The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-02-12

w nat 3 LnaG! Cr1eu Nell, suddenly.
We were just opposite the broken win
dows of the end room.
THAT! What?" retorted our escort.
looking back.
THAT noise. / certainly heard q
noise in that room just now"
what sort of noise?"
''lt sounded like some one moving
about the room Iautterlng and groan-
ing. And"
Pure fancy, Miss Nell. Your
Imagination has been wrought up &c
expect something ghostly about this
old shebang, and il mas played your
ears a trick"
ut wasn't fancy" cried /. tartly.
81 heard it, and it sounded Just like
somebody calling your name in a
moaning, grooming sort of way. Oh,
! Will Mason, what haze you been about
that the dead can't rest in their graves
because of your goings on. but must
come out of 'em 10 talk to you and
scare us out of our lives?"
This, il must be confessed, was dis
tinctly provoking.
What the-mischief do you mean.
you little torment?" demanded Will,
holly. Suppose there's a legion OF
ghosts in that old, tumble-dOwn rat
trap, what have got to do with it?''
Then what did they call your name
for If they've nothing to do with you
nor you with them?"
Don't be absurd, Ju." said Nelly.
Nobody called Will. / heard nothing
of the sort"
Il did" replied L, firmly, not to say
obstinately. Il heard it just as plain
a could be. Will Ma-a-sOn,
just that way; sorter groaniag. you
know, and die away; for all the world
like ghost"
"You seem to be intimately ac-
quainted with the tricks and manners
of ghosts, Miss Ju: but to show you
that can be mistaken sometimes, shall
ride back and see for myself if there's
any body there, dead or alive, who
has business with me-"
''Oh, please DON'T" cried Nellie, be-
seechingly. Don't leave us here
alone. / shall die of fright"
LET him go. nell" cried L, with a
sudden access OF courage. largely COM
pounded of spite ard curiosity. go,
Will Mason, if YOU want to; | guess
you'll soon find out whether you are
wanted or not. In case you don't
come back" i continued, with a
lively anticipation of seeing my enemy
whisked away III d fash of blue fire,
leaving no vestige behind but an all
pervading smell Of birthstone, II can
take care of Neil and carry her safe
home"
mo doubt of it. Is there any thing
you can't do? Dent be afraid, Miss
Nell; shan't be gone five minutes"
Without more words he rode swiftly
back to the deserted house, leaving
Nell in paroxy5m of terror and me
outwardly valiant but inwardly quak-
ing The five minutes doubled before
he returned, whistling, laughing and
talking to himself. Ghosts were en-
PERTAINING company, to judge by their
effect on him.
There; you see you were mistaken,
little goose. Not soul, embodied or
disembodied about the place. Nothing
but rats and mice and such deer |
suppose yon heard a mouse sqCrak
and thought it syliabled my ma 9.
How full your head must be of me!''
To this taunt l disclaimed to reply
except by contemptuOus sniff.
All the way home our cavalier
seemed in a strangely excited state;
sometimes bursting into a loud laugh.
then muttering something that to my
suspicious ears sounded marvelously
like an oath. / was hugely Disguised,
and l think Nellie was not sorry when
he left us at our own gate, with scant
ceremony of leave-taking, and rode
swiftly back.
"NotO, what do you think of your fine
beau? Did you ever see such behav-
iOr in civilized human being? But
there's something under all this;
there's a deep dark mystery some
where, and I'm going to fathom it or
perish in the attempt. I'm going to
wake up Uncle Jake, and set him on
Will Mason's track"
Don't he so foolish, Ju. It's none
of our business where Mr.. Mason's
gone, nos what he's going to do. You
had much better como to bed"
1T may not be any of YOUR bust
ness" retorted with dignity, ''but Z
shall make it mine. Hasn't that mis-