The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-06-04


the pillow, and had slept the sound
sleep of the just until his slumbers
were disturbed by a peculiar sensa-
ton, as il someone were blowing an
icy cold breath on his face.
81 don't want to give you the shiv-
ers," said a rough voice, "but l can't
help it, and, looking in the direction
from whence it came, Tommie saw
sight that nearly took his breath away.
Sitting in a chair, with his legs
crossed, was the queerest looking indi-
vidual that one would care to set eyes
on-only he couldn't exactly be called
an individual, because he only seem
ed to be made of fog or something
very like it.
He had long. vapory whiskers, big
google eyes. surmounted by great misty
punches of eyebrows, long, vapory hair
hung down his back, and the rest of
him seemed to be mainly composed of
huge hat of fog and vapory pair of
colossal boots.
Now, don't YELL" said this uncan-
ny object. at makes me tired to hear
people yell whenever they catch sight
of me. | haven't the least desire to
harm anyone. In fact, I've been try
ing for years and years to meet some
one who would talk to me and not
run away"
you're a ghost, arn't you?" asked
Tommie.
That's what I am" replied the OBJ
ject '1n fact, I'm the only ghost
that is, or was, and I'm not glad of
it. People think there are lots of
ghosts, but I'm the only one. Most
of the ghost stories aren't true, but
when they are true I'm the ghost that
was seen"
"Most times around graveyards or
haunted houses?" Tommie ventured.
"Bosh!" said the ghost. 81 never
60 near graveyards or haunted houses,
and there isn't such thing as a haunted
house, anyway What want is not
to scare anyone, but to find someone
who can tell me how ! can quit being
a ghost"
Cant you get dead?" asked Tom
mic.
mo, l can't; that's the trouble.
want to get dead like other dead peo-
pie. You see, it's this way: Before
j became a ghost l was pirate, and
about as wicked a one as ever hap
pened. / was the terror of the Span
ish main. Captain Kidd and old Nor
gan didn't amount shucks alongside
of me when it came to pure cussed-
ness. Well, to get down to the real
thing, they finally got me all right
and, after finishing off my trusty fol-
lowers and throwing them overheard
to the sharks, they slipped moose
around my neck and hanged me up to
yardarm of my own ship, and set
her adrift to float where wind and tide
might take her.
"The ship drifted and drifted and
coon was nothing but gas, but my
gas didn't float off, ! suppose because
it was intended that l should become
a miserable ghost to pay me up for my
wickedness. Oh, me, oh, my, l wish
now I'd been good.
well, anyway, my clothes rotted
off. as did also the rope which held
me, and one day I fell on the deck
just ghost. / couldn't work the
ship, because ] was only gas, so it
kept drifting north, and next thing
it got caught in the ice and was car
ried clear up to the north pole"
''What was it like" inquired Tom
mie.
"Why"-and the ghost stroked his
vapory whiskers, with a misty hand
at was much like big icicle upside
down, only hundred times bigger.
Well, anyway, it was almighty cold up
there, tell You. In less than week
was turned into liquid air. Yes, sir.
I'm the original liquid air. I'm 400
degrees below zero"
as that why people always get
chilly feeling just before they see
you" asked Tommie.
That's the identical reason"
"Why didn't you leave the boat be-
fore you got frozen?" inquired Tom
mie.
81 couldn't. ! can't walk. l had
to wait for good wind and 60 with
It. 1t finally came, and I've been
blown a good many places since, but
not where l wanted to be blown.