The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-03-27
GHOST MEETS GHOST
BY MOLLY MeMAsTER.


Doreen sighed heavily as she
walked away from the little Long
Island home on which she had 30 set
her heart. It had been taken by .
couple from the city not two hours
before. The lease was signed. Inc
real estate agent had shown 1t TO
Doreen the while he lamented ner
keen disappointment.
Never mind" he added, trying to
mitigate her loss. Fir Vale Is haunt
ed by fearful specters that wall about
among these fir trees and perpetrate
Ehostly tricks on the minds OF the
tenants"
But did you not warn this coupler"
asked Doreen, with shade OF
hope in her eyes. because she was
not afraid of ghosts.
"Oh, yes, certainly I did, but they
rather fancied the idea Of seeing
real, live ghost. They said city peo'
pie seldom got chance at anything
30 exciting"
Doreen shifted at the cold-blooded
lack Of imagination and walked SLOW
" back to her own cottage that lay
back to back with Fir Vale and did
not face the blue water Of the sound.
She did not know that a second ap-
plicant for Fir Vale entered the real
estate ofice even before her footsteps
had died away in the distance.
A young man more keenly disap-
pointed than Doreen left the agent
after having been shown the lease
signed by the fortunate couple from
the city.
They won't consider themselves
lucky by the time have become q
ghost and haunted them into ghostly
fears of insanity and longings for
specterless city fats" muttered Jimmy
Barker as he made his frustrated way
back to his own abode.
Jimmy boarded in sort Of farm
house and was sick Of boarding. He
wanted Fir Vale. and he wanted 1t
badly. It was the only cottage in all
his days that made Jimmy Barker plan
hideous tricks.
The new couple had scarcely settled
in Fir Vale before the specter Of imag-
nation began to wall about the mr.
Swallowed property. A restless spirit
foated about, fleeing from its own
fright. It seemed to the ghost that
never before had a harmless bit of
garden been so charged with nerve
racking sounds.
Her diaphanous white robes. for
1t was a female ghost, seemed ever
to be clutched by unseen hands.
Twigs underneath her feet snapped,
and from time to time cone
dropped from the branches over
head and dragged a swiftly stihed
scream from the ghosts lips. Doreen
wished she possessed greater courage
for her ghostly maneuvers for the sue
cess Of her purpose.
She was drawing q deep breath
preparatory to making a brave ef-
fort at haunting. when a grue.
some and frightful specter had
loomed up at her very elbow and the
lurid blue light in its waving hand
burned with sinister glow. Doreen,
after her one glance, swayed and knew
no more until she felt herself held
firmly in muscular arms and heard the
laborious breathing Of human being.
She stirred and tried to peer
through the thickness Of her wells.
but all she saw was more white wells.
"You are not q ghost, them" she
questioned when she felt reasonably
confident of an answer In the mega.
tive.
Great Scott-you gave me an awful
fright" Jimmy Parker said. and
mopped his brow with portion OF
his ghostly raiment.
what in the deuce are you doing
prowling about in this dark garden %
he questioned. wishing he coud get
look at her face.
III you want to know the truth,
she told him with a soft laugh that
Jimmy found most charming. 81 am
simply trying to haunt these people
out Of that new home. l want 1t Sc
badly that l am going to wait about
this property until they get out 70,
fear Of losing their minds"
Jimmy laughed and drew q trife
nearer the other ghost.
1.-TWO haunts would certainly move
them quicker than one-dont YOU
think so? Now, have come here
with the same evil intentions as your
self. so the best We can do is to joir
forces and do our haunting together
Doreen certainly wanted the pres
ence Of a strong, muscular man. HI
would never see her face to face, ant
: they would always be strangers, 81
why hesitate?
Night after night they performe,
their most ghostly tricks, but tn,
couple within maintained a comfort
able, unimaginative sense of security
1T is very strange" Jimmy wa,
saying on one Of the trips to a falle,
: tree that nightly became more prc
longed while haunting was forgotten
Il seem to be in love with you, bu
at the same time" he paused a mo
ment hesitating to continue, 81 an
desperately interested in a girl
have met in the world Of society. d,
you happen to know her-Doree,
woodward? I cannot tell her | Low,
her because you always come in be
tween us-I think am losing nv minc
: over the two of YOU
) And have met one Jimmy Barke
at dances and on the beach and in So
ciety," laughed the girl softly. ."
, wonder II you happen to know him ,