The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-02-03
A GhOS:ly Experience
BY Sam Davis.

feelings of the reader.
A ghost story, no matter how en-
tertaining it nay be. IL a pure fab
rication, has no business in print, for
the world is full of people so credu.
lous in disposition that the most alb.
surd things, if told with u serious
mir, are apt to be accepted as the
truth, and the grossest errors, foist.
ed upon the public by careless inven-
tion, become perpetuated as estao-
lished facts.
make these observations that the
reader may become acquainted with
my views upon subjects supernatural
ut the beginning of the narrative.
The time was winter, and the scene
of the manifestation a lonely moor
lying between the city of Carson,
which is the capital of Nevada, and
the small farm where for some years
past l have raised hay, cattle and a
small family.
A political function had kept me
u rather late, and 1 was driving
home after midnight.
The night was clear and s~tarlit,
with snow on the ground and the air
somewhat nipping in it's disposition.
When about half way home, hav-
ing still two miles to go, / gradually
became aware that something had
happened to my buggy, for it seemed
TO Il with less noise than usual. In
Nevada the wheels of vehicles shrink
from the dryness of the atmosphere.
coupled with the Indifference of their
owners, and mine were no exception
TO the rule. There was always more
or less space between the tire and
the ~felloe, and the ways of the city
had a way of saying hat my mp.
rroach was always heralded by an
internal %clatter which betokens n
careless man with all his buggy
wheels out of repair.
1t seemed to me suddenly that
something like 25 per cent. of the
usual clatter of the vehicle had
reased, and I was at a loss to un-
derstand why. The feeling came
over me so strongly that something
unusual had transpired that / hest
tated to ascertain the cause. An ill
defined feeling of dread was upon
me. and, I blush to confess Il, ] real
W feared to look around. Finally, nv
n strong effort, ] summoned my
courage, and, glancing back, was as.
tonished to discover that the off hind
wheel of my buggy had disappeared.
What was more, the vehicle did
not seem to mind it, but ran as level
ms ever. The cessation of the clat-
ter which that wheel always pro-
duced was now explained. but the con-
tinued level running of the buggy
was not. An awful, creepy feeling
now came over me that almost
amounted to a pain. and in the midst
of my wonderment the noise of an
other wheel stopped, and I knew that
It had followed its predecessor. Tho
two hind wheels were gone. / DELHI
erately turned about and investi-
gated. Here l was running along on
an even keel, nautically speaking,
with nothing but my two front
wheels to GO on.
As was considering the probable
ity of the others going. ] noticed a
dim, hazy thing hanging to the hub
of my off front wheel. I speak in n
h0rsey sense, after the name of fol-
lowers of the turf, for in reality the
wheel was still on. The outlines Of
the thing alluded to gradually be-
came more distinct and resolved
itself into the figure of a human be-
ing. and as sur as / was alive it was
trying to take off the nut of the
axle. More fully to illustrate the i'm
pudence of the shadowy individual
In question, / win further state that
my nut wrench was missing, and he
had evidently taken it to remove the
wheels of my own buggy.
l watched him now with more in
terest than fear, for IL occurred to
me that after two wheels were gone
it did not matter much about tlso
Others. and l determined to see the
incident to the end.
In less time than I have taken TO
tell II this ghostly thing actually re.
moved the nut before my eyes. and
then. throwing its weight on the
wheel-if | may be allowed to make
use of the word weight in such a
connection-the wheel and the ghost
rolled over together in the sage
brush. In spite Of the w~eirdness Of
the situation I was obliged to give
vent to a little chuckle, the first in
timation ] had given the ghost of a
knowledge of his presence.
The familiarity which l had in
dulged in with the strange little fell
low seemed to enrage him. for he i'm
mediately became more in evidence.
and. slipping around on the near
side OF the buggy-speaking again in
a horsey sense-he fell to work rap
idly at the wheel, and. circumventing
the mechanical difficulties of the nut
with very little trouble, he had the
wheel spinning into the sagebrush in
short order.
AS l half expected, the ghost made
a dive for the remaining wheel and
fell to work upon the nut. l was
glad to see hat it did not come of
easily. 1t was never a very good fit
for the thread of the axle, and | re-
called many a time when in a hurry