The Haunted Cabin.

Hot Lakes Chronicle, Volume 2, Issue 127, 26 June 1895, Page 3

The Haunted Cabin.

A WESTERN ADVENTUEE STORY. ' Do you think it is there yet ?' ' Yes.' ' How do you know '?' 'Will Harlow tried to stay there the other night, but ho got driven out.' ' Tried to stay there ?' ' That is what I said.' ' How came ho to do it ? Did he think he was going to lay the ghost or goblin, or whatever it is ?' 'He knew nothing about it. Not a lisp of its being haunted ever came to him. You know that he is a newcomer here, and nothing had been told him about it.' Tho above narrated conversation took place between two settlers ono summer afternoon, as they chanced to meet at a certain point in the forest. The name of the first spokesman was Walter Mason, and his companion boro that of Sidney Webb, or Sid, as ho was called for short. Their cabins stood something like a milo apart, and they considered themselves, as people did in those days, near neighbours. Their families went often back and forth paying each other visits, although they seldom did so unless accompanied by the men folks. This precaution was taken from the fact that the forestt still aboundedin bears, wild-cats, and other dangerous beasts. More than this, roving parties of savages often showed themselves, and although for two or three years they had nut molested the settlers, they knew not at what moment they might be in danger from them. Iho object of which they were speaking was a deserted hut some distance away in the forest—deserted, surely, as far as any family was concerned ; still it was not reputed wholly so. It was said to be haunted. Such was the reputation it boro among tho settlers. The family that had once dwelt there had met a fearful fate. All of them—five in number—had lauen ucuoatu the blows of the redskins. Then the cabin remained deserted. No one cared to make his home there. It would have been different had there been neighbours nearer at hand with whom they could visit back and forth. By tho time our story opons it had begun to show signs of decay. Tho land which had been cleared about it was fast growing up to bushes, and it Mould not bo many years before it would be a forest once more. We have said that no ono made the cabin his home, but otill it was rumoured that it had a tonant. A form had been seen moving about it in the twilight, although none of tho settlert had ever eomo t'ap.n to face with it. Those who had occasion to pass that way after nightfall had seen a fight glimmering therein, as though a small fire had been built upon the hearth. But to come back to the two men and the story Walter Mason was telling. ' What did Will see or hear ?' said Webb. ' You say that ho was driven out of the cabin ?' ' It was the night we had that big shower—but a day or two after Will came here. He had been hunting all day alone in the forest, and had got belated in getting back to the settlement. Just as the rain came down, he came out into that clearing and saw the cabin before him. Thinking that some one lived there, he went up and rapped upon the door. Of course, he got no answer. Trying it, he found it was not fastened, and he pushed it open and entered. The Hashes of lighning showed him that no ono lived there. Whoever had built the cabin had most likely abandoned it for new quarters. Thankful that he had found shelter, and tired after his day's tramp in the forest, he stretched himself upon the floor, and spite of the tempest that was raging without, fell into a deep slumber. ' How long he had slept he could not tell, but ho awoke with a start and sat bolt upright. ' The shower was moving away, although a peal of thunder now and then seemed to shake the cabin. 'But it was not this that awoke him. 'He felt that some unseen object had moved past him as ho lay there unconscious. 'He glanced toward the door, and saw by a flash of pale lightning that it stood wide open. ' He knew that he had closed it, and there had not been so much as a breeze to swing it open. 'Another flash and ho beheld an object which brought him to his foet. 'lt was the tali and shadowy form of what seemed to be a human being. 'lt passed athwart the door-way just outside. ' Who are you ?' demanded Will. ' No answer was returned. 'Approaching the door-way, he poered out into tho night. He could see nothing in the darkness. ' Again he repeated his hail. ' This time he had an answer. ' But it was not what he expected. ' A deep, hollow groan which almost made his hair stand on end and the blood to curdlo in his veins, smote upon his ear. 'lt seemed to come from the rear of tho cabin. ' For a moment he remained motionless, and then he dashed out into tho night.

