True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young. Page: 34

34 TRUE STORIES OF OLD
thing was going to happen sure enough. Charley had gone to Dr.
Robinson's office and stolen a skull. It was a horrible looking
skull, too. It had no lower jaw, but was well supplied with
upper teeth, with only one or two missing ones, which added
to its outrageous appearance. Charley had gotten a big newspaper,
to do duty as a sheet. He decorated a pole with the
paper and then stuck the skull on the end of the pole. It was
about the scariest thing I ever saw. One of the boys slipped
up and took a look at John. He found him as quiet and well
satisfied as ever, and so reported to us. Charley was a bit
anxious about being alone in the dark with that skull, so he
asked one or two of us to go with him to the house. I went
and took a stand on one side of the house, where I could see
everything that happened. There was a big window at one end
of the room in which John was, and Charley sneaked up to this
window very carefully. Then he gave an awful groan, scraped
the skull along the side of the house and poked it right in the
window, which had no glass in it.
I knew what the thing was, of course, but I swear I came
near running when I saw that skull come through the window.
It was simply awful. John took one look and then Charley
realized that he had won his bet, for things began to happen.
John leaped to his feet with a cry like a wild bull. He turned
over his chair and knocked the candle over, leaving the place
in darkness. The next moment he was out of the door, carrying
it and part of the frame with him. When he got outside he
headed -for town and the boys hidden in the weeds said that it
sounded like a drove of army mules when he passed them. They
yelled at him, but that simply added to his speed, if that were
possible.
We did not see anything of him for several days, and the queer
thing was that, although Charley Gentry had won the five dollars,
-be was afraid to ask John for the money. John swore
that if ever he found out who did it he would kill the fellow
who poked "that dead man in on him."
Now, if anyone doubts the potency of a skull stuck on the end
of a pole, let him stick one in the door or window of a nonbeliever
in ghosts about midnight, and if he does not get good
action I stand prepared to eat the skull. I believe even a dead
man would get up and leave the room.
, , ,
PLENTY OF ACTION-BUT NO GAME.
FEW days ago I was over at the Grand Central Depot
when the Houston and Texas Central train came in and
several hunters got off with well-filled game bags. The
sight made me think of a hunt r once took out on that road. Hock-