The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-09

/
ing from the slope leading to the caddy
house signalei ehe approach OF Thorne.
Hullo, old chap he said, throwing
down his sticks near the tee and Fastening
into the Shelter. Want to 70 out? Sorry
to keep you waiting, but I'm on the
Green's Committee, you know, and had
some things to attend to as we have q
match on with Litchfield tomorrow but
now I'm ready If you are. Beastly day,
isn't it?s
I'm ready, but we had better wait for
the people ahead to get out Of distancei
They've only just driven off
People ahead7 Who is out except our
Don't know; was going to ask you who
they are. man and q woman just drove
Of, however, and cannot be much over the
brow Of the hill.''
A man and woman!" Thorne looked
incredulous. Who, on day like this !"
Don't know, | tell you," Hartley broke
IN impatiently, but saw them drive off.
A man with a crouch and woman In q
gray dress!n
'sGray!'' Thorne strobe excitedly
nearer tho speaker. Gray, did you say,
and woman?"
Certainly, tall man and woman in
gray. They
Hartley was not allowed to finish. FL
The Gray People!" Thorne grasped
Hartleys arm. "Come! Never mind
the first hole; we can catch them about
the gully In the second! Come! They are
wraiths, mani Goling spiritsl Ghostsi
Anything you like to call them, unreal and
intangible, but part OF the history of this
course. | have wanted to see them for
YEAR, sought them time and again with
out SUGGEST Come! Comet
Down the slope across the fair green to
the second tee the golfers hurried, STUN
Ihorne, as they went, telling again that
these they followed were spirits of by
gone age. BE grew almost incoherent in
his excitement and Hartley listened in-
credulous and composed.
There was no sign OF any players on the
links. The second, third and fourth green's
were hastily searched At times they hid
In the dripping bushes and waited-then
hurried on again, Thorne insistent, whilst
Hartley grew rebellious and weary.
The sixth hole is carry from the drive,
about one hundred and sixty-fve yards, to
eunken green, q pit about forty feet
square surrounded by shrubbery, except
upon the side facing the tee. Hartley and
Thorne crossed the fair green to the eleva-
ton over the pit and saw that, although
the fog had perceptibly hghtened ON the
higher levels, it etill hung thick and impen-
etrable In the lower reaches.
They cannot have passed here said
Hartley, and I'll bet you they've cut the
counsel This is wild ghost chase and I'm
for heading inl''
Thorne's answer, plea for seriousness,
was stayed by the sound OF voices voices
that seemed to come from beneath the sea
of vapor lying almost at their feet
1t is the Gray People!' / know i'll"
he whispered hoarsely. Listen! Oil
Lsten!"
His excitement choked him until Hart
ley, mentally cool, laid his hand upon his
shoulder. -
ut must be here" began Thorne again,
that they"
Mani be still lookl" 1t was Hartley,
calmly pointing to the spindle that rose out
OF the gray carpet In the center of the
green. It rose, as though floating in the
air-then sank-to appear again, swaying
voices from the pit, voices that broke
sharply in the thick silence, and that
swelIed as though in anger. The fog
untitled the words, but there seemed q
hideous meaning in the spindle that
swayed above the sounds.
As the men strained their eyes and ears
to penetrate the veil, there came from be-
meath it cry horrible in its intensity. It
mounted, and mounting filed all the sides
of the hollow above which they stood. 1t
hung quivering in the air above them and
then-it seemed hours to them-it grew
fainter and fainter until it died in the
rustling of leaves in the surrounding shrub
berry.
aWhat fools we are!" said Hartley, to
be scared by So
"Hushl Look therel"
Thorne looked into the pit. A vagrant
breeze had swept the green clear of fog.
There was nothing there but the spindle
lying on the grass beside the hole-a spin
die bent and crunpled from misuse.
"You IRE hopelessly skeptical," said
Thorne after dinner With the curtains
drawn in his coy bachelor quarters at
Churlev, the two men were resting after
an srduous day. "You have seen more
than most men, yet you don't believe in
the Gray People AS an investigator you
lack faith with more than half the evidence
before you. To me" he continued, the
opportunity This morning aHOfQed seemed
to be one for which have waited good
many years, and am frankly disappointed
! at the outcome Of our chase through the
mist. have been wondering if it was your
spint antagonistic to the ones we sought
that prevented our seeing more!"
That's right Blame it on mel" ex-
claimed the other All that was to be
seen / saw! A man and woman driving
off into the mist 1t was you, you must
remember, who insisted upon our following
these players. The result does not seem
to me unusual They probably found the
dampness too much for them and harked
back to the caddy house after playing the
first holei"
you still think they were real people?"
Why shouldn't IT. Hartley was
amused at the insistence of the other
"Real enough Odd perhaps but not
ghostsl" He laughed openly.
For some minutes Thome seemed to be
weighing something in his mind. He was
wondering whether he should more fully
conflde in his companion and brave his
/ further ridicule.
you forget" he said at last, the
voices On the sixth greenl You forget"