THE GHOST RUBBER.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1553, 10 February 1879, Page 3

THE GHOST RUBBER.

On a fine evening in the spring of 1830, a Strang r, mounted on a noble-looking horse, passe t slowly over the snow-white limestone road leading through the lack Fore t. Just as the sun was was g' ing to rest for th day, when the gloomy shadows were beginning to stalk, he drew re n as ho said s 1 This must be neir the spot, surely I’ll stop here, anyhow, and see what I can learn ’ He thereupon dismounted and entered the parlor of the inn, wan e he sat down beside a small tab ; e. ‘ How can I serve you, meinheer ?’ said the landlord. ‘ See to my horse outside,’ replied the guest carelessly but at the same lime eyeing the landlord from head to foot; ‘ and let me have some wine—Rhine w 11 do.’ The landlord was turning to withdraw from the stn-hger’s presence, whteu he stopped alii said ; ‘ Which way, meinheer, do you travel ? ’ ‘To Nanstadt,’ replied the guest, ‘You will rest here to-night, I suppose,’ continued the landlord. * I wdl stay here two or three hours, but T must then be off, so as to reach my des'iaation there in the morning. I am going to purchase lumber for the market.’ ‘ And you have considerable money with you, no doubt ? ’ asked the landlord, innocently. ‘ es, considerable, replied the guest, sipping at his wine, disinterestedly. ‘Then if you’ll take my advice,’ said the landlord, ‘you’ll stay here till morning.’ ‘Why?’ replied the stranger, looking up curiously. ‘ Becau-e,’ whispered the landlord, looking ar und as if he were disclosing a great secret, and was afraid of being heard by fomebody else, ‘ every man that passed over (he road between this and Nanstadt at midnight, for the last ten years, has be-n robbed or murdered under very singular circumstances, ‘ VV hat were the circumstances ?’ asked the st r anger, putting down his glass empty, and preparng to till it again. ‘Why, you see’ the landlord went on, while he approached bis guest’s table and took a seat, * I have spoken with several who have been rob’ed; all I could learn from them is, that they remember meeting in the lonesome pah of the wood, something that looked white and ghastly, and frightened their horses so that they either ran away or threw them riders ; they felt a chokmg sensation and a sort of smothering and finally died, as they thought, but awoke in an hour or so to find themselves by the roadside robbed of everything.’ ‘lndeed,’ ejaculated the stranger, looking abstractedly at the rafters in the ceiling, as though he was more intent upon counting them than he was interested in the landlord’s story. The innkeeper looked in astonishment. Such perfect coomess he had not witnessed fra long time. ‘You will remain then?’ suggested the ‘andl rd, after wailing some time for his guest to speak. ‘ I ?’ ciied the stranger, starting from his fit o! abstraction, as though he was not sure that he was the person addressed. ‘ Oh, m>.st certainly not; I’m going straight ahead, ghost or no ghost, to-night,’ Half an hour later the stranger and guide, called Wilhelm, were out on the road, going at a pretty round pac« towards Nanstadt. I uiing a lUsh ol lightning the stranger observed that his guide looked very unea»y about some hing and was slackening his bo se’a pace as though he intended to drop behind. ‘ i ead on,’ cried the stranger, ‘don’t be afraid I’m afraid I cannot,’ replied the person addressed, continuing to hoi i his horse until he was now nearly a length behind his com paid m. ‘ My h >rie is eward'y and un manageable in a thunderstorm. If 50a will go on, though, I think I can make him follow cl se enough to point out the road. 1 The stranger pulled up instantly. A strange light gleamed in his eyes, while his hand sought his breast pocket, from which he drew something. The guide saw the movement, and stopped also ‘Gu des should lead, not follow,’ said the stranger quietly, but with a firmness which seemed to be exceedingly unpleasant to the person addressed. ‘ But,’ faltered the guide, ‘ my horse won’t go,’ ‘Won’t he?’ queried the stranger with mocking aim lieity. The guide heard a sharp click, and saw something gleam in his companion’s right hand. He seemed to understand perfect y, for he immediately drove his spurs into his horse’s flanks, and shot ahead of his companion without another word. He had no soomr reached his old position, howe er, than the guide gave his horse a sharp turn to the right and then disappeared, as slough he had vanished t rough the foliage of the trees that skirted the road. The tranger heard the clatt-r of his horse as t e ga loped off. Without waiting an tlier instant, he ton died h'S own lightly with the reins, give him a prick with he row Is, and off the noble animal trotted in the wake of the flying guide. The sti auger's horse being much superior to tbe other’s, the race was a short one, and terminated by the guide being thrown nearly from his saddle by a heavy hand which was laid upon his bridle, stopping him. He turned in his seat, beheld the stranger’s face, dark and frowning, and trembled violently as he felt the smooth, cold barrel of a pistol pressed against his cheek. ‘ This horse almost ran away with me,’ cried the guide, composing himself as well as he could under the circumstances, ‘ Yes, I know,’ said his companion dryly, * but mark my word, young man, if your horse plays such tiicks again, he’ll be the means of seriously injuring his master’s health.’ They both turned and cantered back to the road. When they reached it again, and turned the heads of t; eir horses in the right dm etion, the stranger said to his guide, in a tone which must have convinced his hearer as to Lis earnestness: ‘ Now, friend Wilhelm, I hope we understand each other for the rest of the journey. You arc to continue on ahead of me, in the tight road, without swerving to the right or left. If I see you do anything suspicious, I will drive a brace of bullets through you without a word of notice. Now push on. The guide had started as directed, but it was evideit from his muttering that he was a a-med at something beside the action of his follower. In the meantime the thunder had increased its violence, and the flashes of lightning had become frequent aud more blinding. For awhile the two horsemen rode on in silence, the guide keeping up his directions to the letter, whils his follower watched his evety mov-mout as a cat would watch a mouse -uddenly the guide stopped and looked b. hind him. Again he heard the click of the stranger’s pistol and saw his uplifted arm. ‘Have mercy, meinheer,’ ho groaned, ‘I dare not go on.’ ‘ 1 g>ve you three seconds to go on,’ replied the stranger, sternly, ‘One ‘hi heaven's name spare,’ implored the tiiide almost ove>powered with f- ar. ‘Look Ix f .re me in the road, and you wi 1 not blame me ’ The stranger looked. At fir t he saw something white standing motionless in the centre of the road, but presently a flash of

