Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1907-07-05
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fact you didn't ind it TILL morning, Dut
you probably slept a. well, for all
that"
How about the cigar case?" ] ask
ed, with a grin.
"0h, bother the cigar easel" ex.
claimed MacArdel. THAT was only an
incident in this whole plot to scare
people away from here. 1t looks queer,
! know, but so did the other things,
for q time. Well find out how It was
worked, sooner or later, and, even II
We don't, ! can't see that II makes any
great difference. We know the lead
ers in this business and we've got them
pretty well subdued. All you have to
do is to 30 ahead and open up the
place. There won't be any more non
sense when they realize that you don't
care q snap Of your finger for them
or their doings Just get your serV-
ants here all at the same time. Have
the house cleared and aired from top
to bottom and keep lights burning in
the halls all night Fill the stable
with horses as you told me you In
tended to do, and see that all the
servants cottages on the place are 90
cupied.
you won't have any trouble, Ware,
II you will only take the precaution to
have all these people come at the
same time, and transform the place
into one Of bustling activity within q
few hours. All you have to do to
stamp out this ghost business is to
overwhelm 1t entirely, and there won't
be any more Of it, promise you, as
soon as the place is running full
blast"
MacArdels idea seemed to be the
most practical one that presented It.
self, and within few days, the house
was filled with workmen and their
helpers, while the retinue of carefully
chosen servants was imported from
town, and gave to the establishment
an air of permanent occupancy. AS
many men from the village as could
be persuaded to work on the place at
all were assigned to the roads and
lawns, and every effort was made to
beautify and render attractive the en-.
tire estate.
had no hesitancy in authorizing
the lavish expenditures which were
necessitated by such wholesale rehab-
ilitation of the property, for not only
was ! assured that anything l might
do would meet with the full approval
of Miss Carney, but, from my position
as her trustee, knew that the in
come of the estate would warrant the
steps was taking toward its improve.
ment.
There were no further uncanny man.
ifestations or mysterious happenings
of any kind, and jerks and the widow
continued to follow their usual voca-
lions as if nothing out of the ordinary
had occurred, so that we were forced
to believe that they were living I'D to
the spirit as well as to the letter of
their oath.
MacArdel who had remained with
me as my guest and companion while
this work was in progress, did not half
like this submissive behavior on the
part of jerks and the Bruce woman
and his suspicious were greatly in
creased when ordered the widow out
of her cottage to make room for the
golf links that Miss Carney wanted
laid out.
Keep an eye on her, Ware said
MacArdel, when l told him how
promptly and willingly she had acqui.
esced in my wishes, and with what
seeming gratitude she had accepted the
new quarters in which | had installed
her" Watch her carefully, old man." he
continued She'll be up to some devil.
try yet, you may be sure. Neither she
nor jerks has breathed a word. even
to you or me, about that business the
other night, but they haven't forgotten
1t by any means, and we'll hear from
them when We least expect to. unless
We keep sharp lookout. | almost
wish they had cut up a row over il
at the beginning, rather than have
them 90 on like this. They are nurs.
ing their rancor all this while and
some day they will try to get their re.
venge."
A telegram announcing the sailing OF
Miss Carney and Miss Weston spurred
US on to greater efforts and, when al
last we were ready to leave for town
that ! might meet the travellers al
the pier, we were both satisfied that
our labor had not been in vain.
Carney Croft looked like its old.tims
self in Its happiest days. The lawns
had been cut and sodded, the roads
and paths graded and repaired, the
shrubs and hedges trimmed, and the
flower beds filed with rare and well
chosen plants.
Within the house had been cleaned
and renovated from garnet to cellar
and the corps Of servants from house
keeper down to kitchen maid, were re-
liable, capable, and Of thoroughly at.
tested responsibility, while the stable,
with Its new horses and Trustworthy
men, was nowise behind in point Of
Nnmnlata