The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-12-06
MIDNIGHT MAGIC
~
sy cATH4RisE csNEER.


gnzE1E- o1s CT wADEn was Mrg Etz-lsg
Smith : sister OF the hostess and ~
nnrad zz1aay 10 have beruEs IS
uExsd rr1 her h1z5s1d As Ehs3
szt 10E1 70 d11er MrE- Azhson -
Enzrksd thz1 eFsrTbo1y Lad arrived
sLrsE1 S1zz1ey. who EH0zld - there
Il tine t1r the party nsxt eFezlng j.
posssss More rhzn ozs besides
Mzdg4 w0z5ersd whether g1e 70
fe-Tsa 10 Stanley Sztth OF S-zrisF
Parker. b1t ewing 10 the rz1oFai
break E1th SEzrIeg Smith. nobody Fs1-
tErsd % ask
Af-e- diner -Es 1sTt eTszi-g TIE biE
ballroom oz fhe thir1 for. EhirA lad
tes- zFE1s-aonsly closed during ths
day, wzS oEe-H1 and there was rs-
Tsslad Al the pzrzrhsvzslzz tor many
kinds CT 15-1zEhkoze1 gs-as and for.
tuns telling
Ths-e Ezs o-s Ez1 iscEzg 70 make
the eouples coZs on even. szd szsf as
Nrs- S-s1a E&s protesting thai shs
E1ch preferred 70 remain OH 50 that
she could take 1zEhlighf of the
dancers there was genezl ere1zEzia-
tion ct Surprise zs Ezn n travelling
clothes appeared in the doorway ard
looked : b1t uncertainty toward his
hostess. Mrz- AIliso.n' : E-rrrzss Eas 50
great that 4 was hard 70 teZl whether
i vas pleasant Or othe-wise. but STE
quickly rsgzinea her o0zpo@ure and.
with Z side glance az her sister. who
was busy arranging : Sack-o1sutern.
she uoFed gowzrd the door. exe1ztm-
sng II a unnecessarily lo1d voice.
Why. Stanley Smith. You're better
late than never"
MrE- SIXTH TUNED st the name. and
even II the din Light her face lookeM
sshsn pale. As her husband wzg be-
ing greeted On all sides she looked
about ss IL seeking some means Of
escape before he reached her Then
be walked straight 70 her with q looE
Of such penftent pleading IN his tired
eyes and With both hands extended.
50 expressive Of his desire % take her
again to his heart, that Ehe almost
fell into his arms. Those who stood
near caught the sound Of sob in
he voice az she said: Much better
late shan never. / couldn't have
spared you much longer"
At a few minutes before Midnight
all the guests were hurried OF 10 be
sheeted and masked for midnight
procession backward downstairs. The
now radiantly happy Smiths managed
this part Of the program One by one
the ghostlfke female figures silently
passed with their lighted candles back
ward down the right-hand fight OF the
old colonial stairway, whose two di-
vergent fights met on broad land
ing and merged into wider stairway
leading to the hall below. One by one
the ghostlfke male figures passed
down the left-hand fight. On the
broad landing each pair of ghosts met
and passed silently down tbs broad
steps and disappeared in the semi
+ darkness Of the drawing room, from
which, later, came many gar yells Of
recognition
Madge was the last girl to go down
The str0ng-armed ghost who met her
guided her quickly from the foot Of
the stairway out under the heavy
hangings which concealed the back
hall
Up the narrow back stairway he ST.
lently urged her, then up the stairway
leading to the now deserted ballroom
on the third floor. The stiffness Of
the dirnIy lighted ballroom was in
tensiaed by the occasional sounds OF
laughter from far below. Her strong
companion grasped Madge's hands
firmly but very tenoerly, and as ne
bent over and looked into her eyes he
spoke TO her in a voice that sounded
familiar and at the same time unlike
any voice she had ever heard.
Little ghost" said the voice. I've
Travelled far and fast to find you. and
because I've been kept away from you
50 long I'm selfish enough to steal you
away from all the other ghosts. Do
you carer
DO I carer" repeated Madge. who
was strangely thrilled by the deep
voice and strangely uncertain Bheth-
er she had heard it before.
+ The big ghost released her hands.
and With one of his own strong hands
pulled the pillow slip over her head,
at the same time pulling larger one
from his own head, and Madge looked
blushingIy up into the smiling face of
Stanley Parker. He smocthed his
rumrled black hair and she smoothed
her way, auburn hair. His brown
eyes laughed down into her hazel
eyes. Then his two strong hands took
both of her slender hands. and in a
voice more soft, more deep. more alto
gether wonderful than she had ever
heard, he said, ''Madge, do you care
for me?"
And this time Madge answered
promptly. though almost inaudibly:
Yes, Stanley. Oh. how I carei-
Long before he had finished telling
her how he came by the last train
and dilapidated 1Itney in order to be
with her at this party, or before