The Washington times., 1910-05-21
CHAPTER X (Continued).

- Ut Feraday. perhaps because Of
- hts training and up-bringing
among a class OF people, mean
the negroes and poor white
trash.' in whose breasts the fear Of
witches and the evil-eye. the horror Of
ghosts and COLLINS. Is an active as the
fear OF GOd-Faraday did not gain his
composuree quite so easily.
He chung 10 me ike child 10 its
mothers skirts. and there was a palpa-
BIZ quaver in his voice when he spoke.
IF the spirit Of my father" he be-
gan brokenly.
The spirit Of your great-grandfather's
night CAPT. I cried rudely. Don't be a
fool, Faradayl That's nothing more
than we are looking for. is it?'
NO" he admi. ed, striving. as could
see. 10 brace up
Then come aloLg, boy, and let's get
a line on the mechanism Of this delusiOn
-illusion-occult tommyrOt-whatever II
is"
Right" he agreed. pulling himself to-
gether and laughing the echo of my late
/ laugh. Right YOU are. Hammond! IL
gave me quite a shock at first. you
1ssOf course il did. And So suppose.
II did that gentleman who raced so
nadiv from the dreadful spot just now
By the way, from the pace he NAM
| tanned and the impotence he manifested
when detained, 1 don't much think ne.
/ likely 10 interfere with our future inVes-
legations, do you? ,-,.,,---,
! sincerely at the recollection by THIS
/ time. 1 judged him NJ 20 enter the
grounds with me
! ToEether-to be precise, arm -in-a arm
1 In h.TrW o. : n
believe that man never entered NOR 9
dark dismal, desOluate, ant deserted
! spot since the world began
/ Our Iath at first was BY way or an
old she'll driveway that wound among
huge, gnarIed trees OF foliage SO tnlc K
/ that the good, clean moonlight mig ~
not penetrate by night nor the sun
RAYS by day; so that the earth was
! unhealthy. lacked whOlesOmeness and
| smeued OF Itself hUTridly-a damp
sour stencil of decayed leaves and
rank weed grOwths.
| The last named Overran the place
snsmefullv. trailing across the ground
and catching at our feet ike Invisible
hands that sought to warn US PACK
4 And when by Chance we made a tree
step or two our feet sQuashed IN a
nlfre Of sOdden, dead leaves with a
Shiny sound we found depressing.
The deeper we penetrated the more
! closely seemed TO grow the trees
/ liV-OakS for the most part. whose
thick, moist leaves slapped in our
faces from lOw-hunE branches, and OF
! Southern pines a few.
From the oaks depended long, sway
ing tufts and festoons OF Spanish
moss, moving IN ghosuy fashion In
the moonlight when the breeze stir
red. and brushing our cheeks with
swift, nervous fingers.
Indeed and truly, the stage setting
was superb. and worked upon US until
we were almost different men from
those who had entered the place a few
moments back, confident in an assured
skepticism. In that mOrose atmosphere,
1 saturated with an almost forgotten
I tragedy, one might easily believe even
| in that which he knew 10 DO a Pigment
| Of the Imagination only
! And when the light airs fTeshened
| and set the trees 10 sOughing and rasp-
/ iuE whispers that seemed weird asideS,
| and brought clouds to sweep across the
| face Of the moon. plunglng for whole
minutes at a time a bright oak opening
| into sudden blank blackness, leaving
| the whole landscape black but for the
uncanny glowing spot OF green-well,
| for one acknowledge I sincerely regret
| ted the cool cheekiness which had
| brought me TO this paSs-the willing
ness TO interfere with other stranger
! folks affairs
tarily more hesitant and showing an H.
clination 10 return in their tracks, nerv-
ed me TO shame him And, with my
hand upon his arm, declaring his re
treat, I pressed on