Graham guardian., 1913-08-01

| son of Arnold Ames of Hartford Op-
portunity Is all that any Of lis need to
| find ourselves truly great, and If In the
| ordinary course Of our lives the gate
does not open freely we are justified in
| picking the lock When determined
to seek adventures in my old age, re-
| solved that | should miss no chance
and that should be prepared for any
beckoning of the hand of fate An
odd fancy struck me at the beginning
day be the starting point Of some in
/ teresting experience. This has not yet
, developed but in order that may be
prepared for anything that may occur
| keep II blue silk umbrella constantly
checked at the Parker House The
presence Of the little brass check in my
purse is constant reminder that Bos,
ton may one day call me-"
A discussion Of the Parker House
umbrella followed Cecilia and | join
ing, and 1t proved so fruitful topic
| that it carried us to our coffee
Three suitors were announced a little
later, and | slipped away without ex-
| cuses, while Miss Octavia and Cecilia
| adjourned to the library.
The ghost, | had sworn, should not
battle ME another night,
As | crossed the second floor hall
passed the Swedish maid walking to-
ward Miss Octavia's room was
somewhat annoyed to find on looking
| over my shoulder to make sure of her
destination that she, too, had paused.
her hand on Miss Octavia's door, and
was watching me with interest She
! vanished Immediately. but TO throw
her off the track | went to my own
room. closed the door noisily and then
came out quickly and ran up to the
third floor,
Bassford HOLSTERS mysterious exit
had fingered in my mind as the most
curious incident of the eventful Friday
night Having been baflled in my eff.
fort to get hold of the architects
plans, my thought now was t2 await
In the upper part of the house repe.
tition of the various phenomena that
had so puzzled me. BY the process of
| exclusion | had eliminated nearly ev.
cry plausible theory, but If the ghost
manifested himself with any sort OF
periodicity land the hour of the CHM
ney'S queer behavior had been mine) !
was now prepared to meet him in the
| regions be had chosen for his exploits
had pretty accurate knowledge
by this time of the position and func.
| ton of all the electric switches be.
tween the lower hall and the fourth
| floor, but | tested them as | ascended,
| glancing down now and then to make
sure | was not observed From the
| sound of voices in the library Judged
that most of Cecilia's suitors must now
have arrived. and so much the better,
| argued, for, with Miss Octavia and
ber niece fully occupied. could the
better carry on my ghost hunt above
stairs.
At quarter before 0 switched Off
the lights on the third and fourth
| floors and established myself at the
head OF the stairway and quite near
| the trunk room door. This door had
opened. as | fancied that If Bassford
Hollister were at the bottom of the
| business he would probably wish to
| find his way to the roof again. So far
| as | was able to manage 1t the stage
was in readiness for the entrance Of
the goblin
! The clock below struck 8, and al
most upon the last stroke | heard q
sound that set my nerves tingling. |
crouched In the dark, waiting Some
one was coming toward me, but from
' where? The bottom of well at mid
night was not blacker than the fourth
! foor, but the switch lay ready to my
hand and my pockets were stuffed with
matches of the sort that light any.
where The stairways were all carpet
was ascending bare treads, lightly and
with delays that suggested q furtive
purpose. Meanwhile, as a background
for this unreality, murmurs of talk and
occasional laughter rose from the IL
brary.
This concealed stairway, wherever 1t
was, could not be of interminable
length. and l had counted, ] think, ff-
teen steps of that strange ascent when
it ceased | heard a fumbling as Of
some one seeking latch, and sudden
! ly light current of air swept by me.
but its clean fresh quality wis not in
itself disturbing. stopped and struCk k
a match smartly on the carpet and at
the same time clicked the switch. |
should say that not more than ten Sec
onds passed from the moment the soft
rush of air had first advertised the
opening of passage near me until the
hall was flooded with the glow Of the
electric lamps overheard. My match
had also performed its Office, but, find.
ing the electric current behaving itself
normally, blew 1t out. What | saw
now Interested me immensely.
In the solid wall near the stair and
almost directly opposite the trunk room
n narrow door had swung outward-a
neat contrivance, so light in Its con
struction that it still swayed on its
concealed hinges from the touch of the
hand that had released 1t. How 1t had
opened or what had become of the
Wrecked Rrid6p /: