Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-03-27
ALICE DFVINE,
Bv EDGAR JEPSON

| NO there was no White patch. Ihere
were no shadows to make them. The
moon was shining full on the lawn and
the hat was lying full in the moonlight
she said.
| l hesitated she was SO sure -
did not know what to do. Then l said
| When you've recovered a bit more
Well go to that lawn and make sure.
NO! No! I won't go near the dread
full place." she cried.
"All right" l said. "Ill take you
home; and then I'll come back and look
into it,"
mo, no. you mustn't. won't have
! it. It's dreadfully dangerous I'm sure
| it u.s." she cried and she caught holt of
1t is, she cried and she caught hold of
to it as if she meant to keep me there
| kissed her again: and suddenly she
flushed, as if she had just noticed the
kisses for the first time and tried to
Slip off my knee.
l held her tight and said: mo; you
are more comfortable where you are !;
and you feel so much safer"
l drew her closer to me and kissed
her again. She was quite still
We sat on that bench for a long
time | had it taken away to Garth
Royal later; and it is in the rose gard,
en- there, under stone canopy We did
not say very much. because there did
not seem to be anything to say. 1t
seemed to be quite enough to be sitting
there together. At last she said that
she must be going, or the house would
be locked up and she would have to
ring up a servant to let her in.
/ rose very unwillingly, set her down
and said: well, il you must, you must.
AS We go by it, we'll just take look
at that lawn. 1t will never do for you
to come into this garden at night,
now"
"Oh, it will be horrid," she cried,
clutching my arm. "And there isn't
any need - there isn't really. | shan't
be frightened tomorrow at ALL
l felt her quivering a little with a
fresh terror.
You'd better come along You'll be
ever so much less frightened about this
If actually you knew that there's no
hat on that lawn and no body either"
said in coaxing tone.
She did not refuse any longer; but
she did not come at all readily: and
when we came near the lawn, her feet
seemed to drag rather in spite of her
self. AS we went into the narrow en-
trance held her very tight to reas-
sure her.
The lawn was quite bright in the
moonlight. There was no straw hat ly-
ing on it, nor any body of the MUIR
dered blackmailer.
Alice breathed quick sigh of relief,
and said softly: Thank goodness"
| kissed her and said: 81 tell you
what, it's possible that you fancied you
saw a straw hat because you noticed
1t SO strongly on the night we found
the body; and the sight of the lawn
again suggested it so vividly to you
that you actually saw it,"
mo; / saw it too distinctly muci.
too distinctly for it to be any fancy"
she said firmly.
We'll, perhaps there was a real
straw hat" said IT'S a hot night:
and very likely somebody did come on
to the lawn and threw his hat down be-
fore he sat down himself If you had
looked further on the lawn, you'd have
seen him sitting or lying on the ground
and probably smoking = quite harm
less real man.
And where is he?" she said.
He has had plenty of time to go
away" said l.
She shook her head as if that did not
satisfy her, either: and We went few
steps farther on the lawn.
All at once I had an odd feeling,
quite strong. that there was something
wrong with the lawn. | thought that I
must have caught some of Alice's
fright; and just as | felt it she shiv-
cred.
did not say anything: | turned
quietly round, and we walked off the
lawn. 1t took rather an effort not to
jump out of it at the entrance: chill
ran down my back and | had a horrid
feeling that something, something
beastly. was behind me coming after
me. Alice gasped and gripped my arm
hard.
Once we were clear of the entrance
the feeling stopped, as though the
thing, whatever it was. came no far
Their than the lawn. But We walked
from it pretty quickly.
We had gone about twenty yards. |
when Alice said in a voice that had
gone shaky again: There is something
wrong about that lawn. ] am sure Of il
felt it - oh, ever so distinctly"
We'll, it's natural that you should
find place creepy where you suddenly
come upon the body of murdered
man. But you saw for yourself that
the lawn was absolutely empty" said
| did not see that anything was to
be gained by telling her that I had |
caught some of her fright. and found
the lawn creepy. too. If l did she'd
never come into the garden at night
without feeling uncomfortabl
Yes: ! saw thai il was empty she |
said. after pause: but she did not say
it as if she found that fact at all sat f,
isfying.
We walked on ont Of the garden. go
ing more slowly the nearer we came to !
the gate: and then we were some time
in her uncle's porch before she rang
the bell
! walked back to my house in quite
contented frame of mind. Alices fright |
had forced my hand and settled things
for us. II had for the time being put
the ghost trick cut Of my mind. In
fact one ghost had laid the other: and
| was very clad that it had In spite