The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1901-1982, 1908-07-30
FOX'S FREE LAUNDRY
Copyright, by shortstory pub, Coz
Bv HARRY IRVINE GREENE

turned off the light and went ouC'
locking the door after him.
The next morning Fox visited MS
friend Hume, who is scientist,
hypnotist. a spiritualist and an ego
list Hume listened patiently While
soul-maddening smile of self-suft-
cheney came creeping out OF the cor
ners of his mouth and spread until
his face was thickly plastered with IL,
and Fox felt that he would gladly pay
all his friends funeral expenses for
the exhiaratng joy of attending u
Then, by chain of promises, ne ieo
him to the laundry, where hume
looked about. made Fox repeat some
of the gibberish he had heard, and
then eOolly asked him if he wished 10
see the gibberer. When asked what
he thought he was hired for, he mere
ly smicked, and said that nothing
would be easier for a person of some
Intelligence to arrange. At that ne
sent for a Whitewater, who soon
came and made the yellow walls as
white as spotless linen, after which
the medium patted Fox on the head
patrOnizingly and, saying that he
would come again on the following
Monday night, went away, leaving
Fox looking for stones to throw.
All the rest of that week Fox kept
midnight vigil in thanksgiving, groan-
ing, clanking bits of iron, using all his
coaXing wiles-desperate because he
could not coniure forth a response,
MI CT
he silently called an idiot, and had al
ways secretly despised. On Monday
evening he came, serene and exasper-
ating, 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, coolly 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 bat that flies
into lighted parlor. For a few sec
ends he saw nothing, and was about to
Shrek at Hume in triumph and scorn.
when his gaze fell upon the farthest
corner, and he stood transfXed. star
| ing. with mouth into which one
might have thrust plum. For in the
corner covered dimly visible form,
clothed in a misty chrome yellow gar
ment that covered it to it's sandaled
| feet and left no portion of its body ex-
posed except its long, transparent.
| yellow hands. Then the medium
turned out the light. Come, boy"
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 means of exposing him.
l had a better plan myself, but out OF
courtesy let you try first and, of course,
bull-head luck and ignorance came
running to your aid, as usual. But
what was your silly theory, anyway"
Hume yawned exasperatingly.
| when you first told me about it re-
membered that Chinaman died in
that place on a Monday, years ago.
while rubbing at his tub. Naturally,
| then, it was his ghost. / had some ex-
| perience with Chinese ghosts and, of
course, knew that they were yellow,
upon the same principle that 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
berish was no doubt very good Chi
nese Therefore l had the room
white washed, and the ghost became,
to a certain extent, visible lgCinst
| that colorless background. l only
charge $40 in these rudimental cases"
You think you are very smart" said
Fox. You can sue me for it, II you
can produce the ghost in court will
pay you your bill. ="
Then Hume departed, Tuning
But Fox got to thinking about it,
and the result was that he hunted up
live Chinaman, told him the story,
and quoted some Of the gibberish from
memory. At once the laundryman's
face grew intelligent. "Chinaman
! ghost askee for laundree," said he.
'Muchee worry because no washee-
washee"
And so, acting upon the hint, Fox
equipped the laundry with soap and
water. a new wringer and a basket of
soiled linen and now, on Monday
nights, as he sits outside and smokes
the wrong end of his cigar, from with |
in there comes, not the sound of grief
and the clank of rusty machinery, but
| instead low. contented chant of Chi
naland and the purr of a brandnew
wringer. At the same time, he gets
/ hi, 1n MD & L.