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Show i The Phantom Wagon Train By SALLY MENDAM Copyright by American l'ress Association, Asso-ciation, 1911. Shortly beforo tho buffalo disappeared disappear-ed from the western plains I Joined a hunting party to get u Inst crock at this noble gnuie. We took tho old freighting road from St. Joseph, Mo., to Denver, ou which many n wagon train hnd passed before the completion comple-tion of the Union Pacific road ns far as Laramie enabled merchants to transport their goods by n much more advantageous route. Wu had been out but u few days wheu nu old plnlnsmnn wandered Into our vniiip. He was tho ghostliest chap 1 ever nw. He looked to be very old-how old wo could not tell nnd yet he didn't seem to havo any homo So fur ns wo could Judge, he whs nu Inhabitant of tho plains, sometimes living with whlto men, sometimes with Indians. One night after tho others hud turned turn-ed in 1 was beforo my tent sitting with the ofil plainsman smoking when I heard the creaking of n wagon. It was bright moonlight, nnd 1 saw toward to-ward the oast what appeared to lio nn old fashioned plains schooner a wagon wag-on drawn by four horses coming toward us. Wo were n quarter of u mile from the road on which It was movlng-the old St. Joseph nnd Denver Den-ver freighting road so that wo got only n dlstnnt view of tho teum. "I didn't know," I Bald to the plains-man, plains-man, "that wagons pass over this road since the rnllrond has been finished." "They don't; that's the phantom team." I laughed incredulously. "Ef you'd like to hear the story," ho replied, "I'll tell you. nut you won't bcllevo It nohow." Tho wagon lumbered along westward west-ward ond disappeared. The old plains-man plains-man told mo tho yarn. "Ono raornln about twenty years ago a spick and span wagon with n now canvas cover drawn by four shiny horses was ferried across tho Missouri river from St. Joo and struck out for Denver Inside was a family of emigrants. emi-grants. Jim Ittngler, tho husband and father, drove, whllo tho mother nnd four children wero Inside. Thoy wcro goln' out to make n homo In some of tho new territories Into which the western world wns divided. There wasn't anything nbout tho emigrant, his family, his wagon or his horses that wasn't prosperous looking. lie had Hold out his business nnd put the "j money Into this outfit. "Six months from that I met IUngler jnorlu' south of Colorado Springs. ! Ill family didn't look so comfortable. i a good ileaj of tlio pulnt was wore oft' his wagon, and his horses wore loan Ho said he'd been disappointed In find-In' find-In' n good placo to sottle. He'd tried the plains nnd the mountains. The plains was ton low and tho mountains wns too high. He was lookln' for somethln' Intermediate. I recommended recommend-ed the foothills, and ho said he'd try 'cm. "I'urty nigh n your passed, nnd I met tho Illnglcr family ng'In In Utah. Thero wasn't one of 'cm thnt didn't look llko n skeleton, there wasn't n bit I of pnlnt ou tho wagon, two of the i horses had died, and the other two was skin and bone. He said hu wns still lookln' for a placo to settle, but hadn't found anything to suit htm. ' "Tho Inst time I over seen Itlngler's outfit was nfter another year hndtpass-ed. hndtpass-ed. It was on this rond. The family had Just been murdered by a party of I Indiana. The wagon was turned up-sldo up-sldo down, the Indians had tnkcu the horses, nnd tho bodies of Jim Illuglpr, his wlfo nnd children wero layln bo- ' side tho rond Hcalped. 1'vo seen 'pin a good muny times since, always on the old St. Joo and Denver road hendln' westward. I've often tried to git near ' enough to 'em to spp pf thoy was spick and span like they was when they started or with tho Hpukes rattlln' from bcln' dried out an thoy was when the Indians got 'cm." There was something about the creaking of I he disappearing wagon, the story and tlio old plainsman to make mo shudder. As for n real wng ou naming over Hint deserted thoroughfare thor-oughfare tlnil had been abandoned for the railroad, It did not seem possible that nny emigrant or freighter would tnko u route so dangerous and ho expensive. ex-pensive. Yet I could hear the wagon rattle, nnd, catching u faint vlow of It In thu moonlight, I saw Hint 11 was u veritable schooner of thu olden time. Without u word I said good night to the man who hail told mo the story and turned In. In thu morning tlio old fellow was not In eamp. Ho had gotio without icavo its ho had como without Invitation. That day wo met somo plains people. peo-ple. I told them about our visitor and tho story ho narrated. They had evidently evi-dently heard tho story boforo and seemed to bellovo In Us ghostly attributes, at-tributes, for they stood listening to it in a sort of fright. When I had finished fin-ished they usked mo to dtscrlbo tho man who had told it. "IIo was tall and thin, with a whlto beard and hair, a hook noso, not a tooth In his head and glittering eyes, sunk deep In their Dockets. IIo might bo any ago from soventy to a hundred. Thero was a scar of a terrible gash ho had received right across his cheek" My listeners scattered In every direction, di-rection, except cno old fellow, who stood shivering ami crossing himself. "What's tho mattcrr I asked. "Oreat henveu, mon, It was Jlui Rfofilor hlmselff |