The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1906-11-21
T'HE SMELL OF
THE GRAVE
tOrlglnall


pale.
Take that chair over there" he said,
pointing TO one ON the other side of
the porch from which was sitting.
"Why SOP"
"Changc your seat" he said impa
tiently, "and I'll tell you"
changed my seat, taking plenty of
time TO do so, and when seated Tom
said.
"a man was shot sitting exactly
where you We're"
"When? How2 who shot hmY
"Some one with whom he was Mt
enmity. never heard the whole story,
but know he spoke of smelling fresh
ly turned earth Just before he was
shot"
My heart began TO thump wildly, A
man had smelled freshly turned earth
and been shot | had smCllcd freshly
turned earth and had been sitting In
the very spot the murdered man hnd
sat
"Tell me about the shooting" said.
"You must know that, even II you
don't know the story connected with It.
Maitland was his name. lie owned
this house. | bought II from him, or
rather, from his wife. asked her
about the story, but all could get her
to say was that exactly at this time Of
day he was sitting Just where you were
seated when he called to his wife, ask.
ing her who had been digging about
the porch, to which she replied that
she didn't know of any one having
been doing 50. A few minutes later
that window over your head was
raised a shot rang out and Maitland
fell over dead"
l glanced uncomfortably at the chair
l had been sitting In and. smiling.
smcled freshly turned earth.
Good graciouswI exclaimed. There's
another window on the other side to
match this one"
81 never thought of that"
l heard a step in the hall and, look
ing in, saw no one. ! began to feel
creepy. We had left Ed Glascock.
Toms brother; Martha, his sister and
two lady guests at the dinner table for
an after dinner chat and heard clat
ter of voices. wanted to go back and
Join them, but did not care to show
my trepdation.
"How did this man, Maitland's enc
my, get into the house?" asked. glanc-
ing furtively up at the window from
which the shot had been fired.
~ think he had called to protest
against the foreclosure of a mortgage
on his home or something like that He
and Maitland had quarrelcd about It,
and Maitland had left him, coming out
here to get away from him He heard
nothing for some time and supposed
the fellow had gone out by the side
door. Then he smclled earth and spoke
to his wife about it,
"And then he was shot"
Eyes"
glanced nervously at the window
above me and at the one opposite, won
dering IL after one had smeled earth
he would he shot from the same win
dow as Maitland.
'I didn't know that was a sign Of ap
preaching DEATH" said.
"What?"
Smelling freshly turned earth"
81 didn't either"
81 suppose it's the grave being open
ed In advance"
'Llkely it is"
II don't like this" | said after brief
silence II smell carth-freshly turned
earth. What's that?"
There was md under the porch,
sound of earth being thrown up.
Tom and | both heard It. and both
turned pale. We listened and heard a
scratching underneath as il some one
were scraping the loose earth together
preparatory to tossing 1t out of
grave.
Il wonder what's become of them
inside" said Tom, as though he would
like an excuse TO go in and join them.
81 haven't heard sound from them
for some time" replied.
"There it is again. Tom said. with
n frightened look. referring the
scratching.
"And the earthly SMELL
BY this time we were so wrought
upon that no doubt we exaggerated
everything. Suddenly the window
above me-the window from which
Maitland had been killed-opened, and
a shot rang out.
was as certain that l had received
mortal wound as l was that it was
growing darla | sank down on to the
porch and swooned.
When | came to myself | saw the
anxious faces of those with whom /
had dined. Ed Glascock's face was
very white, and his brother Toms was
also livid, but there was also an angry
look on it, The women appeared ter
ribly frightened.
rs it mortal?" | asked family.
mortal! No. Ed has been playing
one of his pranks. He heard us talk
ing out here and fired the shot to scare
u.s."
But l hear the gravedigging be-
low" moaned. My nerves were COM
pletely unstrung.
81