'Once more the groan saluted his ear, and then he sped away through the bushes and gained the cover of the forest, and pushing out, ho reached here about midnight.' 'And you think that he saw and heard what you say ?' 'Of course. Why should he lie about the matter? "We know (that the cabin is haunted, don't we ?' 'Yes.' 'I would give much to know by whom or what.' ' So would I.' ' You shall know before long.' Both men gave a start of surprise. They had been so busy talking that they had not noticed the approach of Will Harlow; whum they now found close beside them. Sid Webb felt a littlo crestfallen. He was sure that the now comer must have hoard the doubts ho had expressed as to the talo ho told. ' How are we to know ?' asked Mason. ' More than once has an attempt been made to solve the mystery, but nobody has done it.' ' I'm going to try my luck there again to-night.' ' Where—not in the cabin ?' ' Yes ; I'm on my way there now. Would one or both of you like to come along ?' The two men glanced at each other, and then their eyes came back to the face of the speaker. ' I would go if it weren't for my wife,' said Mason. ' She would be in constant fear until we got back. Yours, too, Sid, would bo in the same condition. I am sure they will not let us go if they can prevent it. So long as the thing in the old cabin lots us alone, I am not sure but that it is best to give it a wide berth.' ' Thank Heaven I've got nobody to hold me back in that way,' said Harlow, with a curl of the lip; ' but I only camo this way to invito" you, if you would like to go. lam not afraid to face whatever I may find there, alone.' ' But you got out of there in a hurry the other night,' said Mason, not relishing what his words iinplkl. ' I know that I did, but I am ashamed of it; but to-night I am going to make up for my lack of courage then. Good-bye. If I'm not back by to-morrow forenoon, you can corne and look me up.' Turning from the spot whero the settlers stood, Harlow crossed the olearing, and in a little time was treading the mazos of the forest in the dircc* tion of the haunted cabin. The sun was just dropping behind the tree-tops when ho came in sight of it, standing among the bushes, half ruined and the picture of desolation. no did not approach it at once, for fear that the unknown might porceivo him. Ho would wait until the shadows of the coming night would cover his motions. Seating himself with his back against the trunk of a tree, he waited, with his eyes fixed upon the cabin, now half hidden by the bushes owing to the position ho assumed. As the moments went by ho grew drowsy, and could hardly prevent his eyes from closing, and, at last, despite the possible danger that menaced him, he became unconscious of his surroundings. Hardly had he succumbed to the heat and fatigue of his rapid passage through the forest, when, as though he had sprung up out of the very earth, the figure of a man rose up close beside him. Could the sleeping man but have seen him, he would have sprung to his feet in surprise not unmingled with fear. His figure was long and gaunt, and must have been considerably more than six feet in height- From beneath his squirrol-skin cap hung long red locks streaked with white. His chin was covered with the same, and looked as though it had never made the acquaintance of sheers or razor. His nose was like the beak of an eagle, and his cheek bones were almost as prominent. His eyes were sunk deep into their sockets, and a light shone from them which scorned almost baneful. His garments wore liiadd wholly of skins of wild beasts that ho had slain. Attached to a bolt of deer-skin was a long, murderous-looking knife, carried without a sheath. His appearance and outfit wore enough to frighten the bravest, if encountered in a lonely spot. With a footstep which gave back no sound, he moved to tho side of the unconscious sleeper. His murderous-looking knife he now held uplifted, as though in readiness to bury it in tho heart of his victim. He was close to his side when a dry twig beneath his feet broke with a sharp report. Will Harlow opened his eyes and beheld the terrible vision by his side. For an ipstant he was paralysed by the sight, and then made a motion to spring to his feet. As quick as a flash of light tho unknown throw himself upon him, and raised his arm to strike a fatal blow. Will Harlow thought his hour had eomo. A moment more and the murderous weapon would bo plunged into his quivering flesh. But it was not so to bo. At that instant a loud report rang through the forest, and tho unknown, springing high in tho air, fell back upon the earth as lifeless as a clod. Will sprung to his feet, and in a moment more Walter Mason and Sidney Webb stood beside him. He was as much astonished by their timoly appearance as ho had beon at tho sight of him lying dead before them. ' Thank God, you'ro safe !' cried Mason. ' Had wo not arrived as wo did, you and ho would have changed

places,' and he spurned the body of tho unknown with his foot. ' ' You are right,' said Harlow. • ' But how is it that you turned up in the nick of time, after refusing to come here with mo ?' 'We changed our minds, Will. As ' soon as you loft us we decided that we ■ had done wrong to let you come here alone, to face none of us knew what. So we hurried to the cabins and told our wives whero we were going, and then made haste to reach hero as soon as possible.' ' And you camo not a moment too soon.' ' I should say not. Ono thing, we have protty effectually laid tho ghost. It was flesh and blood, after all, although not a great doal of it, for he is as thin as a shadow.' Who it was, and why tho unknown had made tho deserted cabin his homo, they never know. They buried him where ho had fallen, and as time went on, nothing more was heard of tho cabin being haunted.