The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-03-15
GHOST MEETS GHOST
BY MOLLY MeMAsrER.

Nopynght. 1sls. by the Mcclure Nevsps
per 6yndicatel
Doreen sighed heavily a Nh,
walked away from the little Lon,
Island home on which she had 10 se
ner heart. It had been taken by ,
couple from the city not two hour,
before. The lease was signed. tn,
real estate agent had shown IL I,
Doreen the while he lamented he
Keen disappointment.
| Never mind" he added. trvins :.
mitigate her loss. Fir Vale 10 haunt
60 by fearful specters that vail abou
among these f,r trees and perpetrat,
enostly tricks on the minds Of tn,
tenants"
! But did you not warn this couple! p
asked Doreen. with . shade q
nope In her eyes. because she Va,
not afraid Of ghosts.
On. yes. certainly I did. but they
rather fancied the idea Of seeing /
real, live ghost. They said city peo
pie seldom got . chance 1T anythina
SO 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 an
pncant for Fir Vale entered the real
estate office even before her footsteps
mad 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 l have become q
ghost and haunted them into ghostly
Tears OF insanity and longings for
specterless city flats" muttered Jimmy
Barker as he made his frustrated way
back to his own abode.
Jimmy boarded in q sort of farm.
house and was sick of boarding. He
wanted Fir Vale. and he wanted it
badly. 1t 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.
shadowed property. A restless spirit
fioated about. fleeing from its own
fright. 1t seemed to the ghost that
! never before had a harmless bit of
garden been 80 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 . swiftly stifed
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 q brave ef-
fort at haunting. when q grue.
some and frightful specter had
doomed 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 a 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 q portion of
his ghostly raiment.
What in the deuce are you doing
prowling about in this dark garden?"
he questioned, wishing he coud get
a look at her face
III you want to know the TRUTH"
she told him with q soft laugh that
Jimmy found most charming, Il am
simply trying to haunt these people
out Of that new home. want It 20
badly that am going to wait about
this property until they get out for
fear Of losing their minds.'
Jimmy laughed and drew . tribe
nearer the other ghost.
1.-TWO haunts would certainly move
them quicker than one-don't you
think so? Now. I have come here
with the same evil intentions 40 your.
self. 90 the best We can do 10 to Join
forces and do our haunting together"
Doreen certainly wanted the pres
ence Of . strong. muscular man. He
would never see her face to face. and
they would always be strangers. %
why hesitate?
Night after night they performed
their most ghostly tricks, but the
couple within maintained q comfort.
able. unimaginative sense Of security.
1T Is very strange" Jimmy was
saying on one Of the trips to . fallen
tree that nightly became more pro-
longed while haunting was forgotten
Il seem to be In love with you, but |
at the same time." he paused . mo-
ment hesitating to continue, II am
interested in . girl I
have met in the world Of society. Do |
you happen to know her-Doreen
Woodward? I cannot tell her love
her because you always come in be-
tween us-I think am losing my mind
over the two of YOU"
And have met one Jimmy Barker
at dances and on the beach and in So
ciety," laughed the girl softly. Il