River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-07-28

the watch-they clapped their hands TO
their ears. muttered prayers to the Fox
god and the Mercy goddess and the
Japanese pantheon generally. and stood
huddled together in a corner. of about |
as much use in real emergency as
couple of women. Now curious cir |
cumstanee happened.
Opposite To our premises was the |
compound of large bungalow which |
had long remained untenanted and was |
fast falling to ruin. One morning we |
heard that the bungalow had been
taken by some Japanese-probably |
men of the modern school, who imag- |
ined that they could not better stamp
their fervor for the new order of things
than by taking to themselves a Euro
pean house In times gone by there
had been a pleasant garden round this
bungalow; but long years of neglect
had brought il to the condition of a
wilderness, and il was now n mere
tangled. uncared-for thicket A promi-
nent feature was a fine shrub which
sprang up almost in a perfect cone
close to the wall dividing the property
from the main road; and upon this
shrub our manager had long cast covet-
Gus eyes. with a view to transporting
it to his own garden on the bluff. hill
outside the settlement whereon were
situated the private residences of our
local aristocraey.
Upon the night after my second vigil
at the Office was dining at house on
the Bund- 1t was a fine starlit night as
/ walked thereto, and ! remember re-
marking how clearly and distinctly the
pyramidal shrub stood out against the
deep blue sky. But when returned at
two o'clock the next morning the shrub
was not there! To be sure had dined,
and, after dinner. at the card-table,
may have had a couple of brandy-and-
sodas. but no more; and IL was as
suredly no habit of mine to get intoxi-
Gated. so that could only imagine that
the manager had got the shrub.
But-next morning the shrub was in
its place! From which had to arrive
at the humiliating conclusion that my
vision had been clouded-well. by
circumstances over which 1 had no
control.
went up-country shooting for three
or four days. When l returned l asked
about All Moons ghost. The comprador
replied that the collies said il was still
walking, and would continue to walk
until the body was laid in its Anal rest
/ ing-plaee in China, but expressed his
own contempt for their fears. As
walked down to the club that evening
/ noticed that the shrub was in its usual
| place. The bungalow was lighted up;
and just as / passed the gate out came
/ Hal Ling, who saluted me and went on.
/ dined out that night, and came by the
bungalow compound wall shortly after
midnight. The shrub was still there.
so that my suspicious as TO my condi-
ton upon the night when I had failed
TO see it were confirmed beyond doubt.
Still the mystery of All Moons ghost
continued. I kaetc that il could be ac-
counted for. and yet was utterly at a
loss to account for it In reply to my
questions the watchmen said that the
groanings were terrible. They were
men / could trust. and their fear was
too palpably genuine TO be a subject of
mirth.
Up 10 now / had confided the affair
to no one, but now told the manager
and the accountant. OF course they
laughed me to scorn; but agreed 10 sit
up with me and listen. Not a sound
broke the stiffness of that night; the
laugh against me was renewed and re-
doubled. and I was pointed out at the
club next day as the fellow who be-
lieved in ghosts.
But had heard the sounds, and de-
termined To find out their cause.
arrived at the conclusion that the more
quietly l went to work the better; for
it was remarkable that upon the one
occasion when / had announced my in
tention of watching. l had heard moth
ing; and that upon the other. when the
manager and accountant had been with
me, there was a similar absence of
sounds. So one evening / got the du-
plicate treasury key from the mana
ger, and at midnight I slipped quietly
into the Office, which adjoined our
dwellingh house. The Waterman was
promenading the veranda. click-clack-
ing his pieces of wood in the old-fash-
toned, idiotic Oriental fashion. ]
passed him without attracting notice,
lit a dark-lantern, noiselessly opened
the treasury doors. and slipped in,
carefully locking the doors after me.
Presently the unearthiy noise began.
They Were closer to me and more dis
tlnct than be fore; and il / had been
asked, should have said that All Moon
was busily engaged in hewing out his
own grave, and that from his groanings
and lamentation he was finding the
task hard one. / raked my brain for
the cause. I thought of rats, of the
wind. of some hidden force of nature;
but the more l thought, the more I'M
accountable seemed the phenomenon.
/ sat until was half frozen, for e was
mid winter; there was half foot of
snow on the ground outside, and the
floor, walls and roof of the treasury
were of iron.
got out as I came, and as passed
through the Office looked out. The
shrub was there, but / could have
sworn that its position had been
shifted. and somehow or other 1 got to
associate the shrub and the sounds in
the treasury together.
Next morning. walked over and had
good look at the shrub. 1t was GER
tainly in its place; but noticed that
the snow all about II was much
trdupleu anu marked Will lOOtprlnlS
"Comprador." l said to Hal Ling
when the Office opened, they are
friends of yours who have taken the
bungalow over there--aren't tbey?"
''Yes, sir" he replied. with-perhaps
fancied it-a little hesitation in his
tone. and family perceptible rise of
color into his yellow face. They are
Japanese gentlemen--two-swor men;
they are very busy eating in their
furniture. You can see the carts. They
are rich, and will be valuable connec-
tons"
Sure enough, there were drawn up in
front of the bungalow three or four
carts laden with packing cases.
The English mail came in that morn
ing. and / went to the club to read the
newspapers she had brought. Sud-
denly paragraph in one of them ar
rested my attention. I slapped the
paper down with an exclamation of
Joy, and rushed straight away home,
for l felt sure had solved the mystery
Of An Moons ghost and of its connec-
ton with the shrub.
That afternoon, after the Office had
been closed for the day / went in tn