Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-03-15
CHAPTER XXI.
A Bar of Soap.


Late that evening Betty Mercer and
Dallas were writing verses of condo
1ence to be signed by all of us and
put under the door into Jim's room
when Bella came running down the
stairs.
Dial was reading the first verse
when she came. Listen to this,
Bella" he said triumpnantly:
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 elias.
Then he caught sight Of Bella's
face as she stood in the doorway, land
stopped.
Jim is delirious!" she announced
tragically. "You shut him in there
all alone and now he's delirious. I'll
never forgive any Of you"
"Delirious!" everybody exclaimed.
"He was sane enough when I took
him his chicken BROTH" Mr.. HARRISON
said. "He was almost fluent"
"He is stark, staring crazy" Bella
insisted Historically. "I-I locked the
door carefully when l went down to
my dinner, and when 1 came up
tit was unlocked, and Jim was
babbling on the bed, with a sheet
over 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.
I don't intend to be cut off in the
flower of my youth. But I'll tell you
what I'll do; I'll take him drink
can tie it to pole or something"
But Mr.. HARRISON did not smile He
was thoughtful for minute Then:
II don't believe he is delirious," he
said quietly "and I wouldn't be sur.
prised if he has happened on some.
thing that-will be Of general inter.
est I think I will stay with him to.
night
After that, of course, none of the
others would confess that he was
afraid. so with the South American
leading, they all went upstairs. 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 a rapid slamming of doors
and the sound of some one running
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
j1g-saw puzzle in the library, and de.
clar1ng that some Of it must be lost.
Anne and Leila Mercer were embroid.
ering, and Betty and I sat idle, our
hands In our laps. The whole atmos-
phere Of the house was mysterious.
Anne told over again of the strange
noises the night her necklace was
stolen. Betty asked me about the
time when the comfort slipped from
under my fingers. And when, in the
midst of the story, the telephone rang,
we all jumped and shrieked.
In an hour or so they sent for Elan.
n1gan, and he went upstairs. He
came down again soon, however. and
returned with something over his arm
that looked like a rope. It seemed to
be made of all kinds of things tied
together, trunk straps, clothesline, bed
sheets, and something that Flanagan
pointed to with rage and said he
hadn't been able to keep his clothes
on all day. He refused to explain fur
Their, however, and trailed the monde.
script article up the stairs. We could
only gaze after him and wonder what
it all meant.
The conclave lasted far into the
night. The feminine contingent went
to bed, but not to sleep. Some time
after midnight, Mr.. HARRISON and Max
went downstairs and I could hear
them rafting around testing win.
dows and burglar alarms. But fin.
ally every one settled down and the
rest of the night was quiet.
Betty Mercer came into nv room
the next morning, Sunday. and said
Anne Brown wanted me. went over
at once, and Anne was sitting I'M i'm
bed, crying. Dial had slipped out Of
the room at daylight, she said and
hadn't come back. He had thought
she was asleep, but she wasn't, and
she knew he was dead, for nothing
ever made Dal get up on Sunday be.
fore noon.
There was no one moving in the
house, and hardly knew what to do.
1t was Betty who said she would go
up and rouse Mr.. HARRISON and Max,
VINO had taken Jim's place in the
studio. She started out bravely