Western Kansas world., 1886-05-15

any business with me.''
"Oh, no, WILL" cried Nellie, ssplease
don't go back and leave us by ourselves.
I shall be scared to death"
'Let him go, Nell" cried I, with q
sudden access of courage, largely COM
posed Of spite and curiosity. "Go back,
Will Mason, if you want to, I guess
you'll soon find out whether you're
wanted or not. In case you don't come
back, you know, can take care of Nell
and carry her safe homely."
Without waiting for further lemon
stances he put spurs to his horse and
galloped up the hill which he had slow
ly descended, leaving Nellie in para
lysis OF terror and me outwardly valiant
but inwardly quaking. The five min
utes were more than doubled befeor he
returned; whistling, laughing, and talk
ing, to himself as he rode at full gallop
through the deserted yard and down the
hill. Certainly the ghosts had proved
genial hosts to judge by the effect their
company had on him.
There, knew you were mistaken,
you little goose" said he to me in tone
of goodnatured contempt. 'Not soul
embodied or disembodied, about the old
place; nothing but rats and mice and
such small deer. I suppose Miss Nellie
heard rat run across the floor, and you
heard a mouse squeak, and thought it
syllabled my name. How full your lit
tie head must be of me to be sure"
To this degrading supposition I dis
dained to reply, except by contempt
GUS sniff. All the way home our errant
cavalier seemed in strangely excited
state, and acted SO peculiarly that Nell
and I were not sorry when he left us at
our gate, and with scant ceremony of
leave taking rode swiftly back over the
road we had come.
"Now, what do you think of your fine
beau?" cried L, almost before he was out
of hearing. did you ever see such be-
havior in civilized human being before?
But there's something under all this;
there's deep mystery somewhere, and
I'm going to find it out or die in the at
tempt. I'm just going to wake Uncle
Jake up and send him right straight
after Will Mason and see what he's up
to-no good, I'll be bound"
So I went to Uncle Jake's cabin and
in spite O his remonstrances and terror,
virtually compelled him to accompany
me.
"Well, now, honey, you knows es ole
Jake wouldn't confuse yer muffin es he
could do fer yer accordin' ter de circum-
fuence OBJ yer mar en- yer par. Use al
lus willin' fer ter resist yer. But jess
see ere, chile, how unreasonable yer is.
Yer knows darsent fer my life go ter
dat ole hanted house dis time er night
by my lone sef. Deed, honey, I'd rather
be gwine down ter de plantation ter NOR
rer morning fer oberseer to give me fifty
lashes on my bare back den fer dem
hants und sperrits fer ter ketch me; deed
1 would, chile, dat's de Lords own
trufe,"
swell, who wants you to go by your
self" said 1 boldly. "Of course I'm
going with you" No such thought had
entered my mind until that moment, but
l was determined to carry my point. II
intend to see for myself what all this
means, and amt afraid of Spirits"
''Pm going to follow Will Mason and
see what he's up to, whether you gowith
me or not. And if anything happens to
me, if the spirits carry me off, or Will
Mason shoots me, or old Bouncer STUN
bles and breaks my neck, I'll come back
and haunt you for the balance of your
life. See if 1 don't"
With uplifted hands and eyes and a
groan of despair the old negro gave way.
1t may seem strange that all this time it |
never occurred to me what questionable
enterprise I had undertaken, but to me,
madcap as 1 was it seemed only piqu-
ant adventure. Had I thought of the
improperly should not have hesitated,
being always bent on carrying through
whatever undertook, whether good or
bad. But that night taught me lesson
I never forgot. 1t was the last time I
followed my own sweet will regardless of
1t was about l o'clock in the morning.
The moon setting in the west cast dim
spectral light through the giant holes
of the pine trees. 1t was intensely still
The distant hoot of an owl from the
swamp, and the occasional call of the
whip poor-wil were the only sounds
that broke the dead stiffness of the night.
In spite of myself, chill glided through
my veins as we approached the desclate
house, and 1 shivered all over.
As for Uncle Jake it would have been
sheer cruelty to make him go on. As I
slipped from my saddle the old man fell
on his knees and implored me not to go
on. But it was useless; go on I must
and would. believe if I had known
that that gruesome house held some
horrible mystery that to look on would
strike me dead, should still have gone
on. An impulse as irresistible as death
forced me forward. I did not deny to
myself that was afraid, but I said I
could conquer my fear, and T would
conquer it.
I slipped through the broken gate,
and, light as a shadow, fearing to
breathe, and with outstretched hands
before me least in the dark I
should run against tree, crept on to
the house and peered through the broken
window of the room where we had heard
the noise. But the darkness without
was nothing to that within. could see
and no sound reached my ears.