The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-20
and the darkness
Falls from the wings Of Night,
A a feather is waited downward
from an eagle In his fight.

a peculiar SllIueSs SeiIIeQ over the place.
Mary, cur servant, with true Irish courage,
proposed we should all 60 over to some
neighbours and stay until father came.
Di0gOneS began TO lose faith in everybody,
almost abandoning his idea that there was
an honest man. Mother and | kept up our
spirits aud endeaYorod 10 ignore the chilly
feeling which crept slowly over us at every
eTeak In the old boards or scratch OF a
mouse In the wall.
At last, however, it became unbeaTable,
and We decided to make a visit SOmsW h-Te.
We had often been in the village before,
and were acquainted with a few people, SO
it was easy to choose place IF refuge.
We'd better not 90 fan" said mother,
entering the room with her quickly dOnned
hat aud light shawl, because Mary wont
STAY here alone, and the house must not be
left long"
Diog0nes groWled yic.ously and pricked
up his small rars-sOme one was knocking
at the back door. He followed me STABILITY
when 1 went TO see about Il and quite
frightened the man with the Holsters until
he saw nos small lie was, by barking Justify
from dark corner.
Ruther small peTtaters yOuI' said he,
catching sight Of the little fellow as he de-
posted the basket under the kitchen table.
" Rael nice Holsters. them. miss. III bring
yer more wen yer wantem." And shutting
Of, locked the door up him.
DlOgOnes emerged from his place OF con-
cealmeut and tiptued toward the basket,
smiling iuqulSitIyely, and rolling his eyes at
me Tor fear OF opposition. | hardly ever
thwartrd his wishes, but this time | was
peTemptOry In my command, and turning he
fed for dear life-pEObably remembering
how lonely mother must be without him.
L laughed, and turning the light down low,
left the room and Joined mother, with her
little protector at the front door.
Tie blinds are all clio ed, and I've locked
to 60 with US? He's quite a safeguard, you
know" she said.
l assented readily, and we three went out
together.
They were glad to see US at Mrs Grey
sons, and we spent very pleasant evening,
quite forgetting Di0gOnes until We wanted
TO 90 nome, when he was not TO be found.
he could not have gone to sleep anywhere in
5ue dark; he never slept but few hours of
the night and then VITA one eve open. He
surely hId gone eff and left us-but where
was he?
High and low we hunted, but no dog came
aud at last we stBrted home without him.
The moon was shining aud the night as
clear, but for all that mother and | did not
liuger by the way.
As we opened the gate and hurried up the
path loud cry fell on our ears. We turned
pale and drew near together, but enter the
house We must In The perfect silence which
90 be open. We had C Osed them all before
r. 3vlDg and the fact added 10 our terror
somewhat. Was some one in the house?
Perhaps our dear little dog friend hal found
and caught robber and was making him
howl for help.
Unlocking the front door We entered the
hall with beating hearts. The perspiration
stood on my forehead IN great drops and |
hardly dared 10 breathe. Mother struck
match, and as II went out in her hand be-
fore she could reach the gas Jet, the wall
rose again aud echoed wildly through the
building. Up and down the hall It wan
dered, and, as each new cry chased the last
they met, and whIrling franticaIly together
executed wild, weird dance.
l trembled, and was too weak to cry.
Mother staggered to the door, followed
her, and we went out. Not a word did either
OF us say, but running at full speed we never
paused until the only police station in town
was reached. The burly policeman looked
sober at our story, as he patched it togethe r
from the few gasped detachmens wnic h
we gave, and readily followed Us, club in
hand.
1 am not ashamed to tell the rest, tn cough
some, perhaps, may call US foolish. When
we Te-entered the haunted house." 10 COM
pany with the policeman, and had procured
a light, We discovered the ghost to be
little black and tan dog, whose tail was
tightly held in the claw of a great green lob
steTl
The remainder of this tale Is short. Our
once faithful dog shares his affection for US
with the policeman, believing that "a friend
Ia need Is friend indeed" He is a hater of
green, and carefully avoids baskets, for
which we can attribute one reason only
curiosity having diminished somewhat
WayeTlV.