THE INNKEEPER'S GHOST.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1191, 28 December 1894, Page 12

THE INNKEEPER'S GHOST.

• A STORY OF NEW YEAR'S DAY. High up among the .hills of California, on the waggon road that runs through the Cascita Pass, is a smalL tavern, much frequented by comrnercial travellers, and which bears the odd title of 'The Long Paok.' ' Does that mean a pack of goods P' enquired a traveller, glancing at the swinging signboard, which represented apicture of something resembling a soldier•So.vergrown knapsack. 'Yes,' replied'the grey-haired landlord, 'it means a pedlar's pack. Nowadays they call them' sample-cases, I believe,' pointing to tho luggage of several commercial travellers that stood in a corner. ' You see, I have a good deal of that sort of custom. I try to make the ' road-boys ' comfortable, for I was a little too hard on their fraternity once.' ' How was that ?'

' Well,' said Boniface, avlio had waited until his daughter—a buxom matron—had loft the room, ' it ain't a very pleasant story, but I like to tell it sometimes just to remind myself that the worst thing a man can have in this world is a hot, obstinate temper. You see, I camo to this coast soon after the gold fever boke out, and settled doAvn in the Santa Barbara Valley, beloAV here, ranching. I was a Avidower even then, and had brought with mo from the States my only child —a daughter past seventeen. She was a pretty girl, if Ido say it, and, being as good as pretty, you can imagine I was quite Avrapped up in her T Of course I was anxious to keep her Avith me, and if not that, at least I looked for her to do something bettor than fall in love Avith a pedlar.' 'And did she?' ' Yes. You see, in those days the country Avas full of young fellows who had struck out for themselves, and were trying to get a start by carrying knick-knacks around from one mining camp to another. Some of them Avere lively chaps enough, and woll educated ; but I was fresh from the States, with all the Eastern prejudices, and it almost drove me wild when Nellie told me she wanted to marry a young fellow Avho brought his pack through our district a good deal oftener than the trade seemed to require. I Avas a hot-tempered fool in those days, so I stormed, threatened, locked Nellie up for a week, and sent word to her lover that I had loaded my gun for Avild cats and pedlars.' ' What did Nellie do ? '

' You might have guessed it. One day Avhen I came back from a cattle sale she was missing. I chased her a couple of days, but they had taken to the woods, and it was of no use. After a while I got a letter from 'Frisco, and I wrote back saying that I disowned her, and that he had better keep out of the range of my rifle.' ' What did you do then ?' ' Suffered, mister —just suffered. I knoAV I was Avrong, but I'd have died rather than give in. For five years I lived like a toad in a rook, hating the whole world. All the pleasure I had was in Avatching for pedlars. The number I chased off the ranch during that time would

' One New Year's Eve, after a terrible rainstorm, a pedlar came to my house, and asked I for shelter for the night. Ho was a thin, weak-looking fellow, with his face covered with a huge, ragged beard. Ho carried on his back an enormously long and heavy pack, and seemed so exhausted with his .tramp through the mire that I hadn't the heart to do more than order him off the place.' ' That was pretty hard,' said the listener. 'I supposo it was. The pedlar seemed all broke up when he found I wouldn't even give him a bunch of straw in the stable, and .no other house within twelve miles. Instead of complaining, however, he merely begged that I would let him leave his pack, which he said contained goods of value, under shelter from the rain. I finally consented to this. So, as I had sworn nono of his trade should ever cross my threshold, I carried his pack inside, while its owner limped off to crawl under some bush or other.' ' Didn't you feel mean P '

' Yes ; mean and bitter at the time, for something about the man reminded me of Nellie's husband a little. However, I locked and barred all the doors and windows as usual, for some "road-agents had been around those parts about that time, and had stopped and robbed several ranches, and, as I told you, I was all alone. Somohow, I couldn't go to sleep when, after that, I went to bed. After tossing around for awhile, I got up and sat by the fire, brooding over my trouble, and trying to think of the poor chap shivering out there in the cold and rain somewhere. I looked at his pack sitting up in the room, and wondered what made it so long. ' As I watched it I fancied I saw it move.' ' Saw it move ? '

' Exactly ; I wouldn't believe my own eyes at first, but after watching intently for awhile I distinctly saw the front of a hand pressed against the canvas from the inside. Like a flash then I understood the whole thing. The •pedlar was one of the road-agents' gang, and knowing I had considerable money about the house, they had adopted that plan for smuggling one of their crew inside the house. After I had gone to sleep, the fellow inside could let in the rest and finish the job. I walked quietly across the room, took my gun from the antlers, knelt down a few feet from the pack, aimed square in the centre, and pulled the trigger.' 'Go on! ' murmured the listener, with a shudder.

'Bat the gun didn't go off,' continued the landlord, clearing his throat. ' The nipple was rusty and wouldn't work, so I laid down the rifle and got an axe from the kitchen. It had be newly ground that day, and when I lifted it over my head I counted upon cleaving that pack, robber and all, to the ground. Just as I raised the axe and braced myself for the blow, I saw a ghost.' 'A ghost?' ' Yes, sir. The pack oponod, and I saw sticking out of its top the curly yellow hair of my Nellie when she was a little tofc of four. The shook staggered mo so that I sank on my knees. I wiped my eyes and wondered if I had not gone crazy. I was almost certain of it when the ghost stretched out a pair of chubby white arms and said, ' A.Happy New Year, drandpa ! ' 'Ah,' said the guest, with a relieved sigh, ' I begin to see. And what did you do then P' 'I don't exactly know,' said the landlord, softly, ' but if there is anything that will bend a stiff, stubborn neck quicker than the arms of a little child, I'd like to know what it is. I put the tired little prisoner down by the fire, opened the door, and held out my arms.' 1 And the mother P '

- 'Yes," nodded the landlord, 'they were both there; and, mister, I guess that's the end of my story,' and the old man wiped his eyes. ' You must excuse me, but that was a wet evening, and somehow I haven't got quite dry since.'