The Washington times., 1910-03-09
CHAPTER XXI.
The Apparition.

A ND then Rodney himself felt the
hair rising stiff upon his head.
Down the brook came nearer and
nearer the sound of soft splashing
Al me path the sHlaShinE stopped.
IHe thick bJShes at -he sides rustled
iu the stiffness Of thy night. 4 slight
shudder shook the frame of the girl
beside him and almost UnUerved him.
Al last their straiuing eyes caught
slght OF something moving III the I'll
tered moonlight. For am instant Il
STOOD forth plain and clear in a space
Wnere there was no shade.
u was the bent figure OF a surpris-
lHgty tan old man. His beard Of
snowy white and his hair shOue
Ehastly in the pale rays OF the moon
Ihey could see that his garments were
iu taJterS.
Quickly the old feet moved in their
Watcr-soaked moccasins. The figure
disappeared into the hole IN the wall
IEeF caught glimpses Of 10 as it hur-
Tiediy crossed the little room into the
Then it suddenly paused in the open
doorway where they could see 10 dis
tluctly limned against the white OF
white Held across the road It
CrcuChed down close TO one OF the
For while the gUre sat silent. the
noarE head bent over the empty space
I'D lIr middle OF the doorway. 10 II was
weird ST ght in the stiffness Of the
the floor in an attitude Of alteration
before an unseen deity there
But n tho sight WAS uncauny- there
was soon added = sound that was moth
ing less than ghastly. IL began In
soft, grooming humble with q voice
50 hlSl pitched u would have seemed
STotesQue coming from so large man
had one met him iu daylight
slowly tho voice grew louder. II
seemed 10 be singing some sort OF song
lu strange language As the words
became more and more distinct Rod
neY concluded that the song was an
italian or Spanish love song
And tEen the watchers understood
the significance uf the weird scene
the old man was ~"reuadiuE the vacant
place where Mrs Hollis Meade had last
sat
Elizabeth was trembling so violently
That Roonev could hear the rustic or
her ,baHit- He was terrified lest she
would fall and reveal their hiding
place. lie sripped his revolver more
But he saw her haHd 10 out and
steady her weight against tEe broken
Suddenly the song was broken on
boin or the Young people started.
tlinklnC that The singer had been
frightened and would discover them.
Bu; the grdy-L6lTed Old man bent
F. closer over that VaCrut spot. IT seemed
as though be- were about 90 bl-tou
some eareSs upon the invisible thing
he saw there
Then. quickly, the head was raised.
I The old man arose 90 mis- feet
You do not love me- the guayeriuE
( voice almost rosN 20 SHREK You
/ do NOT love me. YOU love him
There followed ~ long STRING ~ bit
| ter iuEectye. mingled with h.GeouS
/ oaths in English and the foreign tongue
! they old uol know.
The fearful. sgUeskiuE voice rose
. higher and higher The mailed .cfi1uS
I came thicker and faster.
Backward the ancient figure stepped
INTO The full moonlight before t.e door
Al about five PAGES il stopped The
gaEut arms, in their ragged sleeves,
were raised
They saw what they had not seen be-
iore-a gun I'm the unsteady fingers. It
was raised and pointed toward the
empty space iu tEe doorway
Rodney trained hls revolver At the
tan sperrer. fearing that the EEu would
he bfto toward tl+f- hiding place. But
the rusty weapon remained pointed to-
ward the space AZ which IL was aimed.
Now. pray 90 your God. Don't move
Pray, Il YOU want 90. You are going
10 die Tn" words were spoken In
shrek that might have been heard an
eighth NJ a mile away.
There was a moUeuta-v pause. while
inH ri1e hold true 90 It's aim. Their
tnev heard the slight click OF a trigger
There was not even the snap OF the
hammer whose spring had probably
ruSted away
Instantly the white head was turned
as though % gaze behind. Then. with
a wild rush, the caUut man ran toward
them into the hall
lie turned into the room through
which he had come Out OF the broken
wall ne ran. terrified aprareuti- be-
yond all seif-coutroI There was a Farre
sD'aShiug in the water. ard Rodney
could hear the footsteps da-rfu-~ Wild f7-
over the pebbles of ,he brook
Then he caught Elizabeth as she
sWlyCd toward him in q faint
The Continuation of This story VIII
BE Found In Tomorrow
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