The Prescott daily news., 1912-11-23
MISS MYRTLE'S STORY
By FLORA DELL.

"Yes, have had one strange expe- rience," Miss Myrtle smiled reminis- gently, as the girls pleaded for a story. "Myra, a school chum of mine, wrote for me to visit her at her hotel home in the west, and tired with my social duties, l accepted. On the journey I pictured her in the ordinary country town hotel; antique accommodations, fat, bald-headed proprietor, cold baths from water pitcher, and sundry oth- CT unpleasant features.
 Imagine my amazement on my ar rival, after Myra s cordial reception, at being received in an exchange all most luxurious in appointment, SUD- plemented by the most up-to-date sleeping apartments, private baths, push buttons and all modern convent ences. 1 retired early the first night in order to secure long rest, and be prepared for the pleasure of the next day. l drew a long sigh of comfort as l nestled down between the cool, clean sheets and prepared for a night of sound sleep. I think had just lost consciousness when 1 awoke with the sensation that some one was in the room. 1 was not naturally nervous, but the feeling that now had me in its grip was one of distinct fear When fairly awake I bounded out of bed. snapped on the electric light and made hurried survey of the room. With the full return to consciousness I be- came aware of soft sound, like deep, regular breathing, a strange, elusive sound, seeming at one minute behind me and the next to come from the center of the room Completely baf- fled in my efforts to locate it, I began to think 1 was the victim of some prac- tical joke or else suffering from an unusual attack of indigestion De ciding that the latter was not prob able, l went back to bed determined to finish my rest; but even with an effort to drown the sound by burying my head fin the sheets, l could still hear the regular movements, some times low and soft, and again seeming ly labored and right over the bed, as my fevered imagination clothed it in various impossible shapes.
 II cannot tell how long I lay nerv- ously wakeful, when I suddenly saw a soft ray of light on the window frame, and the sweet twitter of a bird on tree outside my window ap- praised me of the approach of dawn, and with other welcome indications of approaching morning l lost the sound and my fear of it and drifted into a heavy sleep.
 The next day I decided to say nothing about my experience, as it might bring ridicule upon me, and I passed a pleasant day with the deci- sion firmly rooted of banishing the whole affair from my mind retired after jolly evening, ready to laugh at my experience of the previous night.
 Whether the subject refused to be dismissed and my mind dwelt un- consciously upon 1t in my slumbers, do not know, but about midnight 1 found myself once more sitting up- right in the bed, clutching the bed clothing tightly and listening to the same deep, regular breathing of the night before.
 "Once more I brought the electric light into play; once more made a determined detour of the room. when suddenly-was it my imagination, or had the breathing really assumed a different tone? It seemed to be com ing in gasps-like the last labored breath of life-it seemed close at my back. I made one leap toward the door-the gasping sounded in my ears. With spasmodic grip I turned the handle and slipped into the wide hall Myra's room was down the corridor,