The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-04-01
v. THE HAUNTED MAN.

boss this bunch as longs I'm on top
of the map"
v. THE HAUNTED MAN.
Stupefed silence held till shattered
by laugh of uncouth joy.
Red" Inez cried, jumping up and
overturning her chair. "Red Carne-
han! My Gawd, Red, you've come
back!"
'Tll say have"
Grinning, the gunman slouched to-
ward the table.
They crowded about Carnehan, shak
ing his hands, slapping his back,
screaming and believing hundred
phrases of congratulation, delight, and
amazement, together with questions
innumerable. He suffered the ovation,
laughing, greeting each by name,
yielding his hands to one after an
other.
Then, without warning he began to
strike down the fawning hands and
| thrust his way through the group to-
ward the table.
Lay off me!' he snarled. Lay off
gimme air! I'll bean the next guy
what puts his hands onto me! Lay
off"
"But Red!" Addie protested-'we
thought you was deadw
"You wasn't far wrong, at that"
Carnehan seized the brandy bottle and
chartered its neck against glass into
which he spilled the raw spirit lavish
ly. The drink at his lips, his gaze,
rowing above the brim, discovered and
was transfixed by the pale, set eace of
Priscilla. He started violently. AS
if an invisible but mighty hand had
struck him crashing blow, he stag
gered back, lost his footing, brought
up heavily against the table. Bottle
and glass, escaping his palsied grasp,
crashed to the floor. In a fluttering
breath the blood drained from his
face, and left it livid, leaden and blue.
His widened eyes were fixed in hor-
rOr.
brushed his stiff lips. whats 'at?"
He lifted shaking arm and singled
out Priscilla. His voice became
scream: Name of Gawd! somebody
tell me-what's at there?"
The Nut dropped soothing hand
upon his shoulder.
"Why, Red-it's Nora!'
"Nora?" the gunman chartered. 81
know it's Nora! But what's it doin'
here?"
"But, Red PIN alarm English Adj
die ranged up on his other side and
laid hold of his arm-"why shouldn't
Nora be here?"
"Why" He glared madly at the
woman. "Why, cause she's dead"
"But, REID
dead, tell you! 1 guess oughta
know. Didn't / croak her meself, up
there in the woods, yest'day aft'noon%
He seemed to realize what he had said
and tried to cover it with hysterical
protest. "No; that's lie! Who said 1
croaked her! never, she done it her
self, it was all accident! / tell you /
didn't have nothin' to do with it-her
1
edge before / could catch her, and /
seen her drown! / couldn't help her,
don't know how to swim. I'd we pulled
her out If I had! 1t wasn't my fault
I swear to Gawd it was all acct
dent!"
"But, Red-you're off your nut ~
Addie reasoned. mora couldn't be
dead end here at the same time
"She is dead! Didn't I see her
drown meself? Gawdi 1 amt seen
nothin' since but her face when she
went under, / amt heard nothin' but
her begin me not to
He stammered into incoherence, his
chin sank upon his breast, he glared
at Priscilla with the look of q luna
tic. Abruptly he reused, wild of eye,
features working insanely, and threw
off the hands of Addie and the Nut
'I.emme loose!" he screamed. Lem
| me loose! I croaked her once, but if
once amt enough, I'll croak her again
and make it sure, the
Epithets unspeakably vile fell like
toads from his slavering mouth. He
| tugged at pocket of his trousers
and suddenly an automatic pistol was
| wavering in his hand. With a choking
cry, Priscilla covered. throwing both
hands out to shield her face. The Nut
and A6die fell upon Carnehan bodily.
For a moment it seemed that. they
might be able to hold him. But he
fought with the strength of maniac
The hold Of the English woman was
| broken first, she was thrown off Shrek
| ing for help. The Nut chung desperate
" to Carnehan's pistol hand, striving
to wrest the weapon from him. Then
! others closed in, Carnehan became the
core Of swaying, writing tangle of
| bodies.
1t was, Priscilla thought. like look
ing through peep hole into hell.
They fought like wild beasts in a pit.
Like beasts they growled, yelped.
/ snarled, snapped, howled, reared. A