The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-12-04
MIDNIGHT MAGIC
BY cATHARiNE cANMER.


When the party assembled the day
before at Allison's, there were nineteen
guests, one of whom was Mrs. Stanley
Smith, a sister of the hostess, and ru-
mored lately to have become es-
tranged from her husband. As they
sat down to dinner Mrs. Allison re-
marked that everybody had arrived
except Stanley, who would be there
in time for the party next evening II
possible. More than one besides
Madge wondered whether she re-
ferred to Stanley Smith or Stanley
Parker, but owing to the rumored
break with Stanley Smith, nobody ven
tured to ask.
After dinner the next evening the big
ballroom on the third floor. which had
been mysteriously closed during the
day, was opened and there was re-
vealed all the paraphernalia for many
kinds Of old-fashioned games and for
tune telling.
There was one man lacking to make
the couples come out even, and Just as
Mrs Smith was protesting that she
much preferred to remain out so that
she could take q fiashlight Of the
ton of surprise as a man in travelling
clothes appeared in the doorway and
looked q bit uncertainty toward his
hostess. Mrs. Allison's surprise was so
great that 1t was hard to tell whether
it was pleasant or otherwise, but she
quickly regained her composure and,
with a side glance at her sister, who
was busy arranging a jack-o-lantern,
she moved toward the door, exclaim-
ing in an unnecessarily loud voice,
Why, Stanley Smith! You're better
late than never"
Mrs. Smith turned at the name, and
even in the dim light her face looked
ashen pale. AS her husband was be-
ing greeted on all sides she looked
about as if seeking some means of
escape before he reached her Then
he walked straight to her with look
of such penitent pleading in his tired
eyes and with both hands extended,
so expressive of his desire to take her
again to his heart, that she almost
fell into his arms. Those who stood
near caught the sound Of sob in
her voice as she said: Much better
late than never. I couldn't have
spared you much longer"
At a few minutes before midnight
all the guests were hurried off to be
sheeted and masked for a midnight
procession backward downstairs. The
now radiantly happy Smiths managed
this part Of the program. One by one
the ghostlike female figures silently
passed with their lighted candles back
ward down the right-hand flight Of the
old colonial stairway, whose two d.
vergent flights met on a broad land
ing 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 broad
steps and disappeared in the semi
darkness of the drawing room, from
which, later, came many gay yells of
recognition.
Madge was the last girl to 60 down.
The strong-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 dimly lighted ballroom was in.
tensified by the occasional sounds of
laughter from far below. Her strong
companion grasped Madges hands
firmly but very tenderly, and as 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, I've
travelled far and fast to find you and
because I've been kept away from you
so long I'm selfish enough to stea; you
away from all the other ghosts. Do
you care?"
do care?" repeated Madge, who
was strangely thrilled by the deep
voice and strangely uncertain wheth.
er she had heard 1t before.
The big ghost released her hs nds
NIT ~ hfd NJ h. n,
pulled the pillow slip over her head
at the same time pulling 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
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 | care,"
Long before he had finished telling
her how he came by the last train
and dilapidated jitney in order to be
with her at this party, or before
she had finished telling him she
had hoped that he would miraculC usly
appear at the last minute, the sound
of laughing voices on the stairway
reached them. In a voice OF friendly
warning, Mrs. Smith called, "Oh, we're
coming to rout the ghosts from the
ballroom by singing Aud Lane