The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-08-20

window looks that way and occasion
ally she has glimpsed this apparitlon
Once she called me-and really
Audrey, thought l saw it, ad
mitted the harassed owner OF Pine
Cottage.
"He must be a poor, harmless
ghostie," murmured Audrey. Now
Aunt Ella, let us talk of something
else!"
So Audrey banished all thought OF
the ghost of Pine Cottage, but the
story of poor, Tilted Benjamin never
left her mind for a moment.
She was occupying Dora's room
, which overlooked the bay and the
! inlet where the pine grove marked
grim, black shadow along the shore.
For several nights she watched until
the morning stars appeared, but she
saw no untoward signs from the pine
grove.
Then came a moonlight night when
| all the world of Quemiss lay under
the white magic. Audrey sat in the
open window, listening to the lap OF
waves on the beach, barking to the
myriad insect voices of the night. Her
eyes never left the dark blur of the
pine trees.
Suddenly something white appeared
and slowly walked in and out of the
moonlight Was Benjamin's ghost
walking at last?
Audrey was quite fearless. She
picked up a long, dark cloak and
wrapped it around her thin summer
frock and tiptoed softly down the
stairs and out of the cottage. Lightly
she flew through the kitchen garden
and across the little orchard beyond
which was the pine grove. The wind
was blowing a soft lullaby among the
apple trees, but as she neared the
pines the sound became melan-
choly flushing" sound that rather
daunted her brave heart.
AS she hesitated at the end Of the
orchard church clock in the village
struck the midnight hour Here were
the time, the place and the witching
hour to meet and lay ghost. Was
Audrey Hai wv a coward to fee the
situation now?
She slipped eff her black cloak ana
was revealed in the moonlight, tall.
slender young form in white. She
glided over the patch of salt grass
her alert eyes on the pine grove.
At the very edge of the grove Will
her feet on the slipping pine needles
something white doomed out of the
darkness ahead, paused, came straight
toward Audrey with outstretched
hand, and would have touched her
shoulder had she net crumpled into
an unconscious heap on the ground
1t seemed hours before she awoke
to feel herself in the strong. warm
grasp Of masculine arms. She opened
her eyes to the moonlight, the pine
grove and the face of the ghost" who
was carrying her toward Pine Cot
tage.
"Oh-oh! Whatever you are, please
put me down. can walk--really l
can" begged Audrey in weak voice.
That's good" said voice heartily.
Feeling little shaky yet? Just hold
fast to my arm until you feel better!
Say. you gave me scare! I'm fright
ened out Of a years growth. They
told me this grove was haunted and
! came over to nose around bit. I'm
rather interested in that sort of thing
running down fake spooks and so
forth. When you came drifting over
the salt grass toward me. l felt my
blood actually freezing in my veins;
but, by Jove, when saw 1t was only
bit of q girl who had tainted away
as soon as l appeared. grew quite
brave again" He laughed reassur.
tngly.
Audrey Joined In a shaky voice:
II came out to look for that ghost
myself" she explained in turn. "Your
white clothes added to the illusion
l am ashamed of myself"
She dreamed about him that night.
tall and pale and handsome in his
white garments. his gray hair adding
to his distinguished appearance. He
had told her his name-he was John
Barr-and he occupied the chair of
psychology at well-known univer-
sity. His hobby was the tracing of
ghost stories and the laying of all
fictitious spooks.
1t took John Barr several months
to eradicate the shadow from Pine
Cottage. but he afterward claimed
that it was the most satisfactory
problem he had ever solved. Although
he was forty-seven and Audrey was
twenty-five. one day there was a
wedding in Pine Cottage, and since
then no one has dared to say that
Pine Cottage is haunted by anything
save the spirit of love, for the Bars
bought it for summer home
Copyright, 1915. by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate)