The Tupelo journal., 1909-04-23
coPrEioHTiSoz

their reservations went empty to Los
Angeles. Now, what do you make out
Of that?"
Il make out that Archie is only part
of their game" replied the soldier
Nov see, Birdsall, you are not going
to get a couple Of rich young college
fellows to do just plain kidnapping an6
soaring women out of their money
Lord, general" interrupted Bird
sail, those college guys don't turn 9
hair at kidnapping; they regularly steal
the president of the freshman class
and the things they do at their hazing
bees and limitations would make ar
Apache Indian sit up and take notice
l tell you, general, they're the limit fol
deviltry."
Some kinds. Not that kind; it's
too dirty. Arnold was one of the clean
est football players at Harvard. Anc
1 don't know anything about human
nature if that other youngster ISM
decent. But Mercer-es I'm loco; yor
can look out for anything from him
Now, see the combination. Arnold was
at Harvard! I have traced the motor
car they used to him; and then, If yor
add that his father is away safe
in Europe and he has al empty house
off to one side, with a quantity o.
space around it and the reputation Of
being haunted, why"
1T looks good to me. And under
stand my men have got around it or
the quiet all right. How's your mar
Haley got on, hiring out to the Jap in
charger"
"Well enough; the Jap took him on
to mSw, but either Mr.. Caretakel
doesn't know anything or he won't
tell. He's bubbling ove with CONVEX
sation about the flowers and the coun
try and the Philippines, where he used
to be: but he only knows that the hon
orable family are all away and he is to
shun the house. Aren't we almost
there?"
"Just around the corner. l guess
when you see It you'll think it's just
the patio a spook of taste would
freeze to-"
why is it haunted?"
Now you have me. l amt on tc
such dream stuff. Gimme five cards
Mrs. Arnold died off in Europe, sc
faint her; and the house has only
been built two years; but the neigh
bors have seen lights and heard
sroans and a pick chopping at the
stones. Some folks say the land be
longed to an old miner and he died
before he could tell where he'd buried
his mazuma; SO he is taking a little
buscar after 1t. There's the house
general"
The street climbed a gentle hill, and
on its crest a large house, in mission
style, looked over a pleasant land. Its
position on a corner and the unusual
size of the grounds about it gave the
mansion an effect of space. OF almost
rawly recent erection though it was
the kindly climate had SO fostered the
growth of the pines, acacias and live
oaks, the eucalypti and the orange
trees, which made a rich blur OF color
on the hillside, had so lavishly tended
the creeping ivies and Bougainvilleas
which masked the rounded lantern
arches of the stern gray facade, and
so sumptuously blazoned the flower
beds in the garden on the n hand
yet, on the other, had so cunningly
dulled the greenish gray of the cobble
stones from California arroyos In chin
ney and foundation, and had so softly
streaked the marble of the garden
statues and the plaster of walls and
mansion with tiny filaments of lichens
or faint green moss, that the beholdeI
might fancy the house to be the an
cient home of some Spanish hidalgo
handed down with a hereditary curse.
through generations, to the last of his
race. One was tempted to such q
lutter Of fancy because of the impress
sion given by the mansion. A sullen
~reticence hung about the place. The
windows, for the most part, were
heavily suffered. Not a pane of glass
flashed back at the sunlight; ever
those easements not shuttered turned
blank dark green shades, like band
aged eyes, on the court and the beau
tiful terraces and the lovely sweep OF
hillsides where the wonderful shadows
swayed and melted.
The bent figure of a man raking
distorted by the perspective, was Wis.
ible just beyond the high pillars of the
gateway. He paid no attention to the
motions of the motor car, o did he
answer a hail until it was repeated
Then he approached the car. Birdsall
was in the roadway trying to unlock
the gate. The man, whose Japanese
features were quite distinguishable,
bowed; he explained that the honor
able owners were not at home; his
insignificant self was the only keeper
of the grounds. He spoke sufficiently
good English with the accompaniment
of a deprecatory, amiable smile. Bird.
sail, in turn, told him that his own
companion was a very great gentle
mar from the east who belonged to a
society of vast power which was in.
vestigating spectral appearances, and
that he had come thousands of miles
to see the ghost.
The Japanese extended both hands,
while the appeal of his smile deep
ened. TOO bad, velly," he murmured,
'but not leally any g'lost, no new"
Don't you believe In the ghost?"
asked Col. Winter.
NO, me Clistian boy, no believe
not'ings."
"All the samee," said the colonel,
laboriously swinging himself from
his underground Of the motor seat
to the fat top Of the wall, thence drop