The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-11-19
MISS MYRTLE'S STORY
BY FLORA DELL

J Gently. as the girls pleaded for a stor,
''Myra. a school chum Of mine. wrot
Tor me to visit her at her hotel HON
IN the west. and tired with my soci.
duties. ] accepted. On the Journey
pictured her in the ordinary countr
town hotel: antique accommodation,
rat. bald'headed proprietor. cold bath
from a water pitcher, and sundry OIL
er unpleasant features.
Imagine my amazemert on nv a,
rival. after Myra's cordial reception
at being received in an exchange a
most luxurious in appointment, sur
plemented BY the most up-todat,
sleeping apartments. private baths
push buttons and all modern convent
ences. l retired early the first nigh
IN order to secure long rest. and b
prepared for the pleasure of the mex
Gay. ! drew q long sigh Of comfor
as l nestled down between the cool
clean sheets and prepared for q nigh,
OF sound sleep. ! think had just LOST
Consciousness when ! awoke with the
sensation that some one was in the
room. ! was not naturally nervous
but the feeling that now had me In
Its grip was one of distinct fear. When
fairy awake / bounded out OF bed,
snapped on the electric light and made
hurried survey of the room. With
the full return to consciousness l be.
came aware of a 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 BAT.
fled in my efforts to locate it, l began
to think was the victim of some prac.
tical joke or else suffering from
an unusual attack of indigestion. De-
Gliding that the latter was not prob.
able, ! went back to bed. determined
to finish my rest but even with an
effort to drown the sound by burying
my head in the sheets, could still
hear the regular movements, sCme-
times low and soft and again seeming
ly laborcd ana right over the bed, as
my fevcrcd imagination clothed it in
various impossible shapes.
Il cannot l. II how long lay nerv.
ously wakciul, I'm suddenly saw
a soft ray Of li,ht on the window
frame. and the sweet twit,or of a bird
on tree OUTSIDE my window an.
praised me of y" approach of dawn.
and with other welcome Indications of
approaching morning lost the sound
and my fear Of 1t and driitcd into a
heavy sleep.
THE next day decided to say
nothing about my experience, as It
might bring ridicule upon me, and |
passed a pleasant day with the deci.
sion firmly rooted of banishing the
whole affair from my mind retired
after a 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
I found myself once more sitting up
right in the bed, clutching the bed
tightly and listening to the
same deep, regular breathing Of the
night before.
"Once more / brought the electric
light into play; once more made q
determined detour Of the room, when
It my Imagination. or
had the breathing really assumed q
different tone? It seemed to be com.
Ing in gasps-like the last labored
breath Of life-it seemed close at my
back. l made one leap toward the
door-the gasping sounded in my ears
With spasmodic grip | turned the
handle and slipped into the wide hall
Myra's room was down the corridor.
and I few toward it, but had gone but
q short distance when a hand gripped
my shoulder. and I fell In an un-
heap-at Myra's feet.
When l came to was on her bed
and she was bathing my face with q
lotion. remember muir |
What was it?' and then I
sank, partly from exhaustion. partly
rom a sweet sense of security, into
sound sleep, from which did not
awaken until morning"
Miss Myrtle ceased speaking, and
or few moments there was an in.
ense silence. At last the girls asked
n chorus: aren't you going to tell
is what 1t was?"
"Oh," said Miss Myrtle, and a little
mile crinkled the corners OF her
mouth, and an amused twinkle shone
n her brown eyes. There was another
hort silence, and then she said:
Have you ever heard OF a water
notor?' She laughed softly. Il never
ad then, but decided that even II
had been brought up in q city.
here were q few things yet to be