The Washington herald., 1915-12-05

when"
He ceased abruptly; in fact, the ef
feet was similar to that which woult
have resulted had solid door sud
denly been closed upon the speaker
But the stark silence which ensuet
was instantly interrupted. My bloot
seemed to freeze in my veins. A hor
rid, supernatural dread held me fas
in my chair.
For, echoing hollowly around ane
about the huge, ancient apartment
rolled. booming, a peal of demoni
acal laughter! Whence it proceeded
was wholly unable to imagine. i
seemed to be all about, above us ane
beneath us. 1t was mad, devlish, Z
hell sound impossible to describe. Il
rose. it fell, it rose again-and ceased
abruptly.
My Godr' | whispered. "What wa:
it,"
In the silence that followed the
ghoStIy disturbance we sat around tht
table listening. Sir James was the
first TO speak.
"A demonstration, Mr.. Klaw!" h.
said. This sort OF thing happen:
every night"
"Ahw rumbled Morris Klaw. "Yor
ihavc investigated-yes,n no?"
81 tried to investigate, explained
the baronet, but | didn't know where
to begin"
We were all recovering our COM
posurc somewhat.
you hear that laughter nowhere
but in this room?" asked klaw.
IL have always heard it when VIZ
have been seated at this table and al
no other time, but it can be heard
clearly beyond the room. The serv'
ants have heard it. Excepting the
Ihousckecper and the butler, they are
leaving almost immediately"
"Ah! canaillcw grunted Morris klaw
at is always SO. these servants. SC
You have not located the one thai
laughs, no."
No" answered Sir James. "And hs
doesn't stop at laughing-does he
Clem?"
Clement Leyland shook his head
He looked even paler than usual.
thought, and the uncanny incident
seemed to have disturbed him greatly
What else? rumbled Morris klaw
"The gray monk is forgetting hi:
manners. He becomes rude, eh, tha
gray monk?"
The house has practically becom.
'uninhabitable," said the baronet bit
terly. None of the usual phenomena
is missing. We have slamming doors
phantom footsteps, and. il the serv'
ants are to be believed, half the force:
OF hell loose here at night"
But your own experiences! in
tcrrupted klaw.
My own experiences in briei
amount to this: | rarely sit at this
table at night without hearing that
ibeastly laughter at least once. | never
go into the billiard room, which opens
out under the gallery yondcr, withou,
feeling cold wind blowing upon my
face or head, even in perfectly still
weather or with all the windows clos
ed. To the left of the billiard ROOM
and opening out of it, is third CEN
ter of these disturbances. It's the gun
room, and guns have been fired there
in the night, with the door locked,
on no fewer than five occasions!
! Morris klaw, from a tail pocket OF
his coat, produced a cylindrical scent
spray and squirted verbena upon his
high, yellow forehead.
/ 1T grows exciting, this" he said
"I require the cool brain"
Finally" added Sir James, "the
only other point worth mentioning is
the ghostly voice which regularly
wakes me from my sleep at night"
"a voice." rumbled Klaw What
voice and what does it say, that
voice"
81 won't repeat what it says" re-
I piled the baronet. glancing at Isis;
but it offers obscene suggestions, or
! that is the impression | have OF it
a low, filthy mumbling; if you can
follow me, the voice of something
dead and infinitely evil"
Morris klaw stood up.
This intelligence" he rumbled, "a
living or dead one, has thoughts
then, and thoughts, Sir James. are
things. | shall sleep in one OF the
ccntcrs OF its activity tonight, per-
haps here, perhaps in the billiard room
or the gun room. Isis, my child.
bring for me my odically sterilized
pillows. As sleep" he lowered
his voice oddly-"I shall find myself
in evil company. Murders long forgot
ten will be accomplished again before
that inner eye of minel | shall swim
in blood! Assassins will come steal
ing TO me, murdered ones will scream
in my ears, the secret knife will flash,
the honest AK do its deadly work; for
in the moment OF such deeds two im-
pcrishable thought forms are created
the thought form OF the slayer,
strong to survive, because blood
lustful thought, revengeful thought;
and the thought of the slain, likewise
long-surviving thought because a
thought OF widest despair, a final
massing OF the mental forces greater
than any generally possible in life,
upon that last awful grievance. From
the phantom company | must pick
out that one whose thought is of
laughter, OF firing guns and of evil
whispcringS. What task! Wondrous
is the science of the mental mega
tivcm
The meeting broke up then, and
Isis Klaw. having brought from a
large case, which formed part of her
fathers luggage, two huge red cush-
Ions, badc us goodnight and retired
to her own room. Morris Klaw, with
a cushion swinging in each hand, went
shufiling ungainly from room to room
like some strange animal seeking a
lair.
do | understand" Clement Ley
land whispered TO me, that your
frir,J ,,rnoCaS 10 eIac,, Joup bere ~