The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-11-21
True Gho.t Story.

- IuC A4fiO3A WY
There are no such things as ghosts,
declared Mildred Edwards. and several
Of the other girls agreed with her EN-
phaticslly. But Helen Duncan and Ethel
Sercomb quietly shook their neads n
dissent.
It was the second week after the open
ing Of the seminary, and a group Of the
girls were discussing the most striking
feature in the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. haunt
ed house" This place always had a fas-
cination for the seminary girls. TIE new
corners almost Invariably ridiculed the
idea THAI uncanny spirits held sway in
the deserted mansion, but the older girls
viewed it differently.
At the fashionable lake resort there
were also skeptics and believers. The
people who lived there the year round
stood in awe Of the haunted house,
while the summer visitors made fun Of
what they called superstition.
The subject Of so much speculation was
a fine country home known as the old
Walton place" It was on a hill over
looking the inland lake. The house was
Of dull stone and was hidden IN a grove
Of lonely pines and cedars. Although
completely and magnifcently furnished
throughout, it had remained unoccup. ed
for ten years, the only ones who visited
II being the silent old keeper and his
son, who kept watch on the premises
from their little house some distance
away
Two mysterious deaths and murder
which had never. been explained had oc-
Cured within its walls With such a
record those who inherited the house did
not care to live in it, and no one else
could be induced to occupy It. Some Of
those whose word was unQuestiOned in
the neighborhood declared that more
than once they had heard strange sounds
issuing from the place as they drove
! hurriedly by of a night on the main high
way, some distance from the old man
sion Others were sure that they had
seen Pickering and uncertain lights
through the drawn blinds Of the windows
and specter figures moving about.
These stories. had been repeated so Of
ten TO the girls at the seminary that the
older ones had come to almost believe
them. On stormy nights they had i'm
agined they had heard weird noises from
the haunted house above the roar of
the wind, and, looking out across the
way, had seen ftful lights in the VIM
dows between the flashes Of lightning.
So Helen Duncan and Ethel Sercomb
would not agree with Mildred Edwards
,
as to the non-existence of ghosts.
'I'n tell you what" said Mildred few
days later. Lets have a big lark After
dusk this evening the crowd of US Will
get away from the seminary and go over
to look for ghosts at t;ie haunted house
know there are no such things, and
want to prove it to soma of the supersti-
tious ones. We will get some Of the
boys from town to 60 with US. To tell
the truth have arranged it all with
them already"
Good, Mildred you're a brick" cried
the others enthusiastically. 'We'ere IN
for the fun, and we'll go clear to the
house"
Il required some persuasion to get
Helen and Ethel to accompany the par
~, but they were told that the excursion
had been arranged especially for their
benefit. The light had faded from the
west when the party found itself on the
wide veranda of the house. The ap-
preach through the grove had been cau-
tious and several stops had been made
but the boys had assumed a bravado
which auieted the fears of the girls.
The windows and shades were raised
and then with an increduIous smile the
party peered into the gloomy rooms for
sight Of airy figures in white. AS none
appeared they began to laugh at Helen
and Ethel and banter them.
A whispered alarm brought silence. One
of the boys was certain he had seen in
one Of the doorways a Tapping of white
drapery, which Immediately vanished
All looked intentiy. and were terrified to
see whtte-robed figure with CHASTITY
features stride through the room. From
the sounds OF seemed to have gone to
the sideboard ard to be eating from
empty dishes From the other part Of
the house a dim yell0wish light famed
up and went out Then another figure
in white, with great splotches of red on
its draperv, wandered into the room,
groaning and searching the floor intentiv.
The gh0stly visitation had been so sud
den that the adventurous crowd had been
too frightened to move. The groans Of
the second specter aroused them, and the
boys started to hurry the girls from the
place. Mildred, however sunk to the
floor IN dead faint. The boys carried
her through the grove and over into the
grounds OF the seminary. The party
was unable TO rouse her. and she was
carried to the seminary and the principal
soon learned the whole story. He notified
the town authorities, and search Of
the Walton place was made. Nothing
unusual was found, and for a few DAYS
the story Of the girls was discredited
Then II was learned that the keeper and
his son had heard OF the intended visit
and had PLAYED the part of ghosts.
The old place Is stiil avoided by those
who travel IN that neighborhood after
dark.