Grand Forks daily herald., 1915-05-29
Waiting for tho Lady,s, Ghost,

There You perceive the cast and the
setting OF the drama that was to DC
enacted. a simple, credulOus, super
stitious man. another who jeered at
er young men Of Paris. dying of'ennut.
frantic for entertainment Of any sort.
Jacoby proposed a spiritualitic seance.
He would raise the ghost OF the castle.
Morgan very seriously refused to be
a party to It.
"Onc never knows" he said. Flo
had been laughed at until he would 10
longer discuss his beliefs. But he
carried his opposition so far that when
Jacoby insisted he removed himself to
tho old woman's hut. II tell yo,l,' he
said with an accent Of fear In his
tones, "She was not buried In conse-
Grated ground--this lady Of the castle.
There are stories---''
The seven others began their sit
tings. NO doubt they had been af-
fectcd by the unnatural conditions
among which they had lived. Soldiers
learn to disregard the physical mani
festations of death. but to live among
dead men must have a. weakening in
f1uencc upon the mind. All about
them--for league on lcasue--the fair
French countryside was dotted with
the dead. Jacohy was tho strongest
man OF the seven. Although he had
been scoer. he insisted that the sit
tings be conducted decorOusly.
IF there is truth, in these things
that Morgan believes We should learn
it now," he said. surely these con-
ditions arc favorng.'
Fanlois--who told Fender the story
said that mt tho outset nothing hap
pencd. Two nights they sat for hours
in the darkness OF what the old wom-
an said had been the boudoir of that
lady Of the castle who had been re-
fused burial i'll consecratcd ground.
Now and then they exchanged thrilled
whispers. But nothing happened. ia
rohy said they would try again
I've have not been earnest enough"
he said, ansrily. Let each will with
all his strength that this woman Of
the castle appear. Do You compre-
hend" Concentrate upon that thought.
If these things that Morgan believes
are true perhaps we can force her to
appear"
indication that Jacoby's cynicism was
merely superficial. Perhaps he had,
unknown to his companions. broken
beneath the strain of the past months.
He would talk of little else during the
day, Sometimes his manner was al
most violent. Morgan continued to
take his meals with his comrades. But
ne1Ofe nlEhtrali ne would retreat TO
the shelter of the old woman's hut.
There was something different in
the atmosphere the :nird night" said
Faulois. ~ do not know what.
shivercd from time to time. l was
frightened. An hour had passed. per-
haps and was about to suggest that
we abandon the folly, when some one
across the room sucked in his breath
with an odd, sasping sound. The ef-
feet was shocking in the darkness.
mo jokes said The Poacher. in a
trembling, savage voice. NO jokes.
Il will not permit it.
We called him The Poacher be.
cause he was a peasant by birth. He
had lived for years in Paris. But he
loved to tell Of his poaching exploitt
as a youth. He was a quiet kindly
man, sfrewd in his peasant way. but
very dangerous IN battle. He is one
OF those men who go into a sort OF
catalcpsy during hand-to-hand con-
nict. For hours aftcrward his COM
rades feared to approach him. His
, eyes We're glazed. and froth would ap-
pear on his lips.
NO one spoke. I sat there. leaning