The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-04-08
The Ghost"
By Max Brand

~ cnflSteneQ 'Geraldlne.
Thereafter he wandered about the town,
with no apparent occupation except to sing
for his drinks in the saloons. Hitherto he
had been accepted as a harmless and anus
ing man-child, but his ballad gave him at
once an Homeric repute, particularly when
men remembered that the song was bound
to come sooner or later to the ear Of Silver
Pete.
For the time being Pete was well out of
ear shot. After the meeting, at which he
was installed chief man hunter of the COM
munity, he spent most of the evening equip
ping himself for the chase. Strangely
enough, he did not hang a second revolver
to his belt nor strap rifle behind his sad
die; neither did he mount fleet horse. To
pursue the elusive Ghost he bought dull
eyed mule with a pendulous lower lip. On
the mule he strapped heavy pack which
consisted chiefly of edibles, and in the mid
die of the night he led the mule out of Muir
rayville in such way as to evade observa-
ton. Once clear of the town he headed
straight for Hunters canon.
Once inside the mouth of the canon he
have been taken for a prospector, for there
was not big rock in the whole course of
the canon which he did not examine from
all sides. There was not gully running
into Hunters which he did not examine
carefully. He climbed up and down the
cliffs on either side as if he suspected that
the Ghost might take to wings and fly up
the sheer rock to cove.
The first day he progressed barely half
mile. The second day he covered even less
ground. So his search went on. In the
cooked. Through four weeks his labor con-
tinued without the vestige of clue to re-
ward him. Twice during that time he saw
posses go laundering through the valley and
laughed to himself. They did not even find
him. and yet he was making no effort to
elude them. What chance would they have
of surprising the Ghost?
This thought encouraged him. and he
chung to the invisible trail, through the day
and through the night with the vision of the
outlaws loot before him. He ran out of
bacon. Even his coffee gave out. For 10
days he lived on flour, salt and water, and
then, as if his sanity fast were necessary
before the vision, Pete saw the Ghost
1t was after sunset, but the moon was
clear when he saw the fantom rider race
along the far side of the valley. The turf
deadened the sound of the horses hoofs,
and like another worldly apparition. the
Ghost galloped close to the wall of the val
ley and disappeared.
Pete rubbed his eyes and looked again. 1t
gave him a queer sensation, as if he had
awakened suddenly from vivid dream, for
the horse, with it's rider, had vanished into
thin air between the eyes Of Pete and the
sheer rock Of the valley wall. A little
shudder passed through his body, and he
cursed softly to restore his courage.
Yet the dream Of plumber sent his blood
hotly back upon its course. He carefully OBJ
served the marks which should guide him
to the point on the rock at which the rider
disappeared. He hobbled the mule, exam
ined his revolver and spun the cylinder, and
then started down across the canon.
He had camped upon high ground, and his
course led him on a sharp descent to the
stream which cut the heart of the valley.
Here. for 200 yards. trees and the declivity
of the ground cut off his view, but when he
came to the higher ground again he found
that he had wandered only a few PAGES to
the left of his original course.
The wall of the valley was now barely so
yards away, and as nearly as he could
reckon the landmarks, the point at which
the rider vanished. was at or near a shrub
which grew close against the rock. For an
instant Pete thought that the tree might
be screen placed before the entrance Of
a cave. Yet the rider had made no pause