The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-01-24

The Result Of Listening 70 Bleed Cufdlln
Yarns just Before Bedtime.

me Result Of Listsniag to BIssA-CsrdliA0
Yarns just Before Bedtime.
1t was cold winters evening, just
such q one rs nature gives for the
proper coloring to stories of the i'm.
aginative character. Ghosts could b
seen dancing and holding high carni
ron the glistening snowbanks OUT
side, and fairy forms and hobgoblins
seemed TO burst forth At every crack
of the bright logs in the big open gate.
1t has been q long time since we four.
my two girl cousins, Minnie and'Flor,.
my Uncle Fred. and myself, had been
together. and we were making thk
most of the reunion
As we sat there in the parlor OF tho
big farm house. watching the glowing
logs, we fully bent ourselves TO the
surroundings and our imaginations
had full sway. Uncle Fred related
long and blood-curdling yarns which
he had heard in the west. the girls
told some wonderful ghost stories
and fairly let myself loose in aueS
dotes of crime which had come under
my observation as a police reporter.
When at last We went 10 bed oul
minds were keyed up to very high
pitch. and noticed the girls used en-.
ira precautions that night in locking
the doors and windows The fact that
q couple of suspicioas-loolxing tramps
had been turned AWAY earlier in the
evening by my grandfather also tended
make us more than usually careful.
The girls retired TO V-room. Just al
the head of the stairs. = great big
chanber such as is always set aside a
the spare room. furnished with BIZ
double bed, with four oldfashionsa
high posts My Uncle Fred and slept
In the low-ceiling cham Der in the otnaa
wing of the house. A long, narroW
hall. winding around the top Of The
open staircase. separated the two spasSs
ments-
Uncle Feed and had been asleep
about two hours when We were sud.
denly awakened by the sound Of Q
struggle. For moment We listened,
and then We heard = high soprano,
which we recognized a. Tlors's. scream
ing:
Help, help There's . man ia the
rooml'
At the same ins.a CO another voice
which we knew at once was Minnie'A
gave another and even more unearth
ly yell Of: Help! He's killing mer'
Fred was on his feet In IN instant
and as he pulled his pistol out Of the
drawer grabbed tho lamp II only
took us a minute 20 rush out In the
hall, but in that sixty seconds of Space
we heard enough TO convince ~ that
a most horrible sight would meet ow
eyes
Around tho hall we bounded and
kick from Fred sent the door of the
cooked the pistol and showed in the
light. AS the rays from the lamp
shone round the apartment we failed
to discern any traces of the man. 4
glance at the bed told the story. Both
girls were sitting upright Flora had
a tight grip on Minnie's bangs and Min
ME was clutching Flora's hair with
both hands. Both were screaming q
the top of their voices and both werS
SOUND asleep.
1t didn't take ~ long 10 solve the
mystery after getting the girls awake.
Flora in her slum bers had dreamed ol
burglars. and tossing about had grab
bed Minnie by the hair. As she did "a
she dreamed she had caught burglar
and yelled. Minnie. who was alsu
thinking of the ghost stories. instantly
nurmisad that "A robber had hev and -
self-defense she had grabbed Flora's
hair Both had pulled for dear life
and had yelled At the same time.
When the matter Was explain ed AZ
the breakfast table next morning
grandfather put an emphatic en- barge
on any more ghost stories. -Philadek
phia Times.