The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1898-06-23
CHAPTER V.


of the old homestead l recalled Mr..
Morley's words and thought with sor-
row how much superior his judgment
had been TO mine.
A year had gone by. year of heart
ache, disappointment and unfulnlled
longing. and the cloud had not been
lifted from my life. And. oh. was so
homesick for just glimpse of my dear
loves face.
a few days after my interview with
Mr. Morley l had received note from
Florence:
Dear Mr.. Conway: Father has informed
me of your resolve not to call on me or at
tempt to keep up the friendship which made
me so happy, until you are freed from all
suspicion. 1 appreciate the manliness
which prompts you to such resolve, and
l wish to assure you from the bottom of my
heart that respect and trust you. i know
you are innocent, and shall always believe
so. Keep up brave spirit The mystery
will be explained and you exonerated. Re-
member, 1 believe in you wholly, and shall
always remain, Your true friend,
FLORENCE MORLEY"
l 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 resplendent
and the white beams came into the win
dow where l sat in my night robe, flood
ing my white drapery with light. There
were no sounds of human life; the
world seemed left wholly TO the crick-
cts and katydids. With a sigh from
the depths of my lonely heart i re-
placed the note in it's receptacle and
arose.
Turning from the window, / saw
right opposite me, on the other side
of the room, tall white figure. What
was it? There it stood. while / gazed
spellbornd, motionless, mysterious. In
q lightning flash of thought Sarah's
forebodings came TO me.
Then / grasped my pistol, which was
lying on the table beside me.
Now, then, if this is a practical joke,
intended simply to frighten me, let
it STOP" said. 1t was with some diff
fculty, / confess, that my voice was
kept steady.
Whoever you are, speak and ex-
plain, or I'll see Il you have substance
enough to stop bullet"
paused for a reply, but none came.
Speak out, / say, or, as sure as there
is a God in Heaven. I'll firei" / 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, 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 1 realized the truth.
With a scornful laugh and con
demnatory exclamation at my foolish
ness, placed the pistol on the tabl,
and got into bed.
Then slight scufiling 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?" l exclaimed, as
deep, muffled sound, accompanied by
slight jar, Immediately followed. I
was as though a heavy door in som
distant part of the house had slammed
For quite time 1 sat up in bed an,
listened, but no more unusual sound
followed.
Mrs. Snyder's words concerning mys
terious happenings in my house an,
| h. lN1 fao g.. r
ty, followed by the two events Just men
toned, did have an effect upon me, al
though the first event was due who'll
TO an ordinary cause, and the second
the apparent sound of slamming door
might be, and probably was. just wha
il seemed. A gentle might breeze ha,
arisen. and some of the windows in tn
upper part of the house might hav
been left open, thereby producin
a draught and causing an intervenin
door to swing shut. True, the soun
seemed to come from beneath me. Blu
then that was probably imagination
In the silence of night sudden nois
is rather difficult to locate. How ofte
the most common events, under u1
familiar circumstances, become ineA
plicable mysteries!
l am not of a superstitious makeup
and therefore Sarah's vague fears di
not produce in me feeling of fright
but there was watchfulness about m
senses as though there were "funn
; things" to use Sarah's term, about tn
house, which would become apparer
in due time.
Nesting my head down on the pi
low, redolent with the grateful healtl
giving aroma of spruce, / closed m
, eyes.
Sleep did not come as quickly as ha
boasted TO my old nurse il would, an
it was some time before my conscious
ness began TO wander inro the domai
: of vague fancies and indistinct idea
which characterize the period betwee
waking and sleeping.
Then, almost before my eyes coul
, open, l suddenly sat up in bed an
! listened with hearing sharpened by th
sense of expectancy which had com
over me.
. Out through the silence of my roo
: there came stealing the sound of voiC
but such voice! Not possessed t
any human being, surely! Pitched @
! high, quavering tone, and yet SO so
! and small; so faint, as though Dorr
5 from a great distance; so plain, ;
though right at my bedside; bearing I