The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-01-16
cat2'' he asked.

your smile as a melnenIO L an
swered, humoring him and cooking
my pistol, 1t was a self cooking re-
volver, so that this was unneces-
sary, but l thought the moral effect
would be good.
The burglar smiled in a superior
way, which nettled me. I went on.
mot that your smile strikes me as
anything remarkable L was 60
ing to add more had not a wonder
full thing happened, which if l had
not seen it myself l could hardly
believe. The room grew lighter, and
/, still looking at the burglar, found
myself seeing, instead, the rows of
ice covered trees and the barn, while
the moonlight again flooded the
floor.
Dazed, l clutched my brow, think
ing sudden blindness had stricken
me. Then remembering that blind
ness would shut out the moonlight
and the barn as well as the burglar,
I drew a breath of relief. Still star
ing at the window, / presently made
out a faint ironical smile where the
burglars head had been, and cold
beads of sweat stood on my brow as
I comprehended that the words of
the burglar must be true.
/ sat up in bed and would have
fed from the room, had 1 dared
turn my back on that cold, clamnly
smile. It's having no eyes or ears
gave it a CHASTITY grewsomeness
which a nan can hardly picture to
himself within whose experience no
such smile has ever come. The
smile as 1 gazed grew more hooking.
81 thoroughly believe you now"
l cried, writing under its amuse-
ment, and moreover impelled by a
polite desire to make the amende
honorable for having doubted the
word of my guest.
The smile ~vouchsafed no response,
and / became uneasy.
Wont you please come back2"
pleaded nervously-"the rest of
you, I mean" Still there came no
sign.
"It was very embarrassing, your
disappearing so suddenly, when you
had promised to disappear grad
ually,"I continued, my uneasiness
changing to irritation: Il can't talk
to a smile by itself. Let me at least
have your ears, to be sure that you
can hear me-"
The words were hardly out of my
mouth before the whole burglar sat
again ON the window sill.
THANK you," L said, relieved.
Don't mention it," said the bur-
glar, II hope 1 didn't make the
smile too weak. l forgot that you
were not used to the night like me.
Not at ALL" l answered. II only
wish that l could smile as well at
afternoon teas when 1 want to dis
appear"
The burglar-or rather the ghost,
as it would now be polite to call
him-seemed pleased. He smiled
again that smile which I knew so
well, as the story books say.
"You f1atter me, he replied. cts
an accomplishment that any ghost
can learn, though most of them neg
lect it-not but that they have
time enough" A panied look swept
across his features.
/ felt the delicacy of the situation
and changed the subject.
Would you mind telling me why
you pretended to be a burglar2"
asked.
He laughed. 1T was just for fun.
People latterly had taken to receiv-
ing mde coldly and skeptically as q
ghost, and it hurt my feelings. Bur.
glars are always believed in"
Then you + not the ghost of 8
burglar2" l queried.
No. l was a lawyer-a distin
guished lawyer, l may say, of some
time ago. My name is Symonds
and you probably remember that
was counsel for the plaintiff in the
celebrated Mifflin- Scarborough di
vorce trial, shortly before my death
Now that l am found out, l suppose
I ought to appear in my proper
clothes" He glanced down at hi
suit in a shamefaced way. 9TH
truth is l have become so accustom
cd to these old burglar buds that
wear them most of the time"
II am no stickler for etiquette a
this time of night" l said, waving
my hand in a deprecating way.
had become strangely interested il
the gentleman and reached down t,
the chair at my bedside for my note
book and pencil, which always Ii
there for ideas that may come dur
ing the night. Holding the note
book in the bar of moonshine a
the edge of my pillow, l began t
jot down a few incidents of our con
versation.
What are you doing2" asked tn
ghost.
Just taking down a few of you
remarks, I answered.
"May l inquire what for9"
Tin a reporter" / said, layin
4