Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-05-30

is it wickedo" inquired
at is" said Mabel Blossom
promised
ITS this said Mabel Blossom, with terrible cool
ness. "Kittic James. and Mabel Murie Murphy, and
Janet Trelawney, and Adeine Thurston, and | go
ing to the ruined church on Halloween, at midnight
When get there we're going to ask the spirits she
Of future husbands"
gasped. Then | picked up my Bible and pulled
an expression of disapprova over my features, and
looked just much like Sister Irmingarde as could
IYou . know perfectly well, Mabel Blossom said
the rules. BESIDES, there's way of getting out at
midnight The doors all locked and the FORTRESS
NJ label knew this, but the reader doesn't, l have
to put it in here didn't really say that about the
keys to Mabel just said she couldn't do it. She
Mabel looked stubborn She thought she look
ing hrm but have to tell what the effect really was
She made her lips into little straight streak across
her face, and dragged her eyebrows her
I wish I could do it. Then she said
~ told you it was wicked That's where the wick
That's usually where Mabel's wckcdncss in
breaking the rules She waited minute; then she
said, in cross tones:
We'll. you coming, aren't you
| kept on hesitating. You how terrifying
the idea but you can't imagine all the horror of
it, for you don't know about that haunted ruin 1t
little country church about mile from the
convent, and it had been built and ago-as
much as fifty years, think 1t had never been conse
stories about it. We used take girls there at
twilight the very first thing and tell the stories to
them. and watch their shudderings. One legend was
that lost souls had claimed the church and held
service in it; There was little churchyard around
it. The windows gone, the south wall had fallen,
and the old cellar had become big bottonlcss hole
There cracked bell in the little seeple. and it
rang at night sometimes, in high wind; then the
his around him.
This the place where Mabel Blossom expected
f to go at Ing h 5d ask s the spirits h1 ha So my %
my and the soles of my feet prickly-but |
wanted to CO. dreadfully. While was thinking it
over, and remembering the awful things had heard
Mabel Blossom watching and smiling cool
superior smiles Finally she got up
"Oh, come on, May she said. 1T wouldn't be any
fun without you; and you write story about
ii if don't die.
Tha: sounded like the whistle before the train starts
You know how it makes you feel-that you've got to
get on the train right away. ! got on. That means
yielded. Then we put heads together and made
plans. will not repeat them here. Suffice to
say as real writers put it, we arranged everything
mind could not solve need tell whose mind did solve
it, It was mine Mabel asked me to tell Maudie Joyce
golden instants when Maudc forgets about her
soul, and this one Of them.
The night of Halloween fell Don't you think that
sounds better than to say 1 lam We went bed
our clothes on, and were all drawing deep breaths
Of sleeping innocence when Sister Edna made her
final rounds just before the Great Silence Then the
convent lights everywhere went out and the darkness
got thicker and backer, and the sorrows of my pas.
life came and sat on my bed in rows the way they
do, and my conscience gnawed on the thought of what
we going TO do like gnawing hole in
the floor. l could almost hear it.
We had to wait till ten, and the only way I could
tell when ten to listen till a distant clock
struck. can most always hear it strike but this
night thought it never would was sure it would
strike FIVE six if it struck anything again but at
last the strokes sounded slowly and solemny and
| got up and crept out of the like wrath.
Every girl at st. Katharine's has to herself.
but the rooms are small and close together both
of limo hal and two
and left of me were dreadfuy nquistve and always
listening for sounds Sometimes when woke at night
| made noises Just to puzzle them-upse chair or
threw shoe at the wall-but you'd better believe ]
didn't tonight. | hardly dared to breathe, and !
believe it took me ten minutes to open my door ana
get over the sill I'd turn the door knob a little and
wait till the echoes died away. and then turn some
The hall was like long black tunnel with slip
holding my shoes in my hand was afraid Id step
PIN but there weren't any-fancy Sister Har-
pride of her life Then thought of mice, and the
thought was SO terrible that stuck >nnd on the
pin again Please read that sentence twice; it's worth
it, Even Mabel Blossom says
At last | got to our meeting place-a window open
ing balcony at the far end of the east hall
away, from seepssrs All the girls were there except
ing, too, but not enough to keep her from She
rived about second after did Our presence seemed
tie James caught my hand and held it tight and
distinctly heard Mabel Blossom draw deep gurgne
breath Of relief Even her dauness soul did not Year,
to lead that group of the secondfoor window ant
down the side of the balcony through the ivy,
the convent grounds and whole mile in the dark to
haunted ch,Ech. There limits to any daunessness
Now that there. though, Mabel led the way
in a cercess manner as i she had meant all along
sure some of Mother Ernestas pet ivy on that wal
won't cling much any more. Ke James fell wher
she about six feet from the ground and of course
she started to Shrek but Maudc had presence OF
mind and caught her by the throat before much Of tn,
shrek got Out, We counted noses, and when we knew
were together, with no loved one lost in the ivy
we started for the ruin.
will now stop and describe the scene. though
know the reader is in suspense. 1t was Just the kline
of night for IIalowcen-"whcn churchyards yawI
and graves give up their dead The sky was coveree
with moving clouds. cold wind blew across tn
fields, and there was tiny little piece of moon tina
looked like Maudic Joyces curved pearl pin 1t KEEP
peepng in and out among the clouds. When we es
pecially needed light it stayed behind them but whel