The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-08-05

Dial was reading the first verse
when she came. Listen to this,
Bella" he said triumphantly:
There was fat artist named Jas,
Who cruelty called his friends mas
When, altho' shut up tight,
He broke out over night
With rash that is maddening,
he clas."
Then he caught sight of Bella's
face as she stood in the doorway,
and stopped.
Jim is delirious!" she an
nounced tragically. You shut
him in there all alone and now
he's delirious. I'll never forgive
any of you"
"Delirious!" everybody ex-
claimed.
He was sane enough when
took him his chicken broth" Mr..
HARRISON said. HE was almost
fluent"
HE is stark, staring crazy"
Bella insisted Historically. II
locked the door carefully when |
went down to my dinner, and
when | came up tit was I'M
locked. and Jim was babbling on
the bed, with sheet oyer his face.
He-he says the house is haunted
and he wants all the men to come
up and sit in the room with him. "
mot on your life," Max said.
81 am young, and my career has
only begun. | don't intend to be
cut off in the flower of my youth.
But I'll tell you what l will do;
I'll take him a drink. / can tie
it to pole or something"
But Mr.. HARRISON did not smile.
He was thoughtful for a minute.
Then:
Il don't believe he is delirious, "
he said quietly, "and / wouldn' t
be surprised if he has happened
on something that--will be of
general interest. I think / will
stay with him tonight"
After that, of course, none of
the others would confess that he
was afraid, so with the South
American leading, they all went
The women of the
party sat on the lower steps and
listened, but everything was quiet.
Now and then we could hear the
sound of voices, and after a while
there was rapid sIamming of
doors and the sound of someone
down to the second
floor. Then quiet again.
None of us felt talkative. Bella
had followed the men up and had
been put out, and sat shifting by
herself in the den. Aunt Selma
was working over a jig-saw puzzle
in the library, and declaring that
some of it must be lost. Anne
and Leila Mercer were embroid-
ering, and Betty and l sat idle,
our hands in our laps. The whole
of the house was mys-
FERROUS. Anne told over again of
the strange noises the night her
necklace was stolen. Betty asked
me about the time when the COM
fort Slipped from under my fin
gers. And when, in the midst of
the story, the telephone rang, we
all jumped and shrieked.
In an hour or so they sent for
Flanagan, and he went upstairs.
He came down again soon, how
ever, and returned with something
over his arm that looked like a.
rope. 1t seemed to be made of
all kinds of things tied together,
trunk straps, clothes-line, bed
sheets, and something that Elan
nigan pointed to with rage and
said he hadn't been able to keepl
mis- clothes on all day. He refused
20 explain further, however, and
rallied the nondescript article upl
he stairs. We could only gaze
after him and wonder what it'll
meant.
The conclave lasted far into
he night. The feminine conting-
mt went to bed, but not to sleep.
some time after midnight, Mr..
HARRISON and Max went down
stairs and 1 could hear them rat
ling around testing windows and
burglar alarms. But finally every
me settled down ad the rest of
he night was quiet.
Betty Mercer came into myl
Dom the next morning, Sunday,
Ind said Anne Brown wanted me.
went over at once, and Anne |
vas sitting up in bed, crying. Dali
lad slipped out of the room at
daylight, she said, and hadn't
,ome back. He had thought sheI
vas asleep, but she wasn't, and
she knew he was dead, for moth
ng ever made Dial get up on Sun
lay before noon.
There was no one moving in
he house, and I hardly knew
what TO do. 1t was Betty who
said she would go up and rouse, !
Mr.. HARRISON and Max, who had
AIKEN Jim's place in the studio,
She started out bravely enough,
'ut In a minute we heard her
lying back. Anne grew per-
'ectly white.
Hes lying on the upper
tairsi" Betty cried. and we all
ran out. It was quite true. Dal