The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1897-10-30

seIlpl 10 keep up tie ITlcEuSllp winch Ildue
me so happy. until you are freed from all
suspicion. l appreciate the manliness
which prompts you to such resolve, and
wish to assure you from the bottom of my
heart that respect and trust you. know
you are innocent, and shall always believe
so. Keep up brave spirit. The mystery
Will be explained and you eXonerated. Re
member, believe in you wholly, and shall
always remain, Your true friend,
FLORENCE MORLEY"
took the worn note from the locket
which l wore around my neck and
pressed it TO my lips, as | had, done
many times since its receipt, and won
dered if her heart was still true to the
| sentiment expressed in it.
The harvest moon was respondent
and the white beams came into the win
dow where | sat in my night robe, flood.
ing my white drapery with light. There
were no bounds of human life; the
world seemed left wholly to the crick.
cts and katydids. With a sigh from
the depths of my lonely heart l re-
placed the note in its receptacle and
arose.
Turning from the window, l saw
right opposite me, on the other side
of the room, a tall white figure What
was it? There it stood, while | gazed
spellbound, motionless, mysterious In
lightning flash of thought Sarahs
forebodings came to me.
Then grasped my pistol, which was
lying on the table beside me.
"Now, then, if this is practical joke
intended simply to brighten me, let
it stop" | said. 1t was with some diff
ficulty, confess, that my voice was
kept steady.
Whoever you are, speak and en-
plain, or I'll see if you have substance
enough to stop bullet"
paused for reply, but none came.
Speak out, say, or. as sure as there
is God in Heaven, I'll fire!" / called
again, and again received no reply.
The white thing remained there, in
spite of my threats. After another
pause, during which the cold chills
chased up and down my spine, l raised
my arm, took deliberate aim and fired
A rattle of breaking glass followed
the report of the pistol, and dark
spot appeared in the center of the
white figure. The flash of the pisto
had been reflected back. and in an in
slant realized the truth.
With a scornful laugh and a con.
demnatory exclamation at my foolish.
ness, placed the pistol on the table
and got into bed.
Then a slight scufliing noise, seem.
ing TO come from beneath, reached my
ear, and said, aloud, and with laugh:
I've stirred up the rats, at any rate
Hello, what's that?" | exclaimed, as Il
deep, muffled sound, accompanied by a
slight jar, Immediately followed 1t
was as though a heavy door in some
distant part of the house had slammed
For quite time I sat up in bed and
listened. but no more unusual sounds
followed.
Mrs. Snyder's words concerning mys-
FERROUS happenings in my house and
Sarah's unreasonable fears for my safe.
ty, followed by the two events just men.
toned. did have an effect upon me, al
though the first event was due wholly
to an ordinary cause. and the second
the apparent sound Of slamming door
might be, and probably was, just what
it seemed. A gentle night breeze had
arisen, and some of the windows in the
upper part of the house might have
been left open, thereby producing
draught and causing an intervening
door to swing shut. True. the sound
seemed to come from beneath me. But
then that was probably imagination.
In the silence of night a sudden noise
is rather difficult to locate. How often
the most common events, under I'M
familiar circumstances, become mex
plicable mysteries!
am not of superstitious makeup,
and therefore Sarah's vague fears did
not produce in me feeling of fright;
but there was watchfulness about my
senses as though there were funny
things" to use Sarah's term, about the
house, which would become apparent
in due time.
Nesting my head down On the pill
low. redolent with the grateful health
giving aroma of spruce, l closed my
eyes.
Sleep did not come as quickly as had
boosted to my old nurse it would, and
it was some time before my conscious
/ ness began to wander into the domain
of vague fancies and indistinct ideas
which characterize the period between
waking and sleeping.
Then. almost before my eyes could
open. l suddenly sat up in bed and
listened with hearing sharpened by the
sense of expectancy which had come
over me.
Out through the silence of my room
there came stealing the sound of voice
but such voice! Not possessed by
any human being, surely! Pitched OF
high, quavering tone. and yet so soft
and small; so faint, as though borne
from a great distance; so plain, as
though right at my bedside; bearing ne
semblance to human tones, but never
theless undoubtedly voice; for after
a time | could distinguish word now
and then.
If there were in the world weird, mis-
shapen little folks like fairies ant
gnomes, and we could hear their con
versation, imagine their voices would
sound like this one to which now wa:
listening.
There was no wonder Mrs. Snyder
had been impressed by it, if this wer'
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