The Topeka state journal., 1906-06-30
THE EVENING STORY
Tcd,s Ghost Partr

the bearing of a. man utterly detected
Netue, watching him from the We
randa, dropped her work and ran to-
ward him.
WAS it any better today?" she
asked anxiously. Her father shook
his head
The day force went out when they
came to work" he said. THE night
force stopped work about two o'clock
this morning"
Don't you think that Ted could
help p she pleaded. HE knows the
men so we'll"
t told Raymond that I would not
have him about the works again, .
said the old man bitterly. Have you
broken your pledge ?"
II have not seen him since that
night, she declared, 'but I do think
he could do you so much good,
father"
Ellison pushed her aside with gentle
roughness and passed on UP the walk.
Nettfe looked after him for q. moment,
then. with a sigh, followed the bowed
figure into the house.
When the big contract had come
there had been much jubilation. It
was not alone that the completion OF
the contract meant a large sum Of
money; it was the work that the sue
cessful termination Of this job would
bring.
Then Ted Raymond, head draughts-
man in the pattern room, had asked
for Nettie's hand and had been refused
her fathers consent. He had been dis
missed and since then everything had
seemed to go wrong.
There had been a strike of the
wcrkmen and VIXEN the strikers had
been replaced with new men the new
comers nad refused to remain in The
plant, declaring II to be haunted.
The engineer employed to replace
the striker had disappeared after the
first nights work, and it was declared
that he had been thrown into the
furnace.
Night after night his phantom form
could be seen lowering in the smoke
and steam from the stack and ex-
haust pipes and no man dared remain.
the fear of the night shift communi-
eating itself to the day force
Raymond always had a good influ-
ence over the men, and Nettie felt GER
tain that he would be able to adjust
matters, but she had given her pledge
not even to speak to him and she
could not urge him to take up the
work.
It was late that night and Nettie
WAS combing her hair when there
she opened 1t to admit her father. She
was shocked at the change that had
come over him in the few hours since
dinner. His face was scanned with
burrows and his form stopped with
care.
Il have been thinking over what you
said" he began without preface, as
she assisted him to a chair. 81 do
not want to break my word, but alb
solute ruin stares me in the face. If
Raymond can stop this fear of the
supernatural in the men. will take
back what I said and accept him as
my son-in-Iaw- VIII you send him to
me in the morning %
Are things as bad as that?" she
asked. Ellison nodded.
sUnless I can obtain a permanent
force by the end of the week. he
said, cit will be impossible to complete
this contract in time
"And this is only Tuesday" she
mused. Tied can do it."
Ellison went away comforted. Apart
from what he termed his presumption
he liked the man with his cleancut, in
cisive manner and his quick compre-
hension. Somehow he felt that herein
lay his solution.
The next day there was consterna-
tion in the strikers camp. The pick
cts reported that Ted had been made
superintendent of the works. They
liked him, but also they feared him.
That night gave Ted his first view
Of the specter. He remained with the
night shift and shortly after midnight
there was a cry of alarm in the yard
and he rushed out to find the men all
staring at the huge smoke stack
There in the swirling wreaths of
smoke foated the dead engineers i'm
age. Once or twice the specter van
ished, only to reappear again, and for
twenty minutes the men started. Then,
as if moved by a single impulse, they
went to their lockers, and an hour
later Ted and the old watchman were
left alone in the yard.
The day shift went to work as usual.
but it was not long before the men
grew uneasy. There were no appari-
tions in the daytime, Int they felt
nervous at the thought that the spirit
of the murdered man lowered over
the works.
At the noon hour they talked it over
and when the whistle blew for the re-
turn to work they went to the Office in
a body They found Ted busy with
some bits of glass covered with red
paint He looked up as the spokes-
man entered.
quietly. "I suppose you do not want
to keep on working IN a haunted
foundry"
1--WE can't stand it"
.sThink you can hold out through
the afternoon ?" he asked. I'VE are
going to give a little ghost party to-
night Keep at it until knock-on time
comes and the Two shlAOs VIII HaNS
supper together"
seWon't that ghost be around to-
nfght?" demanded the leader suspi-
ciously. ct may be all foolishness,
but you saw it yourself last night
II hope to again this evening" he
said. 'sThat is where the fun will
come. Like to be a ghost yourself, to-
night?''
vinced the committee. The members
went out into the yard and advised
return to work. All the afternoon
there was an evident dislike Of going
into dark corners alone and the en-
Rfneer shivered every time the drausnt
nada tha furnace roar, but they all
STUCK to the work and shared in the
party at six o'clock.
.sIt will be dark enough by nine 70
have the party declared Ted When
the whistle blows come into the yaro