The daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 190?-1908, 1908-10-07
FOX'S FREE LAUNDRY
By HARRY IRVINE GREENE
Copyright. by shortstory Pub. Coz

he was thoroughly o%utspookcd. he
turned on the light and went ont,
locking the door after him.
The mex morning FoN visited his
friend Hume. who is a scientist. q
hypuotist. a spiritualist, and an ego
fist. Hume listened patiently. while
a soulmaddeniug smile OF self-suti
cheney came creeping out of the cor
ners Of his mouth and spread until
his face was thickly plastcrcd with IT,
and Fox felt that he would gladly pay
all his friends funeral expenses Ton
The celebrating JOY of attending &c.
Then, by a chain OF promises, he led
him To the laundry. whore Hume
looked about. made Fox repeat some
of the gibbcrlsh he had heard. and
then coolly asked him II he wished tn
see the gihhcrcr When asked what
he thought he was hired FOR. he Nero.
ly smirked. and said that nothing
would be easier for a person Of some
intelligence TO arrange. At that hc
sent for q whitcwashcr. who soon
came and made the yellow walls as
white as spotless linen. after which
The medium pattcd Fox ON the head
patroui2ingly and. saying that he
would come again ON the following
Monday night. went away, leaving
Fox looking for stones tu throw.
All the rest of that week Fox kept
midnight vigil in vain-sighing. groan
ing. clanking bits OF iron. using all HIS
COaXing wilos-desperatc because he
could not c%unjure forth a response,
and so forestall The spiritualist. whom
he silently called an idiot, and had al.
ways secretly dcspised. On Monday
evening he came. serene and oNaspcr.
atine, and promptly at midnight the
sounds began. Scarcely had the first
Clank come to their ears when the
medium was upon his feet.
Il thought SO said he. coully. 1T
is really the simplest case I ever had.
And with that he turned on the light.
wild with rage at his insulting
tones. Fox looked about. rubbing his
eyes and blinking like a bat that flies
into a lighted parlor. For "a few sec
onds ne saw nothing, and was about to
shrek at Hume in triumph and scoru.
when his gaze fell upon the farthost
corner. and he stood traushXed, star.
ing, with a mouth into which one
might have thrust a plum. For in the
corner covered a dimly visible form.
clothed in a misty chrome yellow gar.
ment that covered il to it's sandaled
feet and left no portion of it's body cN.
posed except its long, transparent,
yellow hands. Then the medium
turned out the light. Come. boy. Of
said he, and he took the arm of Fox,
who in a stupor allowed himself To be
led away.
We'll" said he, bitterly, about an
hour afterward. Somehow, in some
way. it seems. you have happened to
blunder upon a means of exposing him.
! had a better plan myself, but out of
courtesy let you try first and. of curse,
bull-head luck and ignorance came
running to your aid. as usual. hut
what was your silly theory, anyway
Hume yawned eXasperatingly.
when you first told me about IL ! re-
membered that a Chinaman died in
that place on a Monday. years ago,
while rubbing at his tub. Naturally.
then, IL was his ghost. | had some OK.
%perience with Chinese ghosts and, of
course, knew that they were yellow.
upon the same principle that a eau
casian's spirit is white. Therefore
the reason you did not see him was
because he happened to exactly match
the walls. The sounds you described
only confirmed my theory. Very ma
turally his feet scuffed, because he
wore felt sandals, the clanking was the
noise OF that old %wringer, and the glib
berlsh was no doubt very good Chi
nese. Therefore | had the room
white.washed, and the ghost became
to a certain extent, visible agains
that colorless background. / onl,
charge $40 in these rudimental cases.
you think you are very smart" sal,
Fox. You can u me for It.. If you
can produce the ghost IN court / vii
pay you your bill"
Then Hume departed, tuning.
But Fox got to thinking about Il
r and the result was that he hunted M
/ a live Chinaman, told him the story
and quoted some of the gibberish from
| memory. At once the laundryman'i
face grew intelligent. "ChinamaI
+ ghost askee for %laundrec.' said ne
, "Muchee worry because no washee
washee.'
And SO. acting upon the hint, Fo,
; equipped the laundry with soap an,
l water, a new wringer and a basket o
/ soiled linen, and now, on Monda.
3 nights, as he sits outside and smoke
| the wrong end of his cigar, from with
in there comes, not the sound OF grle
and the clank of rusty machinery, bu
, instead a low, contented chant Of CHI.
naland and the purr OF a brand-nev
. wringer. At the same time, he get
. his laundry work done Cor nothing.
Plan to End Australia's Plague.