The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-11-26

strength was going.
Everything appeared in mist to m,
! and pretty soon all had faded and wal
dead But was IN another world
could hold communion with a Thousand
other wronged beings who had beer
transformed from life into the ghost
world. They told me merry stories o.
how they at all hours haunted those per
sons who had wronged them in THU
world. But in that respect am a pecul
lar ghost have nay regular haunting
hour. remember as my murderer stood
over me the clock in an adjoining room
chimed the hour of / o'clock. and every
night just at o'clock | pay my vic.
tim-he's my victim nova visit. And
Unjust be going
He moved toward the door and we fol-
lowed.
do you young men want to follow g
ghost upon his cheerful mission?" be
asked.
"By all means. if you will let u.s." said
Dalrymple
81 have no objection. A ghost desires
no company, but you may CO."
We followed him out through the
darkness to the road that led past the
house. He moved quickly along the road
and we followed, filed with sensation
which cannot explain. With a ghost
on his nightly roundsl This was some
thing strange-passing strange
Over the hills we followed his ghost
ship until the village had been completely
left behind The fields, waving with
their harvests of corn, were on either
side.
Where was he going2 Who was the
murderer These thoughts fitted
through my mind thousand times.
Presently he stopped before large farm
house.
''This is the place" said he.
Great heavensI Was it possible?
knew the place we'll 1t was the
residence of Captain James Standiford,
one of the most prominent men in our
whole vicinity.
This cannot be true" said Dalrym-
pie.
But the ghost gave Us no time for
words or thoughts.
Follow me-" he said, and he entered
the house Bolts and bars have no re-
straining power against a ghost, for he
pushed the door lightly aside and stepped
into the hallway. Evidently he knew
the place we'll A look of delight, fan
cied, came over his face as he beckoned
us to follow him up the stairway.
At the top of the stairs he stopped be-
fore door.
''This is his room," he said.
He turned the knob and went In.
The room was dark, but through an
open shutter faint streak of light en-
tered.
On a bed a sleeper was tossing rest
lessly about 1t was Standiford.
He moaned, restlessly turned over and
then, with a frightened start, sat up in
bed
His eyes fell upon the CHASTITY ghost
figure standing at the foot of his bed,
looking thousand times more horrible
than when we had first seen him.
With loud cry of terror he sprang
from the bed and ran to the farther side
of the room. Slowly the ghost went
after him.
''Take it awayl Take it awayI' he
shrieked. "It's his facet Take it away!
Oh, God! Take it away"
Standiford's face was so terribly
drawn and contorted by his terrors that
one of his most intimate acquaintance
would not have known him.
The ghost went slowly toward him,
and with maniacal, terrified look he
ran about the room, getting as far from
the ghost as the room would allow,
shrieking and moaning piteously all the
while.
Shrinking in a corner like cur at
bay, with his bloodshot eyes almost
ready to burst from their sockets, Standi-
ford held up bis hands toward the ghost
and cried out piteously:
'Go away now. please go awayl am
sorry-so sorry, and this is enough-my
Godl it's enoughl"
But the avenging spirit did not hear
his pleas for mercy. Wherever Standi-
ford went the horrible thing followed
him.
For almost an hour it went on thus,
when at Last Standiford becoming utter
ly exhausted, threw himself on the bed
and covered his face with his pillow,
trying to shut out the hideous sight and
crying out in the most penltent manner.
For moment the ghost lowered over
him and was gone.
Dalrymple and myself stood rooted to
the spot for few moments, and then,
realizing our positions, went back down
the stairway and out of the house.
''This is a horrible experience" said
Dalrymple, land horrible revelation.
We walked back home in silence, busy
with our own thoughts concerning the
e)vel experience Of the night
The next day met Standiford on the
streets He spoke 10 me in his usual
happy manner, but | noticed dark lines
under his eyes. while he wore a sleepy
and detected look.
He was a murderer. and no one but
myself and Dalrymple knew and would
ever know.
Would it do to proclaim him to the
world as such with no proof but the
ghosts testimony, and 70 have the ghost
summoned into court? l think not
Robert l.. Adaulson in Atlantis COnsti-
tuition.