Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1908-07-22
m AL z or A
GEs8OST
How itReturned His FrIend's
Book N

'HNh anu ptdutdllOn owners OF t1l
state, is authority for the followin,
story. which he declares can be au
thenticated by number Of well-knowf
| people, says the San Francisco Call.
Col. Grubs is not believer in ghosts
CT psychic phenomenon OF any descrip
tion, and has no theory OF his own tC
account Tor the incident which he re
lated to the writer one night when the
conversation had drifted into the
supernatural.
Il lad two bachelor friends, he
said, with whom | used to hunt a
great deal in the bird season. Out OF
season we would get together when
ever we could and talk over our favor
lite books and other topics Of kindred
interest. Everybody who knows me
knows to whom refer, and as one
OF the parties met~a tragic death the
figures Of this story will be pretty well
recognized at once.
My bachelor friends got closer to.
gether when married, and to speak to
one was also to say something to the
other They took 1t in turns spending
the evenings with each other Charlie
going to Dicks apartments every night
for a week, and vice versa.
Each had a special chair for the
other on either side of the open fire
in winter and side by side on the bal.
cony in summer They were as par
ticular as couple of old maids in
this respect and some others, one Of
which was not to exceed a certain
number of drinks an evening, except
on very special occasions.
The work was in three volumes,
two treating of southern songsters and
one OF Virginia birds exclusively.
They started in on the latter and read
with delight of their old acquaintance
Of the forests and Jeems river
marshes.
Dick valued this volume very high
ly, $50 highly, in fact, that he didn't
quite like the idea Of Charlie taking
1t out with him one afternoon to read
in favorite haunt, near the old reser-
voir.
THAT night. the first in years,
Charlie was absent from his accus-
toned seat near Dick. The latter was
so disturbed that the next morning he
went around to. his friends home, only
to find that they supposed Charlie to
have spent the evening with him, as
he often did.
During the day there was no news
of him, The next day it was decided
to drag the reservoir, and the body
of his lifelong friend was found.
1T was a sad blow to Dick, who
found himself completely at loss
without Charlie. Everything reminded
him of the dead man--his pipes, his
books. the empty chair, the empty
glasses that he turned down every
night as he poured his own drink and
gulped 1t down in sorrow.
1T was long before he thought of
the missing book on Virginia birds,
the book which Charlie had taken with
him on that fateful walk. What could
have become of It? 1t was probably
lying at the bottom of the old reser-
voir, where his friend had persisted
The fire was bright, and opposite
him was Charles empty chair. On
a little table at his side were the de-
canter and two empty glasses. He
filed his own and tried to forget, but
he could not
THE following night he again sat
by the fire staring at the vacant chair
on the other side Of the hearth and
how empty his life was with
out his old chum. Again the thought I
Of the missing book returned to his
mind and would not be dismissed.
The fire died down, and he got up
10 put on fresh log When he sat
down it was in Charles chair AS he
did SO Charlie strobe into the room
IN his old fashion"
At this moment the colonel inter-
rupted his narrative long enough to
say: And this is the story just as
Dick told it to me. He did not. feel
at least not any more so
han at the sudden appearance Of
friend who had been long absent
There was nothing uncanny about the
appearance Of Charlie. He looked just
Is he did the afternoon he came to
borrow the volume on Virginia birds.
why, Charlie. hang 1t, said Dick,
I thought you were dead
SO am, replied Charlie; 4 was
IrOwned.' 4
n" 'Preposterous, man! Here you are,
IS natural as ever. Come. take a
rink. You don't know how / have
missed YOU
4 am dead, old man, said Charlie,
but / could not rest until | got that
'ook on my mind knew how much
-ou thought Of 1t and how much you
would worry over 1t. None Of the
Kings / have done r.left undone have
worried me. ItBwas the book, the
,ook, the book all the the time. car
led ii along the road, but loitered on
he way, and 1t was almost dark when
came to Rides blacksmith shop It Is
Yas too late to read, and. left the
ook there. intending to return for It. !
4 I. =. ~ .II ~