The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1911-09-01

uudimmed. The thick. lowery night
kept the crowd close about the house.
1t was big and substantial. and II the
worst came In the shape Of rain dane.
Ing could 10 on inside. True, few
nervous persons said that would hard.
~ do. OF course It was all idle talk.
None the less there had been talk of a
Vernon ghost.
Two ghosts fndeed-thosc Of the Yer.
non twin sisters. who had loved the
same sweetheart and had refused to
marry him out Of regard for the other.
Ihey had lived to great age, fading
and falling at last like withered roses
there in the family mansion. They had
been dead twenty years. with none but
good words to follow them. II they
did not sleep peacefully in their sunny
graves then were pure lives and good
deeds vain. Notwithstanding there
was the talk, now one. now another,
glimpsed them walking hand in hand
up the broad stairway or fitting at
dusk through the overgrown rose gar.
den.
Dennison heard oil this ayitlly. He
liked whatever was old world and un.
usual. Perhaps that was why, when
the rain ut last sent everybody scurry.
Ing within. he drew n little apart from
the merrymakers and stood staring up
the dim vista OF the great stairway.
And thus he was the first to see twin
wralths. slim and girlish, floating ratll.
err than walking. glide out Of the upper
dusk and. linking arms, fail into the
swing Of waltz. They were all In
vaporous white-.swirls Of it covered
them from head to foot. They kept
perfect time and moved so in unison
1t was like the rhythm Of one soul
rather than two.
Dennison felt his heart beat faster
All the rest had accepted the yelled
dancers as but new come maskers, He |
nodded toward them, saying in Hart.
wells ear: Don't you hate monopoly Z?
Let's break that one up"
Then in hurried whispers be told
what he had seen. Hartwell suppress
ed a whistle. then said with uuicl
breath: "1'll 60 you. Take the talle,
one."
mo; I'm going to dance with the
other. Ghostlike masqueraders don,
demand formal presentation" Denni-
son whispered back as he shot out to
intercept the whirling visions. In
wink be hud his chosen one fast, and
Hartwell perforce took the other. 10.
gether they made the round of the long
hall. not once. but many times. the
ghost dancers moving so lightly they
did not even breathe more quickly. al
though their mortal partners at last
were painting
"How did you think Of It? How
dared you do IT." Hartwell asked as
he whirled and wheeled. The wrath
In his arms answered evenly: We've
been doing 1t this long time. 1t was
a sort Of outlet. Selma first thought
of 1t after we had found the lost key
to the big gate. but she never would
have had the courage to do 1t II I had
not egged her on. She wouldn't dare
be here tonight II ! had let her think.
We have always gone home before .
o'clock and climbed in by the library
window. This time We shall have to
oe ghosts until morning. We can get
n on the heels of the milkm0n, and of
course we shall run away before TN.
masking time. What would Aunt viii.
on say II anybody told her we had
,cen here7'
Probably disinhcrit you. should
Ike that" Hartwcll returned. "Thcn
'ou wouldn't think. you couldn't, l am I
ortune hunting when say love
'ou"- I
What more he might have said no.
'ody knows. Just then there came
Wild cries of fire and after them gen.
raj panic. Despite the pouring rain.
elped by the raging wind. the old
ouse burned like tinder r1artwell
ad for moment left Bess. When he
Doked for her he saw two vapory
FEATURES fleeing up the stairway.
Bess and Selma. madly bent on avoid
ng discovery. meant to vanish that
ray and escape up the back stairs by
7hich they had come. A wall of flame
locked them. As they ran back from
they heard shout: STAND still!
We are coming!' Then up the long
1ain stair came Hartweil and Denni.
on. to rush down half a minute later
Trough licking flames. each with a
iris inanimate figure crushed against
Is breast.
Right there was settled the question
t double wedding. Even Aunt VIII
On insisted on 1t. Her nieces. she
aid. needed stronger guardians Both
catches have turned out to be IDEAL
0 much so that Hartwell and Den.
ison say they shudder to think they
aimed such happiness by barely the
host Of q chance
serliox Got HE Reward.
Nine. AdelIna rotti at the height Of