The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-03-13
RAISING
s. GHOST
GOriginal.]

/. OOHe, SCauuua, lell Us sHoSs
story"
'''There are no ghosts, my children"
"Oh, yes, there arer
II will tell them one" said grandpa.
zone in which had part SO l can
youch for its truth"
The children clapped their hands, and
grandpa proceeded:
ut was before the day Of railroads
in America. 1 was travelling between
New York and, Boston by coach and
stopped over in "a village which has
since grown to be city. During the
evening the coffee room was full, ana
In those days people did not sit apart.
Tut fraterniZed with each other, drink
man, it is true, sat at n table by him.
self and would have nothing to do with
any one else. He was man with a
red shocky head and snaggle teeth. No
one regretted his unsOciability on ac-
count of his disagreeable appearance.
At one of the tables half dozen of us
were discussing the subject of super.
natural appearances on earth, and a
young peddler brought his fist down on
the table and said:
1.-The man who says the dead come
back to US liesv
THE redheaded man turned his head
slowly and fixed pair Of greenish eyes
on the speaker,
81 say that the dead come back.I
"'Then you lie.'
'The peddler started up, but one held
him back.
"'Young man. said the green eyed
man, If l chose / could convince you
of the truth of my words
eff you will do so, will give you
all the money j have with me. See
here; it is So
THE other turned away with a ges-
ture of contempt. Raise the dead for
$40! What a sacrilege! Then, sudden
" changing his mind, he said, .Pll lay
you wager Of 500 to $50 that can
call up one of the dead who will make
you howl with terror
I" But have only $10.'
"'Well. then, IL you cannot make
good your words, hold your peace
by this time we were all interested
in making the green eyed man prove
that he could raise the dead. To do
so it was necessary to get $40 to put
with the peddler's So. There were by
this time eight of us, and we each lent
the peddler rs. o..
"'Who Shall be stakeholder? he
asked.
You said the green eyed man.
Keep your fifty and take my hundred.
Go up to your room. 1t is now IL
o'clock. AT midnight shall show you
your friend Elnathan Harmon
e." 'Elnathan Harmon! How did you
know he was my friepdY
."'Never mind that. Go to your
ROOM
'.The peddler went up stairs, the
green eyed man took up a newspaper.
end the rest of us discussed in low
tones the probability of the peddler
winning the money. We feared that
the ghost raiser would play him some
trick, for he was q villainous looking
creature, while the peddler was hap
by go lucky individual who might be
easily swindled. But when We con-
sidered that he himself held the stakes
we could not see how fraud could be
possible.
1--WE sat thus, watching the clock in
the corner, drinking, smoking. chat
ting, stealthily keeping an eye on the
ghost raiser. He paid no attention to
us whatever, Keeping his eyes on his
newspaper. AS the hands of the clock
neafed the hour of II we expected to
see him get up and go out.n What we
most feared was that he would go up
stairs, frighteii the peddler and claim
the stakes. A few minutes before mid
night said to him: Hep
=" Are you going to raise a ghost sit
ting there reading that newspaper
,,"He turned his green eyes slowly to-
ward me. 4 do not raise ghosts. !
hive only the power to communicate
with the dead, Which do mentally.
sent a mental message to-. Elnathan
Harmon to ineetih friend ufl stairs at
midnight. I have nothing more to do
with the matter THE Split Of Elna-
than Harmofiswill be there
= "As he spoke the hammer Of the big
clock began to strike the hour of II.
AT the first stroke we heard a sudden
oar in the room above BY the sixth
stroke something" fell heavily Oh the
floor. Every stroke after that Wis ac-
compahied by piercing shrek, each
growing more frightful than the previ-
GUS one. At last there was cry OF
Help followed by gutterai sounds, az
II some one were strangling.