Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1907-01-16
THE SMELL OF
THE CRAVE
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tOriginaL1
'Tom, smell newly turned EARTH"
Tom Glascock and l were sitting on
his porch after dinner, smoking. AS
Yoon as l had spoken l saw him turn
pale.
"Talxe that chair over there" he said,
pointing to one on the other side of
the porch from which l was sitting.
"Why so?"
Change your seat" he said impa-
tiently. land 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 were"
"When? How? Who shot him?"
"Some one with whom he was at
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. l 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 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 SO. A few minutes later
that window over your head was
raised, shot rang out and Maitland
fell over dead"
| glanced uncomfortably at the chair
l had been sitting in and, shifting,
smelled freshly turned earth.
''Good graciousr' 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. l 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 a clat-
ter of voices. l wanted to go back and
join them, but did not care to show
my trepidation.
How did this man, Maitland's enc
my, get into the house?' asked, glanc-
ing furtlvely up at the window from
which the shot had been fired.
81 think he had called to protest
against the foreclosure of a mortgage
on his home or something like that. He
and Maitland had quarreled 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 smelled earth and spoke
to his wife about it."
"Aad then he was shot"
yes"
| glanced nervously at the window
above me and at the enc opposite. won
dering if after one had smelled earth
he would be shot from the same win
dow as Maitland.
81 didn't know that was sign of ap-
preaching DEATH" l said.
"What?"
Smelling freshly turned EARTH"
81 didn't either"
"I suppose it's the grave being open
ed in advance"
Likely it is"
81 don't like this" said after brief
silence II smell earth-freshly turned
earth. What's that?"
There was a sound under the porch,
sound of earth being thrown up.
Tom and | both heard it, and both
turned pale. We listened and heard
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.
81 haven't heard a sound from them
for some time," replied.
"There it is again. Tom said, with
frightened look, referring to 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
q shot rang out
l was as certain that 1 had received
mortal wound as l was that it was
growing dark. l sank down on to the
porch and swooned.
When 1 came to myself l saw the
anxious faces of those with whom I
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.
as If mortal 2' I asked faintlv