Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1906-10-04
HIS HARDEST
LUCK

TAX about hard 'u-k, the hardest luc
4 | ever heard Of come O. old man Nc
I Bride Probably none ct sou knew O.
4 Danny Mcbride the man who Va
4 drowned trying 20 escape from Black
wells Island 40 offence intended in
F. not insinuating TIA. any Of you did know
him. / never knew him myse.f-lcas.
WAYS not when D. was alive Well eiCh
or nine wears AGO / was the victim u
a case Of mistaken identity. and the judg,
sent me 70 the island for thirty days
and there / heard ab0u, Mcbride III,
had hid himself along the shore one dal
they let YOU ont with only a guar.
: standing round. underSand-and al
night be- found q boat and vas roWin.
4 across 20 the city when a tug ran hin
down, and h. vas drowned. And th.
story was that he'd been seen Of a might
lately rowing back and forth across III,
river. just ike he was doing when he
vas drowned didn't believe the story
but IL gave me a good idea. II be could
do 1t. / could do IT, only ] wouldn't
bother with a boat I'd swim. So
slipped away from the guard next day
and waited until il WIS dark, and then
/ crept into The water on the east side
and | started 70 swim across.
But just as ! struck on. heard a voice
in front Of me. and ] looked up AM
there was Old Danny Mcbride himself
II sat night down IN the water. II u
| had been four inches deeper | should've
/ drowned where ! was, for / hadn't sense
/ enough left 70 have saved myself lie
/ was al white. and his boat was white
/ lie was b-.dheaded and had a long
beard. agd he looked dcad-awful dead
/ I could see the electric lights Of Long
Island City -iEh. through him
Hello. pari1--.' says he. What you
'fraid Of / amt no patrol boat Want
a lift across the river,
What are y0g says l. nv voice
coming back. but shaly Are YOU the
ghost Of Danny NcB-.ie'
Ghosts says he, throwing back his
head and laughing DO you believe in
ghosts Don't you do it. There amt
no such things as ghosts.
There amt SAYS /. some doubtful
Certainly not Don't you suppose !
know"
Well. Of course. I couldn't dispute
with a thing like that. which certainly
had the facts But If you could o. seen
him sitting there, laughing. with the
green light from the starboard side q
a tugboat shining right through him, you
would o. wanted something better than
his word for il
Then what are YOU" saws /.
This says he tapping himself where
the light sh1ne through him. ".h.s Is
my astral body You understand
Wei. ] couldn't see much difference
between a ghost and an astral body IT
that time o. night, but didn't say moth
ing 10 offend him.
You want to get over TO the Long
Island shore :" SAYS he "All right. get
in here with ne. l know how 1t is my
self"
/ didn't want him 70 think W.
green, so ! put my hand on The gunne,
o the boat and threw one leg over the
side. cool as anything. But my foot
went right through the bottom Of the
boat back into the water again The
boat wasn't anything but a kind Of FOG
Hold on" says Old Danny. that
won't do Do you reckon I carry garden
truck in this b0at2 Or paving stones ?
Take off your body and leave it in them
weeds over there"
SO / done what he told me to. and
when ! come back | climbed into the
boat as dry as you please, and We rowcd
across the river 20 pier on the other
side. He hitched his boat and | climbed
out and left him. ! was in such a hurry
to &c, away that ! ran right through
the corner Of a pile Of lumber and never
noticed it,
But when ] got out on TO the street II
pulled up short. had forgot all abou;
my body that I'd left lying in them weed,
over on Blackwells Island Here was a
pretty kettle % fish ! was in Long Is
land City and my body was half way
across the Fast River. Surprising Nc
Bride had gone away-how was | going
10 get over % II again.
| put back 70 that pier on a run, !
can tell you; and this time ! never
stopped for lumber piles or warehouses
or nothing. ! went right plumb through
buildings. and all The old fellow wa
just untying his boat when | reached |
him.
Hold on says I. "Wait a minute"
"Oh. its you, is it," said he. What |
wrong"
Why, we've left my body over there
says !, pointing with my fog arm across /
the channel
We'll" says the old fellow, what else f.
could we do?'
But | want it," says l. 81 need it in
my business Do you think Pm going |
over to the city like this;' and ! hit
myself a misty blow on the chest How |
could | ever face my friends again."
Hmm" says Old Danny, stroking
his beard well well; there is some !
thing in that" He thought a minute or
two. and then he says: I'll tell you I.
what TO do Go and wake up somebody /
you can trust and get him TO row oyor
after your body
So off 7 went for Dick Murphy He
was pretty badly scared when he 81 n |
me standing by hi, bed and he wa,
worse scared when / got him down 10 |
the pier and he saw Mcbride. for Id T
been a. pall-bcarer at the old mans fun /
eral only the year before
But ! didn't know you was dead, too /
says he all Of a shivcr
"Oh, I amt dead" I says; "Pm
just" And then looked at Nc
Bride. "Say." says / 10 him. how about