Rock Island Argus., 1906-10-25
DAILY .STO II y
THE SMELL OF THE GRAVE.
OO~
fOriginal1

| Tom. ! smell newly turned earth"
| Tom Glascock and | were sitting on
| his porch after dinner. smoking. As
soon aS | had spoken | saw him turn
pale.
Take that chair over there" lie said.
| pointing To one OH the other side OF
the porch from which | was sitting.
| Why So:'
Change your seat" lie said impa-
| tiently. and I'll tell YOU.
changed my seat. taking plenty OF
| time 10 do So, and when seated Tom
! said:
a man was shot sitting exactly
| where YOU were"
when? How? Who shot him?'
Some one with whom he was Il;
/ enmity. l never heard the whole story
but | know he spoke Of smelling fresh.
~ turned earth just before he was
| shot"
My heart began to thump wildly. 4
| man had smel!ed freshly turned earth
and been shot. | had smelled freshly
| turned earth and had been sitting in
| the very spot the murdered man had
sat.
Tell me about the shooting" / said.
You must know that. even if you
don't know the story connected with it,
''Maitland was his name. He owned
this house. | bought it from him, or,
rather. from his wife | asked her
about the story, but all could get her
to say was that exactly 1T this time of
day he was sitting just where YOU We're
seated when he called 10 his wife. ask
huI ii .IhA
the porch. To which she replied that
she didn't know of any ore having
been doing so. y few minutes later
that window over your head was
raised. Il shot rang ont and Maitland
fell over dead"
l glanced ncomfortably at the chair
had been sitting in and, smiling,
Smelled freshly turned earth.
Good graciouSr'I exclaimed There's
another window on the other side to
match this one
Il never thought of that"
l heard Il step in the hall and lock
ing in, saw no one. | began to feaI
creepy. We had left Ed Glascoch,
Toms brother: Martha his sister and
two lady guests at the dinner table for
an after dinner chat and heard a clat-
ter of voices. wanted to go back and
join them. hut did not care to show
my trepidation.
How did this man. Maitland'S enc
my. get into the house," | asked gIanc- |
ING furliveIy up at the window from |
which the shot had been fired.
II think he had called to protest |
against the foreclosure of Il mortgage |
on his home or something like that. fIe |
and Maitland had quarreIed 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 smclIed earth and spoke |
to his wife about it."
And then he was shot"
Yes"
| glanced nervUuSly at the window |
above me and at the one opposite, Won |
dering if after one had smellcd earth |
he would be shot from the same win |
dow as Maitland
Il didn't know that was Il sign of ap- |
preaching DEATH" said.
What"
smelling freshly turned earth"
Il didn't either
Il suppose it's the grave being open
ed in advance"
Likely it is"
Il don't like this" said after = brief
silence. Il smell carth-frcshly turned |
earth. What's that"
There was sound under the porch.
Il sound of earth being thrown up. |
Tom and l both beard it, and both |
turned pale. We listened and heard Il |
scratching underneath as if some one
were scraping the loose earth together |
preparatory To tossing it out of
grave.
II wonder what's become of them
inside said Tom, as though he would |
like an excuse TO go in and join them.
II haven't heard Il sound from them
for some time" l replied.
There it is again" Tom said. with
Il frightened look, referring TO the
scratching
And the earthly smell"
BY this time we were so wrought l
upon that no doubt we exaggerated /
everything. Suddenly the window
above me-the window from which
Maitland had been killed-opened, and
I shot rang out
j was as certain that / had received |,
/ mortal wound as | was that it was L
growing dark. l sank down on to the |,
porch and Swooned
When | came to myself L saw the |,
anxious faces of those with whom l
had dined. Ed Glascock's face was L
very white. and his brother. Toms was
also livid. but there was also an angry
,ook on it. The women appeared ter
ribly frightened
..IS il mnrtaI2, nsLnd fnintIr III