The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-04-29
The House Of the Black
y : ~. Ring e.,.e..s. 1905

TreSSler mad come UP on business.
He was staying with Amos. IL
"No-o-o! Dew telli" cackled the old
man.
Say, this is gettin' sorter kinder
close, as the darkey said when the mule
kicked him." observed Amos. This
makes five breaks to my certain knowl-
edge: Snyder's owe to White Deer
Valley; the postoffice in Blair's Gap:
McCormick's on Bottle river; and two
creek. Better keep your eye peeled
these nights, Squire. You'll be next.
There's a regular gang at this"
Say, Ulie," observed the squire, ig-
noring Amos, ever stop to think there
hain't been a robbery in this section for
80 years fore the Farthings come in
here? Mind yeh, j amt making no
charges, but have you thought OF it,"
"Oh, pshaw, Squirrel" calculated Dan,
who was much holder now he had moth
ing to lose. You've got Farthing On
the brain. There amt no honester man
in Pennsylwaney still than Al Farthing.
Nosuh! You're mad at him jest be-
u he's got a little of your trade
still, and you've made UP your mind to
ruin him unst."
If he's all right I a to ask you. a
few questions: Where does he get all
that money? / offered 'em six hundred
dollars for that little mare and they
said they wouldn't take two hundred
and fifty thousand. Money amt NJ
object up there. They've gut 1t to
burn. Then where does he and one
OF his boys go lodging off to every
few days? Where does all that
store stuff come from that he's trying
to sell you fellers? Mighty little freight
comes for him down to Spruce creek.
Then why do these store robberies be-
gin jest the minute he gets here, and
why does the trouble VI at the old
cabin take up at Jest the same time?
Heigh2"
Now, that's pretty thin evidence, I
call 1t, SQUIRE" retorted Dan. Fore
I tried to take a mans reputation away
I'd get something better than that"
"Oh, no; you don't believe nothing
about that old house! oh. moi" Lem
Fisher had Strengthened up on his nail
keg. You don't believe there's some
thing strange about that old house?
Never seen a thing there, did yeh? Oh,
MOI"
Say, Dan," Uttered another, II
heard they measured your jumps mex
morning, and some Of 'em vas % feet
Already"
Punt yeh hand right onto the house,
didn't yeh wunst?" A burst of good
natured laughter echoed about the
stove.
'WaI, 1 did see somesing," admitted
hesitatingly; but as I have told
yeh a dozen times, I hain't saying it's
a ghost still. l run fore I knowed 1t.
One don't have to be a ghost to swear
The one IA hat of the man
defending his last ditch.
"Humph! You can't get out Of II hat
way" broke in Lem In high key.
you know there hain't been no track
in there all winter. You know 1t.
- AL -. H. NrA.. 1861
that awful black ring"
"Fiddlesticks! Cats and a fiddle!"
burst in Amos. "Of all the old gran
MES! I'm going up there some day and
tear that old shanty down, hide and
Darned IL 1 amt. I'm good and
sick OF all this tarnal nonsense I've
been hearin' here night and day.
Haunted house!-Oh, Lordl"
You go slow, Amos Hardin; you go
slow. We-uns knows what we's
attacking about. Yessuh! Against the
you've been UP there some dark
night and been into that house then
you can talk. But you keep still
against that time, for we-uns have saw
with our eyes wunst, and heard ii
with u ears. Yessuh!"
HUH" snorted Amos.
Now, the whole matter Is Jest here"
continued Lem impressively. I'VE
might as well speak it right out as to
all thinking about 1t. AL Farthin's
a hacker" He lowered his voice and
about the room furtively, as If
some fearful creature might be lurking
in q dark corner. Hes a hacker and
. pow-wower; / know 1t. You can tell
that jest by lookin' at his eyes-kinder
sharp and beady, like a weasel's, and
they never keep still a minute, but
all the time shiftin' quick's
lightning this way and that way. / tell
that amt an honest eye still.
And you needn't tell me he don't know
going on in that ole shanty. If
ain't noticed it Inc hain't tried to
find out what's up, then he's a fool.
and whatever else AL Farthin' Is he
no fool. OF course he knows 1t,
and of course he's at the bottom of it.
And he's a pow-wower and a hacker
you mind what I sayes, and you watch
sharp how you u ag'in him." He
wagged his head in solemn warning.
1t was evident hat the man was in
earnest and that he believed all
he had said. 1t was plain too that
the little circle also believed 1t. To
Amos, however, the matter was a red
rag.
"Pow-wower!" he exploded, straight
ening up and glowering about him. IF
pow-wow q few brains into
your Dutch skulls 1t would be the
thing that ever happened In
valley. I can pow-wow jest as well
as AL Fartin' can. If he's a pow-wower
you git him down here some day, and
I'll pow-wow the pow-wow out of him
In three minutes"
Il wouldn't make a speech like that,
sub, for no amount of money. Nosuh!"
Ulie lowered his voice solemnly. i've
saw pow-wowing and hacking, I have,
fore now, and you've saw 1t, Poppy
The old man mumbled a decided
and nodded impressively.
II tell YOU" went on Ulie, pow
wowing amt to be spoke of in that
way. It's a mighty serious thing, pow
wowing is. 1 could tell enough cases
to fill a book as big as 10 awmnicks,
and Poppy here could tell yeh twict as
many more already. 1 tell you it's an
thing to &c against a hacker
wunst, an awful thing" He rolled out
the words in se%pulchural tones.
"Yessuh, he's right" chimed In Lem
who was the valley archives On
occult. What was it that give
the oppnehmer to Katie Barndollar?
What was 1t that drawed the lightning
on Andy Bowersock's barn? What was
IT that killed Luke Snyder'-he spoke
in a shuddering whisper-"down in
Turkey Bottom and left the great black