The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-03-29

! 1t was 81, and substantial. and. Il III.
worst came III the shape OF rain, dare
ing could go on inside. Trile. Il few
nervous persons said that would hard
" do. OF course it was all Idle talk
None the less there had been talk CT Z
Vernon ghost
| Two ghosts indeed-those OF the Yer
non twin sisters. who had loved the
same sweetheart and had refused to
marry him out of regard for the other.
They had lived to great age. facing
and falling at last like withered roses
there in the family mansion They had
been dead twenty years, with none bit
good words to follow them # they
did not sleep peacefully in their sunny
graves, then were pure lives and good
deeds vain. Notwithstanding there
was the tas now one now another
glimpsed them walking hand i'll hand
! up the broad stairway or, fitting at
dusk through the overgrown rose gar
den
Dennison heard all this avidly He
liked whatever was old world and IN
| usual Perhaps that was why, when
the rain at last sent everybody scurry-
| ing within. he drew a little apart from
! the merrymakers and stood staring up
the dim vista of the great stairway
And thus he was the first to see twin
wraiths. slim and girlish floating ra;:i.
er than walking. glide out of the upper
dusk and linking arms. fall into the
swing Of a waltz They were al IN
vaporOus white = swirls of it covered
them from head to foot. They kept
perfect time and moved SO in unison it
was like the rhythm of one soul rather
than two.
Dennison felt his heart beat faster
All the rest had accepted the yelled
dancers as but new come maskers He
nodded toward them, saying in Fart
wells ear: Don't you hate monopoly:
Let's break that one up"
Then in hurried whispers he tod
what he had seen Eartwell suppressed
a whistle, then said with a quick
breath: ''I'I go you Take the taller
one
mo; I'm going to dance with tha
other. Ghostlike masqueraders don;
demand formal presentation" Denn
son whispered back as he shot our TO
intercept the whirling Visions IN
wink he had his chosen one fast, and
Hartwell perforce took the other To-
gether they made the round Of the long
hall-not once, but many times. tho
ghost dancers moving so lightly they
did not even breathe more quickly. al.
though their mortal partners az last
were painting
How did you think of IT. How
dared you do it," Hartwell asked as be
whirled and wheeled. The wrath in
his arms answered evenly: "We've
been doing 1t this long time. 1t was
sort of outlet Selma first thought of
1t after we had found the lost key to
the big gate. but she never would have
had the courage to do 1t If had not
egged her on She wouldn't dare be
here tonight il had let her think.
We have always gone home before 8
O'clock and climbed in by the library
| window. This time we shall have to
be ghosts until morning We can get
In on the heels of the mllkman. and of
course we shall run away before I'M
masking time What would Aunt VIII
ton say if anybody told her we has,
been here?~
Probably disinherit you. | should
like that Hartwell returned. Then
you wouldn't think. you couldn't, an
| eor
YOU
What more he might have said no
body knows Just then there came
wild cries Of fire and after them gen
eral panic. Despite the pouring rain.
helped by the raging wind, the old
had for moment left Bess. When be
looked for her be saw two yapory
creatures fleeing up the stairway
Bess and Selma. madly bent on avoid
ing discovery. meant to vanish that
way and escape up the back stairs By
which they had come. A wall of fame
blocked them. AS they ran back from
1t they heard shout: stand still!
We are coming" Then, up the long
main stair, came Hartwell and DENIM
son, to rush down half minute later
through licking flames. each with a
girls inanimate figure crushed against
his breast
Right there was settled the question
Of a double wedding. Even Aunt Will
ton insisted on it, Her nieces. she said,
needed stronger guardians. Both
matches have turned out to be IDEAL so
much so that Hartwell and Dennson
say they shudder to think they gained
such happiness by barely the ghost Of
a chance.