The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1915-10-28
WAS 1T A SPEC1ER?
ANONYMOUS.


He was waiting for her; he had
been waiting an hour and half in
a dusty suburban lane. He loved her,
and he was engaged to be married to
her. with the complete disapproval Of
every reasonable person who had
been consulted. Aud this Ealf-clan-
deStine meeting was tonight to take
the place of the gru6gingly sanctioned
weekly observation-disclosures certain
rich uncle was visiting at her house,
and her mother was not the woman to
acknowledge to a moneyed uncle
match so deeply ineligible as hers
with him.
So he waited for her, and the chill
of an unusually severe evening en-
tered into his bones.
The policeman passed him with
but surly response to his good
hight" The bicyclists went by him
like gray ghosts with fog-horns; and
it was nearly ten o'clock and she
had not come.
He shrugged his shoulders and
turned toward his lodgings. His road
led by her housed osirable, commo-
Hious, suburban-and he walked SLOW
" as he neared it. She might. even
now, be coming out. But she was
not. There was no sign of move
ment about the house, no sign OF
life, no lights even in the windows.
And her people were not early peo-
pie.
He paused by the gate, wonder
ing.
Then he noticed that the front door
was open-wide open-and the street
lamps shone little way into the dark
hall. There was something about all
this that did not please him-that
scared him a little, indeed. The
house had a gloomy and deserted air.
1t was obviously impossible that it
harbored a rich uncle. The old man
must have left early. In which case
He walked p the path and listened.
No sign of life. He passed into the
hall. There was no light anywhere.
Where was everybody, and why was
the front door open? Everyone was
out. evidently. But the unpleasant
sense that he was, perhaps, not the
first casual visitor to walk through
the open door impelled him to look
through the house before he went
away and closed it after him. So he
went upstairs, and at the door of the
first bedroom he came to he struck
a wax match, as he had done in the
sitting rooms. Even as he did so he
felt that he was not alone. and he was
prepared to see something: for what
he saw he was not prepared. For
what he saw lay on the bed. in a
white. loose gown-and it was his
from ear to ear. He did not know
what happened then, but the police
man found him in a fit, under the
1amp-pOst at the corner of the street.
He could not speak when they picked
him up. and he passed the night in
the police cells, because the policeman
had seen plenty of drunken men be-
fore. but never one in a fit.
The next morning he was better,
though still white and shaky. But
the tale he told the magistrate was
convincing, and they sent couple OF
constables with him to her house.
There was no crowd about it as he
had fancied there would be. and the
blinds were not down.
AS he stood, dazed, in front of the
door. it opened and she came out.
He held .on to the door-post for sup
port.
"She's all right, you see,' said the
policeman who had found him under
the lamp; II told you you was
drunk: but you would know best"
When he was alone with her, he
told her.
But, my dearest" she said. Il dare
say the house was dark, for we were
all at the theater with my uncle,
and no doubt the door was open, for
the servants will run out if they're
left. But you could not have been
i'm that room, because locked it when
I came away, and the key was in my
pocket | dressed in hurry, and |
left my odds 'and ends lying about.
Il know" he said; Il saw-why. |
even noticed the calendar on the
mantelpiece-Octob 81. AT least,
it couldn't be that, because this is
May. And get it was. Your calen-
dar is at October 81, isn't it?''
mo, of course t isn't" she said
smiling rather anxiously. You must
have had a dream, or vision or
something"
He did not believe in visions. but
he never rested day or night till he
got his sweetheart and her mother
away from that commodious house
and settled them in quite distant
suburb. In the course of the 'emOv-
al. he incidentally married her, and
the mother went on living with them.
His nerves must have been a good
bit shaken, because he was very
queer for a long time. and was al
ways inquiring if anyone had taken
the desirable suburban house; and
when an old stock broker with
family took it, he went The length of
calling on the old gentleman and i'm
ploring him, by all that he held dear,
not to live in that fatal house.
why" said the old stock broker,
not unnaturally.
And then he got so vague and co :
fused between trying to tell why and
trying not to tell why. that the stuck
broker showed him out.