Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1907-06-21
shuer our eyes ana noses,

vestigating every nook and corner Of
its walls and shaking the cellar win.
dows and other subterranean openings
TO assure ourselves that they were Sc
curely fastened. Not finding anything
Of interest on the outside We returned
again to the interior and beginning at
the top, inspected every square inch
Of space until we reached the base
ment and were ready to descend to
the cellar. ! had discovered two can.
dies, which we lighted for this explor.
alton, and ! confess that my hand
Travelled instinctively to the revolver
IN my hip pocket as We started down
the stairs.
The cellar, however, disclosed moth.
ing Of importance, though we examined
Il thoroughly. As we were. about to
ascend, noticed the pile Of empty
whisky bottles, and, after finding that
there were exactly two dozen Of them,
had not q doubt that they were the
ones Mr.. Carney had ordered and emp
tied during his short stay at Carney.
Croft three years before,
In brief, there was nothing TO indi-
cate that the house had been disturbed
In any way since 1t was closed by Miss
Carney, and we strolled slowly along
the road to Hoskins' for our luncheon,
completely banned at every point.
Don't you keep a Waterman here"
asked MacArdel at length.
81 wanted TOP l replied. But the
Carneys didn't think it necessary"
That night we sat on the veranda,
discussing the happenings Of the day,
while the full moon shone coldly in
the zenith and the river splashed fret
fully against its banks back of the
trees.
The town clock In the distant vii.
lage had just struck the hour of mid.
night and / was beginning to yawn
openly after my long day of excite.
ment and exertion, when MacArdel
said laughingly:
"Now's the time to trot out your
ghosts, Ware The clock just struck
IL, you know"
AS he spoke I grasped his arm and
pointed to the path leading to the
river. Two flmy white figures, one
larger than the other, were waited
along under the trees, as If they were
part Of the air itself, and from them
came an odor, so faint and yet so over.
powering in its fetid oppressiveness
that l could scarcely draw my breath
For an instant MacArdel sat as one
petrifed, and then, with a muttered
cry, he sprang over the rail and fol-
lowed the neeting things into the
blackness Of the overhanging trees.
was after him in a bound. Run
ming with all our speed, we saw the
I creatures, whatever they were, sal
majestically before US as on wings oil
air until they reached the river. where
IN the full glare Of the moonlight
they vanished suddenly under our very
eyes.
When | overlook MacArdel he was
leaning heavily against a tree trunk
gasping for breath.
"Ware!" he said, as soon as he
could speak. That odor was the smell
OF the grave. There's nothing else like
1t, | tell you, man. was a coroner
for too many years and have opened
too many collins not to know it."
He sank to the ground from sheer
exhaustion.
A moment later ! heard a cracklins
In the underbrush not far away and
with shout, | dashed into the bushes
followed by MacArdel. Suddenly there
was a glimpse of white through tn.
leaves, and, with warning cry. drew
my revolver and fired twice with care
ful aim. The object in white fell to III,
ground, and We were upon 1t in an in
| slant, while the continued cracking o.
branches showed that some one wa.
escaping at the top Of his speed.
The white object was a bundle o.
towels and odd pieces of bed linen aut
the articles were permeated BY thu
same indescribable odor that we haC
noticed as we pursued the neetins
creatures in white down the path Il
the river.
MacArdel poked the parcel open will
q stick and spread the pieces about II
the moonlight as 1t filtered in through
the branches overhead, making brigh
patches here and there under tn,
trees. Whether because Of his startled
remark that this was the smell of tn,
grave. or perhaps on account of tn,
nervous strain to which l had jus
been subjected, I was forced to view
tnis operation from . respectful dis
lance and was glad when the investi
cation was completed.
Leaving the rags, for such they
were, strewn about as MacArdel had
scattered them, We returned in silence
TO the house and reseated ourselves
on the veranda
Mac" | said abruptly, a moment
later, do you know that we left this
place standing wide open and that
some one may be inside by this timer
Not much danger Of that" said
AacArdel slowly. Whoever was