The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-11-15

q week before had expected ever to
feel again After they had danced one
round OF the reel they slipped down
stairs and the other dancers pretend
ed not to notice. All hearts were
light and happy except Madge's, for
with the appearance of Stanley Smith
faded her last hope that Stanley Par
ker was the eleventh hour guest ex-
pected- The reel was followed by
more modern dances, and with the
gayety of trying fortunes between
dances the hours passed quickly.
At few minutes before midnight
all the guests were hurried off to be
sheeted and masked for the midnight
procession backward downstairs The
now radiantly happy Smiths managed
this part of the program. One by
one the ghostlike female figures 81
lently passed with their lighted can
dies backward down the right-hand
flight of the old colonia. stairway,
whose two divergent flights met on a
broad landing and merged into a wider
stairway leading to the hall below.
One by one the ghostlike male figures
passed down the left-hand flight. On
the broad landing each pair of ghosts
met and passed silently down the
semi darkness of the drawing room,
from which, later, came many gay
yells of recognition.
Because she had no hope of meet
ing the one man who had a romantic
appeal for her, Madge was not en-
thusiastic, and readily assented to
Mrs. Smiths suggestion that she be
the last girl to go down. By the time
she moved down the right hand
flight and a tall, broad-shouldered
figure moved silently own the other
flight. there was so much hilarity in
the drawing room over the dis. Jvered
identities of the various ghosts that
small attention was paid to her de-
scent 1t was, therefore, an easy mat
ter for the strong-armed ghost who
met her to guide her quickly from the
under
heavy hangings which concealed the
back hall.
Up the narrow back stairway he
silently urged her, then up the stair
way leading to the now deserted ball
room on the third floor. In spite of
her lack of enthusiasm Made now be-
gan to feel spirit of adventure taking
possession of her. The stiffness of the
dimly lighted ballroom was intensified
by the occasional sounds of laughter
from far below. Her strong compan-
ion grasped Madge's hands firmly but
very tenderly, and a. he 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, 1--WE
travelled far and fast to find you, and
because I've been kept away from you
so long I'm selfish enough to steal you
away from all the other ghosts. Do
you care?"
DO 1 care?" repeated Madge, who
was strangely thrilled by the deep
voice and strangely uncertain whether
she had heard it before. She lifted
her masked face until it almost touch
ed the masked face bending over her.
Something in the firm tightening of
the hands that held hers made her
want to say she didn't care, but she
answered nothing.
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 a larger one
from his own head, and Madge looked
blushingly up into the smiling face of
Stanley Parker. He Smoothed his
rumpled black hair and she smoothed
her wavy, auburn hair. His brown
eyes laughed down into her hazel ones.
Then his two strong hands took both
of her slender hands, and in voice
more soft, more deep, more altogether
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 care!"
Long before he had finished telling |
her how he came by the last train and !
a dilapidated jitney in order to be with |
her at Halloween midnight, or before |
she had finished telling him she had |
hoped that he would miraculously APP
pear at the last minute, the sound of |
laughing voices on, the stairway reach |
ed them. In a voice of friendly warn |
ing, Mrs Smith called, "Oh, were |
coming to rout the ghosts from the |
ballroom by singing Aud Lang Syne'.'
Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure |
Newspaper Syndicate.)