Wolfville Nights

t of the

his tongue. The experiment was not satisfactory; and he despatched his dark retainer Tom for lemons and sugar. "An' you-all might bett

ghosts?"

p the cattle an' drivin' 'em over a precipice, an' all to Enright's disaster an' loss. Nacherally, Enright don't like this spectral play; an' him an' Peets lays for the wraith with rifles, busts its knee some, an' Peets ampytates its

en you approaches plumb close an' jumps sideways at 'em an' seizes

camp of Enright's brand. Thar's a couple of Enright's riders holdin' down this corner of the Bar-B-8 game, an' one evenin' b

nshee an' it's got fire eyes. Also, itse'f and pony is constructed of bloo f

scared. Enright elicits their yarn only afte

no longer, an' thar's nothin' left of 'em but beef. These beef drives happens each time in the night; an' the cattle must have been stampeded complete to make the trip. Cattle, that a-way, ain't goin' to go chargin' over a high bluff none onle

ows they'll do some night herdin' themse'fs an' see if they

ut in the r'ar of 'em rides this flamin' cow-sperit on its flamin' cayouse. Shore! he heads 'em over the cliff; I hears 'em hit the bottom of the canyon jest as I falls off my bronco in a fit. As soon as ever I comes to an' can scramble into that Texas saddle ag'in, me a

nklin' up his brows, 'I'll take

n' I'm reedic'lous free of patients. An' if the boys'll promise to hold themse'fs an' their guns in abeyance for a week or so, an' not go framin' up excooses

rett, kind o' laughin' at Peets. 'You reminds me of

s Bloo Grass party res

er who's camped at a table near. Final, he yawns like he's shore weary of life an' looks at us sharp an' cur'ous. Then he speaks up gen'ral as though he's addressin'

ent named Granger; "you can set down a stack on it,

as trouble at reasonable intervals it preys on me. I've been yere in your town two weeks an' so far ain't seen the sign.

or; it says FAMILY ENTRANCE over this yere portal. Sa'nter up to the bar, call for licker, drink it; an' then you remark to the barkeep, casooal like, that you're thar to maintain that any outcast who'll sell sech whiskey

n what Granger tells him. "I don't know my way about good, an' from your deescriptions I shorely wouldn't mis

drives over an' Granger stops the outfit, mebby she's fifty yar

ge. "Come on; you-all don't have to fight none. I jest wants you to wat

at an' await deevelopments. With that, the onhappy stranger sport goes sorrowfully for'ard alone, an' gets into the

store's comin' down. The racket rages an' grows worse. Thar's a smashin' of glass. The lights goes out, while customers comes bou

osations, the lights in the gin-mill begins to burn ag'in, one by one. After awhile, she's reilloominated an' ablaze with old-time glory. It's then the FAMILY ENTR

s to Granger. "Come on in a whole lot! I'd journey down

onhappy stranger sport is parallel to mine. Ghosts is new to me; an' I'm goin' pirootin' off with Enrig

fter Enright an' Peets has organised an' gone p'inting out for the ha'nted

Dan. 'I wouldn't go searchin' for no sperits more'n I'd write let

l,' says Faro Nell, from her st

a for obvious reasons. An' ag'in, no angel's doo to go skally-hootin' about after steers an' stampeedin' 'em over brinks. It's ag'in reason;

ed of ghosts, Dan

onusual indignant if you takes to shootin' him up with guns. No, it don't hurt him; but he regyards sech demonstrations as insults. It's like my old pap says that time about the Yankees. My old pap is a colonel with Gen'ral Price, an' on this evenin' is engaged in leadin' one of the most intrepid retreats of the war. As he's prancin' along at the head of his men where a great co

ce of the precipice, they comes, one after t'other, on what little is left of the dead steers. What strikes 'em as a heap pecooliar is that thar's no bones or

off some'ers to his camp, which is why we don't notice no big bones layin' 'round loose.' Then Enright scans the grass mighty scroopulous; an' shor

m their goin' some deep into the ground, I dedooces that said cayouse

s off in the hills. Both of 'em is aware of this hamlet, an' Peets, partic'lar, is well acquainted with a old Mexican

p with phosphorus an' go surgin' about an' stampedin' cattle over bluffs. It's a mighty good idee from his standp'int. He can argue that the cattle kills themse'fs-sort o' commits sooicide inadve

o the entire plaza. Not only does this ghost play opp'rate to stampede the cattle an' set 'em runnin' cimmaron an' locoed so they'll chase over the cliffs to their ends, but it serves to scare my c

op of the mesa it's as dark as the inside of a jug. Peets an' Enright is Injunin' about on the

a whisper, 'or at the worst, by the night aft

same time stoppin' Enright wit

hts shows in spots like the blazes of candles; them's the fire eyes the locoed cowboys tells of. Whatever it is

'tryin' to start a steer or two in th

d on which this bloo-shimmerin' shadow is ha'ntin' about. Things comes their way; they has luck. They've done crope about forty rods when the ghost heads for 'em. They can easy tell he's comin', for the fire eyes shows all the time an' n

ispers Peets; 'shal

n' I'll stand by to back the play. Only aim plenty low. You ca

hootin' in the dark ain't no cinch. If this ghost is a bright ghost it would be easy. But he ain't; he's bloo an' dim like washed out moonlight, o

n' also that he'll live through the evenin's events. As the spectre yelps, the bloo cayouse goes over on its head an' neck an

schoolmaster, who's up on drugs an' chemicals. The bloo glimmer is phosphorus; an

Madre de Dios!' When he sees who downs him, he drags himse'f to Enright an' begs a he

ith the opp'ration. Peets is fond of ampytations, tha

I'll explain to Sam Enright how you won't ride much when I gets you fairly trimmed. Leastwise, after I'm done prunin' you, thar won't be nothin' but these yere woman's sad