The Washington herald., 1914-04-19
Copyright, lelL)

NHN dSsuS yOu, Soiu II uios
it, will take a very tangible
ghost to frighten me-" And /
stood up before the FIRE with my glass in
my hand.
1T is your own choosing" said the
man with the withered arm, and glanced
at me askance.
'Eight-and-twenty years." said l, Il
have lived, and never a ghost have I
seen yet"
The old woman sat staring hard into
the fire, her pale eyes wide open.
"Ay," she broke in; "and eight-and-
twenty years you have lived and
never seen the likes of this house, l
reckon. There's a many things to see,
when ones still but eight-and-twenty."
She swayed her head slowly from side
to side "a many things to see and
sorrow for"
l half-suspected the old people were
trying to enhance the spiritual terrors of
their house by their droning insistence.
put down my empty glass on the table
and looked about the room, and caught
a glimpse of myself, abbreviated and
broadened to an impossible sturdiness.
in the queer old mirror at the end of the
room.
Well" I said, "if see anything to-
night, shall be so much the wiser. For
l come to the business with an open
mind"
IT'S your own choosing" said the
man with the withered arm once more.
l heard the sound of a stick and a
shambling step on the flags in the pass
age outside, and the door creaked on
its hinges as a second old man entered,
more bent, more wrinkled, more aged
even than the first He supported him
self by a single crutch, his eyes were
covered by a shade, and his lower lip,
half sverted, hung pale and pink from
his decaying yellow teeth. He made
straight for an armchair on the opposite
side of the table, sat down clumsily,
and began to cough.
The man with the withered arm gave
this newcomer a short glance of posi-
tive dislike; the old woman took no no
tice of his arrival, but remained with her
eyes fixed steadily on the fire.
q said-it's your own choosing" said
the man with the withered arm, when
the coughing had ceased for awhile.
TITS my choosing" l answered.
The man with the shade became aware
of my presence for the first time, and
threw his head back for moment and
sideways, to see me- | caught a mo-
mentary glimpse of his eyes, small and
bright and infamed. Then he began to
cough and splutter again.
WHY don't you drink" said the man
with the withered arm, pushing the beer
toward him.
The man with the shade poured out
glassful with a shaky arm that
splashed half as much again on the deal
table. A monstrous shadow of him
crouched upon the wall and Knocked his
action as he poured and drank
must confess l had scarce expected
these grotesque custodians. There is !
to my mind something inhuman in Sc
nility, something crouching and atav-
istic; the human qualities seem to drop
from old people insensibly day by day.
The three of them made pe feel un-
comfortable, with their gaunt silences,
their bent carriage, their evident un-
friendlincss to me and to one another
ii" said l, you will show me to this
haunted room of yours, l will make my
self comfortable there"
The old man with the cough jerked
his head back so suddenly that it startled
me, and shot another glance of his red
eyes at me from under the shade; but
no one answered me.
l waited minute, glancing from one
to the other.
If" l said a little louder, ''if you will
show me to this haunted room of yours,
| will relieve you from the task of en-
me-"
There's candle on the slab outside
the door," said the man with the with
cred arm, looking at my feet as he ad-
dressed me. But if you go to the red
room tonight"