lightning lit tip the aeence, and he saw that tho white figure indeed ghastly arid frightful enough to chill the in tinveins of even t'-e bravest man If his blood chilled for a moment, therefore it was not through any fear for his ghostly interpreter for the next instant he set his teeth hard, while he wHspered between them just loud enough to be‘heard by his terror-stricken guide : ■Be it man or devil! —ride it down—-111 follow. Two 1 ’

With a cry of despair upon his lips, the guide urged his horse forward at the top of his speed quickly followed by the stranger, who held his pistol in irs hand. In another instant the guide would have swept the dreadful spot, hut at that instant the report of a pistol rang through the dar'i forest, and the stranger heard a horse gallop through the woods riderless. Finding himself alone, the stranger raisrd his pistol, took deliberate aim at the ghostly murderer, and then pressed his Unger upon the trigger. The apparition approached quickly, but in no hostile attitude. The stranger stayed his hand. At length the ghost addressed him in a voice that was anything but sepulchral. ‘ Here, William, ye move out of your perch this minute and give me a helping hand. I’ve hit the game while on the wing haven’t I ? ’ ’ r he stranger was nonplussed for a moment, but recovering himself, he grumbles some thing unintel'igibl - and leaped to the ground One word to his horse and the brave animal stood perfectly s'ill. By the snow-whit-* trappings of rhe would-be ghost he was enabled to grope his way in the dark toward that individual, whom he found bending over a dark mass, about the size of a man, on the road As the tiger podnees upon his prey, the s’rango*" leaped upon the stooping figure before him and bore it to the ground. ‘ I arrest you in the King’s name,’ cried the stranger, grasping his prisoner by the throat and holding him tight. ‘ Stir hand or foot until I have you properly secured and I’ll send your soul to eternity.’ This was an unexpected turn of aff-irs that the would-be gh--st could hardly believe his own senses, and was handcuffed and of his dagger and pistol before he found time to apeak. ‘ Are yo'i not my Wilhelm?’ he gasped. ‘ No, landlord ’ replied the individual addressed, ‘I am not. But lam an officer <-f the King, at your service on special duty to do what 1 have to-night accomplished. Your precious son, Wilhelm, whom you thouvht was leading an innocent sheep to the slam-liter, lies in the road, killed by his father’s hand. Two weeks Hter at Bruchsale prison, in Baden, the landlord of the sign of the Deer, and the Ghost Robber of the B’ack Forest, who was the same identical p rson, having been proven guilty of numerous fiendish murders ard artfully contrived robberies, committed in the Black Forest, paid the penalty of his crimes by letting fall bis head from the executioner’s axe; since when, traveling through Schwartzwald has not been so perilous to life and purse, nor has there been seen any Ghostly Knight of the Road in that section of the world.