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

YOU llke-uiSctSt vi iils ODiit
rerve-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 sus-
Sestion. Or rats Certainly
With difficulty the clever man re-
pressed sneer nj the universal isnor-
ance and superstition. and Mrs. Carcw
interposcd.
lit really doesn't matter what they
are" she said. but it's quite certain
that anybody WHO is anybody has his
= private ghost-unless he's sort of
= new and ready made person. and then
he's got to buy one. Its part of tho
honor OF the house. 4 country house
without CHOSE would be-er-silly."
We'll. this ones a 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 Notwithstanding ones-and
voices and signs and c!anking
chains
And it's free show" asked the
General; there's no charge whatever
for this pantomime:"
There's 10 charge fhc little COM
try cousin said. Goubtiully. only they
say after you've seen ii the EeTt thing
you do is to go mad and die. The real
story"
Mr.. Boreham- Wood sad by Jove.
and Lady Pansophy said Nonsense"
A sort of shiver 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 TIE principal actors-cvcry detail
exaggerated and distended ny the sell
timental dreamer whose wild imagina-
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 ii 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 10 be on the safe side.
For the honor of the house the real
story had % he believed. and the con-
templatiye mind found itself spaculat-
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 so. 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
glowing fire. and showed such fright
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 dreamily TO the
signing of the wind around the house.
to the cracking of the logs. ana tEcn.
above all. 10 the swish. swish OF softly
trailing garments. NJ once lie WAS
alert. Certainly there were movements
NJ the other side of his Goor--the ghost:
Pooh. Not 70" moment could he
really and truly believe that such 4
thing couid be. And even suppoS-
ing. With 81 Sudden plunge into Il
defiant courage. he started heroicGiiy
TO beard these spoGks III the:: ve"y
dens. IL reed he: lie reached TIE CO..
ridor. paused. and then his hear; stood
still. for straight before him il 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 gigantic
effort he threw himself back q couple
of centuries. and tragical!y 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 rs the Generals voice reached
him. almost in answer. "Only an NJ.
o. "" 1t muttered: after all. oaly an
NJ. O. ": Yet the labore- is worthy
of his 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
the wellbred Indifference OF society nj
state function: whispers borne upon
signs flied 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,
Ftns. q