Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1910-06-03
CHAPTER VI.

Up at the Desterle house Johnny
Johnson was alternately pulling his
front hair and pinching his palms to
Keep awake. Johnny, with his usual
audacity, had ensconced himself for
the night in the death chamber. Two
Associated Press men were with him;
two reporters from others papers and
three detectives. The Associated
Press Men wanted to smoke. but john
ny rebelled against either illumination
or smoking
III there's anybody comm back
here" he contended; IF he or she
smells smoke or sees lights, there'll be
no comm"
Considering the ashes and cigar
cite stubs that we found on the floor"
suggested the first Associated Press
Man, the only way to invoke the
ghost of Cerisse Wayne would be
through smoke"
What do we want Of her ghost"
sneered Johnny. This Is no seance.
What we want is the fellow who made
the ghost
The bivouac was nerve-rack cking. The
old house apparently had a bounteous
rodent population and the little beasts
scampered back and forth in the walls
with spooky gambols Every window
In the house ratified. and the pail of
emptiness that always hangs heavily
In deserted human habitation rested
"a dead weight-in the air.
Two blocks distant the elevated
trains rumbled DULY by, and the
morning parade of the milk wagons
had not vet beRun-to touch the Wis
the day.
This is too much for me-" cried one
OF the detectives Let get out and
take breath
The little group, all except Johnny,
arose with alacrity. He stopped alone
in the old house, and tried to keep his
eyes open and. failing. wondered why
he didn't advertise the newspaper busi-
ness as a cure for insomnia and accrue
cash thereby, when
What's that?" asked Johnny Of
himself. He heard with joyous ears
a scraping and sliding in the closet op-
posite, where he had picked up the
gold and amethyst garter. 1t sounded
as II the Dashboard were being forci-
bly, removed. or. rather, as If someone
were endeavoring to slide It back, and
as II the board were sticking in an un-
accustomed and stubborn fashion.
Johnny looked for convenient cor
ner in which to duck He couldn't At
into the drawers Of the chiffonier or
the bureau. and the bed, stripped OF
all its coverings, even OF the mattress
and pillows, was fat against the wall.
On a chance Johnny crawled beneath
1t. with one eye fixed steadily upon the
closet door.
He had not long to wait Stealthily
the door opened. and through the crack
came gleam Of a pocket electric
flashlight. The man who was holding
the light whirled 1t hastily around the
room. scanning 1t closely as II to make
sure he was unobserved.
"Oh." groaned Johnny, and skunk
closer into the corner. rolling himself
still more tightly into ball, and pull
ing his coat up over his fiery head. The
intruder walked over to the bureau
drawers and began to search hurried
ly. They were empty, and at this dis
|
man flung them shut with e gesture of
disappointment.
The voices OF Johnny's returning
companions echoed through the corri-
dors and their footsteps sounded on the
stairway. The intruder put out his
light and started for the closet The
dawn was now so far advanced that as
he passed the window Johnny distin-
guished his features clearly. He must
have been at least fifty years of age, a
rather stockily built man. of good ap-
pearance. with a tired face and dark
hair. thickly streaked with gray He
hurried into the closet and shut the
door behind him. and Johnny heard
again the struggle to slide the panel
into place.
who called, SOM" asked the fat de-
tective. jocularly, as he entered the
room. Did they leave cards for the
hull of us? Say. where is that brick
top. anyway"
Johnny, with considerable wriggling
and squirming, came out from beneath
the bed.
Funny how laundering much easier
|
underneath It," he commented. rubbing
the dust from his knees.
You didn't get chased there, did
you, now?" came the question. Were
you seeing things, or what?"
II saw enough" retorted Johnny
Guess I saw more than you did. and
1t didn't cost anything for the vision,
either. Here, Farley, let's have a
light; where's that pocket contraption
of yours?"
Farley brought 1t out and Johnny
glorying in the Importance of knowing
something that the others did not. and
reveling in the curiosity and impa :
tience of his fellows, strode majestical-
ly into the closet. When Johnny had
anything tucked away in his Uranium
that he was crazy to tell as other peo-
pie were to hear, he puffed out to the
dimensions OF the tabled frog. That
was the time when Johnny was really