Putnam patriot., 1910-04-29

tO Stfr-t0 Al8< " ttA sAiG at tAt Eims
 Why this particular nighty" de manded Slsssie suSpivinusix. -fss<au~e ii's The annvrrSssry of my adventure with Viola replied GIL hcrr es~,Elv ~l wan5 witness to fur tier demonstrations seu suow
 John Siade ssink eaeS lnta the shad. owS Of his ckair aua sm0Sed thought. fully. once he burst iuto reminis- cent ehucsie.
 Il suspect you have lost your heart to this viola, as yea caii ter. Was she so lovessy'
 She was perfect. said Gilbert sin- cerely. Her hair was that dasks black that frames the face misilly. YOU know: her eyes were almost geld- en and her brows line and black ike her hair: but her coloriuG. her fea- lures, her farsG-oh. l Say. Slaae. can't get her face out nf my mindr
 Slade lighted fresh cigar ''l must tell you an incident of the same sort that happened to a friend of mine. he said solemnly. and t may serve to throw light on your own affair.""
 Out with it. said Gilbert briefly. "It's only 10 o'clock now. You have till midnight. John"
 This man owned a grand old place in the country. but he was bachelor and never looked at il.
 There was a young cousin of the mans. a girl who WAS beauty and a toast. Never mind her name. She has married and changed II for an- other. This girl was up to all sorts of mischief and pranks and carried lot of scatterbrained young folk with her in many q harmless esea- pade.
 "She conceived the idea of giving a ball In the old mansion of her cousin. Now. have not tbe slightest doubt that the man would have gladly con- sented to turn the house over for sucb a merrymaking had they asked him. But. no: of course half the fun lay in the elandestine proeeedingsi
 And so one nighf when the moon was young and the aged caretaker of on leave several great automobiles rolled quietly up the long avenue. and the misehiesous girl and her friends and their reluctant ehaperons troeped through a side entrance and made their way to the great ballroom on 1he second floor
 .rhe room had been cleaned in some mysterious manner. and when the elee- tric chandeliers we're ablaze and the polished floor stretched forth an invit. ing surface the small orchestra they had brought tuned up. and the fun be- gan. Several servants unpacked re- treatments in an anteroom while the young people danced and between dances wandered over the grand old house lighted from top to bottom by Laura's"-
 "Laura!" shouted Gilbert. but Slade interrupted:
 Hold on. there. Danny. didn't mean to make a slip! The house was lighted up and the dancing was going on and everything was going along finely when suddenly a messenger ap- peared among them. The station agent from the depot. who had known of the merrymaking. came 10 say that the owner had arrived at the station and jumped on his wheel and sped with the message.
 They worked fast and without judg. menf. One bright soul cut the electric light wires and plunged the house in total darkness. Before a search could be made for candles and escape made the front door was opened and the in truders heard footsteps below stairs After awhile the library door opened and all was silent.
 By aid of matches and the station masters bicycle lantern the party reached the ground floor and by stealth left the house. That was all part of the fun, don't you know. And then just as they were going to leave one of the girls discovered she had lost her pet handkerchief and was sure she had left 1t in the library. She recovered 1t. although she would not say how, and she was quite breathless when she titboSa Ahto thC hVtVt. Ahd tb0t ID allr'
 Daniel Gilbert arose to his full height and laid his pipe on the mantel And that was Laura. who got up the party aud everything. I shall bless your wife all her days. John. If she will introduce me to my ghost girl Viola Viola whof'
 Viola Blair She happens 10 be wis itine Laura now. l hardly think you'll find her in the west gallery tonight. Dan''
 Gilbert pulled time table from his pocket and looked at his watch. "she is quite free?" he asked abruptly.
 Slade yawned and stretched his long arms lusuriously .She was-er-untii we always thought she had met her fate just q year ago tonight. She has never been quite the same since can't say any more"-
 There's a train to town at II :05. We'll take if Yoh and Laura owe me something. John
 We'll pay fl with compound inter est. That will he Viola" said Slade. grasping his friends outstretched hand.