you would
inform me. I am aware that our friend is persecuted by a spirit, which
visits him frequently, and I am positive that through you it has
informed him that the end is not far away, and that our elderly
friend's death will assume some terrible form. Is there anything that I
can do to avert the tragedy?"

The woman stared at me in a horrified silence. "How did you know these
things?" she gasped.

"That is immaterial. When will the tragedy occur? Can I prevent it?"

"Yes, yes!" she exclaimed. "It will happen this very night! But no
earthly power can prevent it!"

She came close to me and looked at me with an expression of the most
acute terror.

"Merciful God! what will become of me? He is to be murdered, you
understand--murdered in cold blood by a spirit--and he knows it and
_I know it_! If he is spared long enough he will tell them at the
garrison, and they will all think that I had something to do with it!
Oh, this is terrible, terrible, and yet I dare not say a word in
advance--nobody there would believe in what the spirits say, and they
will think that I had a hand in the murder!" The woman's agony was
pitiful.

"Be assured that he will say nothing about it," I said; "and if you
keep your tongue from wagging you need fear nothing."

With this and a few other hurried words of comfort, I soothed her and
hastened away.

For I had interesting work on hand: it is not often that one may be in
at such a murder as that! I ran to a livery stable, secured a swift
horse, mounted him, and spurred furiously for the reservation. The
hack, with its generous start, had gone far on its way, but my horse
was nimble, and his legs felt the pricking of my eagerness. A few miles
of this furious pursuit brought me within sight of the hack just as it
was crossing a dark ravine near the reservation. As I came nearer I
imagined that the hack swayed somewhat, and that a fleeing shadow
escaped from it into the tree-banked further wall of the ravine. I
certainly was not in error with regard to the swaying, for it had
roused the dull notice of the driver. I saw him turn, with an air of
alarm in his action, and then pull up with a heavy swing upon the
reins. At this moment I dashed up and halted.

"Anything the matter?" I asked.

"I don't know," he answered, getting down. "I felt the carriage sway,
and I see that the door's wide open. Guess my load thought he'd sobered
up enough to get out and walk, without troubling me or his