Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-02-14

You like-disease of the optic
nerye-an overburdcned conscience--''
Rats the little country cousin had
mildly suggested. with scraphic in
nocence.
Her ladyship hesitated for Il moment
rs if suspicious. and then with firm
viciousncss she emphasized the sug-
sestion. Or rats. Certainly
With difficulty the clever man re-
pressed sneer at the universal ignor-
ance and superstition. and Mrs. Carcw
interposcd.
1T really DOESN'T matter what they
are" she said. "but lis quite certain
that anybody who is anybody has his
private ghost-unless he's sort of
y new and ready made person. and then
he's got to buy one. It's part of the
honor OF the house. 4 country house
without Il CHOSE would be-er-silly."
We'll this ones Il perfect beast OF 4
ghost observed tie little country
cousin: lit makes noises-oh. awful
noises-and its footsteps come-come-
all the way up the stairs and right
along the corridor in the west wing.
and not one of the servants would ever
think of going there after dark. And
there's bloodstains-horrible ones-;nd
voices and signs and ciankiaS
chains"
And it's free show:" asked the
General: there's no charge whatever
for this pantomime:"
There's 10 charge the little com
try cousin said. GoubtIuly. only they
say after you've sceh II the Eeyt thing
you do is to go mad and die. The real
story
Mr.. Boreham- Wood sad 10y Jove.
and Lady Pausophy said Nonsense"
4 sort of shiyer ran through the rest
of us-the real story: Nothing more
than the usual acknowledgements OF
moral laws. revenge and murder. and
with subsequent unrest ard discomfort
for the principal actors-cvery detail
exaggerated and distended ny the sch
timental dreamer whose wild imasiua-
ton was started by the cracking of
cid furniture and basket work. and
stimulated by the hour. the season ard
the whistling of the wind in forgotten
corners.
Lady Pansophy hcdged. II might
be true or it might not but. as she
had always maintained. there was good
in everything. and everything had its
uses Personally she locked her door
at night. and was careful of her diges-
tion-still you never knew. and it was
well TO be on the safe side.
For the honor of the house the real
story had % he believed. and the con-
templatiye mind found itself speculat-
ing from one horror to another. The
clever man, unbelicving ard superior.
had nevertheless been impressed
by the testimony of alleged eyewit-
nesses. and retired later TO the seclu-
sion of his own room TO consider the
matter judicially from every point.
and TO question the wisdom of investi-
CATION. The words of the little country
cousin. And 50. of course. the next
thing you do is TO 90 mad ard die"
haunted him with tiresome Federation.
The burning logs. shifting and crack
ling. made. with their varying waves
of heat pictures in the heart of the
full distortions. srch evil incarnations.
that at last. desperately. lie closed his
eyes. the better to forget.
A crash-a sudden and tremendous
crash. He started violently ard cursed
in sheer nervous irritation-a coal had
fallen from the CRATE. Again he closed
his eyes and listened drea mily to the
signing of the wind around the house,
to the cracking of the logs. and tEcn.
above all. 10 the swish. swish OF softly
trailing garments. At once he was
alert. Certainly there were movements
at the other side of his toor--ihe ghoSt:
Pooh. Not 70: moment could he
really and truly believe that such 4
thing could be. And even suppos-
ing. With sudden plunge inro Il
defiant courage he started heroicGiiy
TO beard these spoGks IN the;. vc-y
dens. IL reed he: he reached TIE co.,
ridor. paused. and then his hear; stood
still. for straight before him in his
very path was the military figure o.
the General.
The hour and the occasion demanded
greeting beyond The mere How are
you:" Of civilized life. With a gigantic
effort he threw himself back q couple
OF centuries. and tragicaliy mu-tered.
"Hist-
The General turned. His face was
colorless. his eyes glared: his gaze
was fixed upon nothing in particular
as he slowly waited past
Good Lord The clever man
trembled. almost fearfully. But he
was well enough at dinner. What's he
SAYING
The broken tones OF what lie rcco--
nized as the Generals voice reached
him. almost in answer. "ODly an NJ.
o. w." 1t nuttcred: after all. oaly an
NJ. o. ": Yet the laborer is worthy
of fis hire"
The clever man passed through n
crowd OF phantom moving figures that
seemed suddenly to have filed the
west corridor. hustling each other with
p. the wellbred Indifference OF society at
state function: whispers borne upon
signs filled the air. and above all still
came the Generals wall. Only an u.
o. V"
awful crush. isn't it:" The clever
man looked round. Close behind him
stood Mr.. Boreham-Wood. dapper and
legant. save for the trifling difference
nat he carried his head under his arm