The Washington times., 1913-04-23

THE GHOST GIRL BY 4E tssa fhEfHas Fs 7tess wIss1ER a


sure. I turned away to put my ira,
down on a side table. and then turnet
back ready to lay the cloth. / hadn'
looked away for more than few sec
onds, but when I turned back, Their
was Irene herself in the room. Their
any now until DR.. Crow spoke. HI
| wasn't paying any attention to Irene
any more than IL she hadn't been there
Miss Meredith didn't speak to her eithel
in a queer fixed sort Of way.
Grow said: L believe I'll dine with
YOU here, IL 1 may And then he turned
to me and said: Go and attend to 1t,
by this time Irene had walked
around the table and sat down In the
chair that Crow seemed to have meant
| to take himself. And then I.heard Miss
Meredith say, In a queer, dry-sounding
| voice:
shes here again. She's sitting in
that CHAIR And she stretched out her
arm and pointed at Irene
| "In that chair?' said Crow. Why.
I'll sit in 1t myself and show YOU He
Irene Was sitting, saying: There's no
| one here
but before he could lay his hand on
the chair back Miss Meredith screamed
Don't touch her, she said. Don
! touch herr
| And Crow. in soothing sort Of way,
as though he were just humorfng her,
said: An right. Perhaps she'll 90 away
| in minute.
.Of course 1 saw their game in a
minute-what they were trying to do
with her, and why Crow was SO anxious
| TO get rid of me. What l didn't see
was why Irene should have come IN
| like that when she knew l was there
But caught look that Crow snot a.
couldn't see his face, and lit was per.
fectly murderous. And then I knew!
She had taken me in on II, to give her
a hold against Crow. She was AFRAID
of him.
came to me as soon as / had gone down
stairs. He didn't palayer or make any
excuse. He simply said that II would
be as much as my life was worth TO
try to break up the game, and that II
would be to my advantage II I played
it. OF course he didn't want me to go,
now that / had found out what the
game was.
II wasn't afraid of him really, and
| 1 didn't want the money he offered me,
| but did want Irene. / wanted to stay
there where l could be a protection to
her. ! wanted to see her-talk to her.
/ mad a sort of hope that perhaps /
| could get her to leave the place and
come away with me. although 1 knew
| in NV heart that that was just part OF
my folly. But 1 could get no chance
| to talk to her.
Il saw her nearly every day, but it
| was always the same as that first time.
Shed appear-sometimes in the evening,
| sometimes in broad day-generally In
! Miss Meredith's sitting room. Crow and
J / would pretend she wasn't there-walk
| around her, as II she didn't exist. And
| often the old lady would pretend not to
see her, too, and never say word.
| in a
then disappear.
Il didn't like the game. but what 1
| liked still less was Crows looks. Crow
| Crow was beginning to go mad him
self. just as I had done. 1t got So that
he couldn't help looking at Irene him
wasn't there. / could tell by her face,
too, that she knew what was happening
to him. More than that. that she was
doing It herself. ON knew her! And
/ finally made UP my mind that I'd find
her at any risk and put an end to the
game one way or another.
II did not find her. had been watch
ing Crow. I knew his habits pretty
weil-knew when he was in his rooms
in the east wing of the house and
when he wasn't. Finally. one day |
let myself irto his study with a pass
key. / spent more than an hour there.
and I found some queer things among
his papers. too, though ! didn't care
so much about them. But all at once
/ heard a sound of some one coming
not by the corridor.
II made for the corridor door ami
had Just got II open, but hadn't had
time to get outside, when the door of
his boot-closet opened and Cror
stepped out. II was n tiny little
closet and / was sure he hadn't been
Besides. / had heard him coming, So
thought / knew the way to find
Irene
Il made some excuse to Crow about
Miss Meredith having told me to find
him and about his door being unlock
ed. / Knew he didn't believe it. but I
didn't care He didn't seem to care
much either about my trespassing, for
he started out to find Miss Meredith
II pretended to go away. too. but
was back in ten seconds and into his
room and into the boot-closet, and there
/ found a passage that ended at last
in the room where Irene was"
We had to give him another few min
utes' rest after that. ] didn't wonder
At the horror I bad seen in his face
if he could remember things like that,
whose mere recital made my blood run
cold,
Finally Jeffrey prompted him. YOU
found her I'm the long room. She was
not dressed-at least not completely
She was sitting on the low stool in
her mirror. 1t was n stormy night, and
there was roar of rain on the sky
light that kept her from hearing you"
We were all staring at him. and II
think all our hearts stopped beating for
a second when Barton. with a thought
full nod, said simply. Yes, it was like
that"
How was she dressed. exactly?" Lef-
frey asked.
When / came in? She was all
dressed except the gown"
THE white satin gown"
Yes. That's what she always wore
when she appeared TO Miss Meredith"
she was getting ready for another
appearance, Them
Yes"
How could you be sure. il she hadn't /!
on the gown |
'She had her face made up very pale |
and she was doing her hair the way she |
always wore IL al those times. The |
way ii was in the photograph and in |
the portrait"