Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-11-13
A D. abb at
TOriginall


IOriginall
One summer night, or rather morn
ing. cabman nodding on his box drove
slowly up Broadway. New York. Pass
ing old Trinity church the chimes in
tie tower above rang out, followed by
the stroke of 2.
"Hello.' cried voice.
Tie cabman, ever mindful of a fare.
reused himself and, turning, saw a
man standing in the iron gateway be-
fore the church. There was little of his
face or figure visible, for the former
was shaded by the brim of singular
three cornered hat. the latter wrapped
in a long cloak. The cabman drew up
at the curb. The stranger opened the
cab door and stepped hastily in, giving
a hurried order to drive northward
along the river bank. On reaching
point opposite Weehawken the
stranger called upon the cabman to
stop, alighted and walked toward the
river.
1t was now early dawn. On COM
ing to tile waters, edge he looked
about him as though expecting some
one, then up and down the river,
glancing impatiently at his watch.
The cabman continued to- eye him
wonderingly, though he was tired and
sleepy. Was it drowssness that made
the queer figure seem to fiutter in the
wind? A boat touched the shore pulled
by two men in the same garb as the
stranger. He stepped in and was
rowed away straight across the river.
Then it seemed to the cabman that he
had lost consciousness for a second and
the men pulling away in boat had
been a dream. He looked about for
the stranger, but he had indeed disap-
peared.
Suddenly the stiffness was broken by
a distant crack, or, rather, it was two
cracks SO near together as to be scarce
ly distinguished. Just then the leaves
of the trees were stirred by light
breeze, and it seemed to the cabman
that something uncanny was in the
wind Indeed, though it was a warm
July morning, he shivered as if he had
been struck by cold draft from
tomb.
The next thing the cabman knew
tho two men who had taken the stran-
ger away. were pulling rapidly down
the river. The stranger himself was
nowhere to be seen, but the men seem
ed to be regarding anxiously something
in the bottom OF the boat invisible from
the shore. The cabman, bent on hold
ing to those mysteriously linked with
the man who owed him fare, whipped
up his horse and followed them down
along the shore. 1t was hard chase,
but he managed to keep them in sight,
and finally they turned toward the
shore. When they landed, cabby was
there to meet them. The stranger was
stretched in the bottom Of the boat
Taking him up, his companions carried
him ashore and placed him inside the
cab. The cabman, all in a fiutter,
mounted the box and was about to
drive away when he remembered that
in his excitement he had not asked
for Instructions. Looking back to do
SO, not a ghost Of man who had been
there was to be seen. AS soon as he
could sufficiently recover from his as
tonishment he bent over to ask the
question Of the man inside. The face
was ashen and had taken on CHASTITY
glare.
Drive" moaned the sufferer.
"Where?"
'sTo the church yard.
The cabman lashed his horse, his cab
swaying from curb to curb, it's driver
swaying as well on the box, the people
rushing to get out of the way. Now
and again policeman dashed into the
street to stop him, but he was driving
too fast for them and left them ali be-
hind.
"Faster!' called the passenger in q
dying voice. "I'Il be caught in the
maelstron1"
The cab at last drew up at the gate
way Of Old Trinity. The cabman was
about to get down and help the man
out when he saw him fit rather than
walk or run in through the gateway,
pass right through an iron fence and
into the churchyard Down jumped
the cabman and dashed after him, call
ing for his fare. Passing around an
through the headstones, he managed to
keep the man. or, rather, ghost-for by
this time it resemble1 dissolving buff
cloud-in sight.
There is a monument on the southern
side Of the churchyard partaking nei-
ther Of the style Of the seventeenth nor
of the nineteenth century, but a Pc
riod betwixt the two. To this monu-
ment the fading object foated, and
thither the cabman staggered. But on
reaching it not sign CT a living being
was to be seen. Dazed, he tried to
steady himself against the tomb, but
the gravestones, the high buildings
surrounding the chrrclIyard. the spire,
all began to rock as il they We're tow
ers on so-ie gigantic vessel, and-well,
that's all the cabman knew. Indeed,
he sank down on the grave with his
head resting against the monument.