Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1908-08-14
Haven't you ever investigated it?'


"Well, you're singular sort OF man
10 have a phenomenon like that oc.
curing under your eyes every day,
and not investigate it"
II dunno, maybe So
Hasn't any one in these parts
ever investigated it?"
well, now. since you ask, Pear.
sons boy-right rromisin' sort of lad
was Jeff-he did kind O. lay in wait
.ur the pesky hoop one evening long
side yonder rock, half way up the
aill."
When was this?" ...
About last May. eff reck'lect.
and what happened? What did
he find out?"
well. now, p'r'aps he found out
something and p'raps he didn't. Cant
say"
Cant say! Why not?" ...
"Well-you-see - JEFF. he never
spoke no more after that pesky hoop
came a-rollin' up to where he was
waitin' 'longside o. the rock. Jest
threw up his hands an came a-runAin'
down the hill ahead o the hoop like
he was bein' chased by some sort O.
devil or mother, an hid himself away
In the OF straw stack over there"
Singular"
"Ye-es, ct was sort o singular. An
when me an his father dug him out O
the stack, he was plumb daft, an he
amt ever spoke since then. I3ut
dunno whether ct was someth!n' aboTt
the pesky black hoop that did ct, or
whether he was sort o. struck by the
lightnin as he got up in front O. the
rock to git good look at the hoop,
for, you see, ct was durin' lectric
storm that JEFF lay in wait up thar on
the hill, an me an his father was
taliin' down here about what big
cool he was, when we saw a streak O.
ightnin' hit the rock whar he was
Waitin'. an then jeff came a-tumblin'
down the hill in front O. the pesky
hoop, an hid in the OF straw stack"
did any one. after that, attempt
to get a close view OF the hoop?"
mot that know of. Pearsons boys
trouble has kind O scared everybody
away, an we jest let the hoop roll an
keep out of its road. We're generally
O. the opinion hereabouts that the
devils business amt none of ours"
With this rural philosophy, the old
farmer turned and went into the farm
house. leaving the tourist with whom
he had been conversing standing very
much perplexed, gazing off at the sky
line Of long slope that began among
a clump of trees about a quarter of a
! mile away and ended at the bank Of
the river that wound by the old farm
er's domain.
Every evening at shutdown for al
most year past black hoop about
four feet in diameter had been seen
at distance of some 40 feet from
the clump of trees at the top, and roll
rapidly down the incline, to vanish
like an apparition within a short dis
lance of the river below.
What this mysterious black hoop
was, no one knew; and since jeff Pear
sons misfortune no one had attempt
ed to investigate the phenomenon.
The old farmer had even advised the
tourist to leave the matter severely
alone; but James Moor was deter.
mined to investigate for himself, and
he started off towards the slope, when
suddenly, from a point about 40 feet
below the clump of trees at the top of
the incline, the black hoop-appear
ing as unaccountably as if drawn out
Of thin air-began it's usual evening
descent, just as if thick barrel
hoop, lying fiat high up on the slope,
had suddenly erected itself from the
short grass and began to roll down
the hill Only, when this mysterious
black wheel had arrived within 20
feet of the river below, 1t vanished as
suddenly and as strangely as it had
come.
Three times before James Moor
had witnessed this remarkable phe-
nomenon, but he was not less amazed
at witnessing it for the fourth time
In fact, the thing grew more uncanny
at each successive occurrence, and the
tourist felt almost grateful that he
had not met with the hoop in it's de-
scent. If he had, he might now be
hiding in the old farmers straw stack!
Yet. now that the phe1 omenon was
over for the day, he could safely inyes-
tigate the track Of the black hoop. So
setting off, James Moor climbed to the
top of the slope and carefully. exam
ined that particular spot where the
apparition always made its appear
ance, but he discovered nothing un-
usual in the ground thereabout, it be-
ing like all the rest of the uncultivated
land in those parts-covercd with
short grass, with a few pebbles and
stones scattered abour. and here and
there a gopher or squirrel hole.
Slowly and painstakingly he made
his way down the incline in the late
track Of the mysterious circle, ending
his investigation at the bank of the
river near which the apparition had
suddenly faded into nothing-and end
ing it in vain, for the nature OF the
manifestation remained as profound
mystery as before, and as uncanny.
Returning to the farmhouse, he fell
into deep meditation about the mat
ter; after which he dropped asleep,
to dream that the black hoop was
made of smoke, and was bowled every
evening down the slope by an invis-
ibie fiend, who invariably vanished at
the rivers bank, taking the hoop with
him, into a nice, clean hole in the
air.
Ill., oo~+ o,,ooirr Ton,oc Moor Law