would
help the widow McEvoy. Barney lay
awake all night thinking of this plan
He was somewhat affected by fear o.
the ghost, but his generosity overcamt
his fear and he decided to try it. Ac-
! cordingly the next evening as the min
ers were sitting around the gambling
table in the Miners Resort talking OF
! the ghost, Barney announced: BE ia
| bers, an it's meself that'H find out
about that same ghost!"
What! Do you mean it, Barney
Will you try it," cried the miners. "Oi
coorse, said Barney. catching hold OF
his beard. I'm in need of a grubbing
meself, and if the honorable gintlemau
will do it for nothing, begorra, I'm the
boy that's willin'"
You're a brick. Barney" exclaimed
the landlord. delighted at having at
| last found one daring enough TO occupy
the room.
Six of the strongest and boldest men
the camp afforded were chosen to form
the guard, and it was decided that the
next night Barney Finnegan should
sleep in the haunted room. The next
evening on rising from the supper table,
Barney said: Mrs. McEvoy. I'm going
down to the BARRIERS to get shaved, so
1 won't be home till morning" And
wry not? Sure, you won't be all night
getting shaved?"
No, but I'm going to be shaved by
the BARRIERS ghost, so I'll not be home
tonight" No, nor tomorrow night OF
the next night, aither, if that's the
case" she said. "Oh, wurra, wurral
what put such an idea into your head,
you omadhaun? Don't you know that
ii you go into that room you'll never
come out alive?"
Now, Mrs. McEvy, acushla,' said
Barney, "act like the sensible woman
that you are You cannot believe all
you hear about that ghost, an I'm just
going to see what it is that the crathur
wants, that he bothers people as he
does. Now, I'm off, an be sure you
have a good breakfast for me in the
morning."
AS Barney entered the saloon, about
9 o'clock, he was greeted by loud
cheer, and after an hour or so of talk
ing the whole company assembled the
stairs, Barney at the head, singing:
'Oh, Brigid McSheehy,
Your eyes are the death O me,
And your laugh like fairy stroke,
Knocks out the breath O. me-"
On reaching the door, Barney entered,
leaving the others outside. The land
lord then locked the door and gave the
key to one of the guards. The company
after seeing the guards in their places,
went down stairs to play cards and
await the result of Barney's venture.
On being left alone, Barney examined
every nook, and finding nothing wrong,
went to bed. After sleeping few
hours he awoke to find great storm
raging outside, and loud and shrill,
above the sound of the wind he heard
the words, Get sha-a-aved!"
Leaping wildly from the bed he
rushes to the door to find it locked.
Turning he gazes around the room, but
there is nothing to warrant his terror,
except the repeated words, Get sha-
a-aved!" Get sha-a-aved!'
He springs to the window and opens
it. A gust of wind eXtinguishes the
light, leaving him in total darkness. He
extends his hand out of the window
and it is heavily struck by something
which proves to be the branch of a
large old tree bent to and fro by the
force of the wind. Suddenly a smile
breaks over his face as he draws in his
bruised fingers. Nodding sagely, ne
takes a sheet from the bed and winds
it about himself, saying: Sure, I'll be
the ghost meself." Then going to the
door he knocks loudly on it, and the
guards thinking that he has been
frightened by the ghost, opened it, but
when they see that it is the ghost
himself, they rush headlong down the
stairs, shouting, THE ghost! the ghost
is after us! fly for your iives!"
The company, panic-stricken, spring
from the table and flee precipitately.
Barney, coming into the room a few
seconds later, found the room deserted
and a shining heap of gold on the table |
Now" thought he, there's that villun
Bill Barnes gould, that he wronged |
McEvoy out of seven years ago, so I'll
Just take it and give it to the widow"
Taking the gold, he went up to the |
room and slept soundly till morning. |
On going into the saloon the next |
Barney found all the men
-alking excitedly of last nights occur
'ence. He was greeted with, well, /
Barney, what happened? Did you see /
he ghost?"
Did II" said Barney, "faix. thin, 1 !
lid. After sleeping for a few hours /
asst night 1 woke to find the barber |
the length of me beard and |
ixing me, Did I want to get shaved?'
God save your honor says 1. sitting
Up, I hope l find you well, sir (being, /
you see, as 1 thought to meself. polite /
less marks the true gentleman, !
Whist says he, squeezing me hand so /
lard that he bruised it into mashed .
,ratie, almost, Whist, spake aisy,' /
md then he made a bargain and told +
ne he would make me a present of /
nough gold to carry me back to Dir
and, and that he would never be seen |
IT heard again if / would-but shure
II not be after telling you what I'm
o do
But will you do it, Barney?" asked
he landlord
= I'm afther thinking 1 will for an
'ther $780,
Accordingly, the landlord after some
hesitation, drew up an agreement,
that if, after the night that
Barney proposed to Danish the ghost,
should not be heard again for thirty
lays, the reward of $500 was Barney's.
The next night being stormy one,
Barney went up to the room to Danish
he ghost, who was very much in evil
ence that night with his Get
ha-a-ved"
The 'exorcist" walked directly to the
window and opened it, thus apostro-
hiking the ghost" "Oho, is this
where you are? No wonder you were
ever found then, an it's afther shaw
ng your last shave you are, I'm
linking; so, out of this with you"
md Barney cut off a few branches
rom the top of the large tree under
he window, which, shaken by the
Tind, rubbed its topmost branches
gainst the easement, thus producing
ounds not unlike the words Get
ha-a-aved!'