The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-12-15
(Copyright, 1917, Wheeler Syndicate, Inc)
By BOOTH HARRINGTON

worst looking place l have ever been
and bet there is something terrible IN
here and then some animal jumped out
from back in there and bit him Wnere
the ottomatick bullets had wounded nm
and he said Oh some animal Is biting
me right in my wOndS oh now 1t is
biting me where my leg got brolRn
"Soon the old man died and went to
meet his Maker Well said Harold l
wonder what l better do So he went
back in the cavren and there was some
kind Of something green back in there
and he was afraid probly it was the old
mans gOhSt and he saw something That
| looked like some eyes looking right at
| him"
"Musther Penrod"
This was hail from the house. Del
| la. the cook, emerged from the kitchen
door and stood upon the back-porch in
! the sunset light. She addressed the
silent stable.
"Musther Penrod. Y rout there sim
where's, why can't y'ansWer mef Yer
father an mothers away fer dinner
an SOS Miss Margrut an I'm not goin'
to wait all night, SO If We want amy
! thing feat ye better c'min an eat 1t.
It's the last I'll cahl ye!'
However, she came to the door five
times during the gradual dusk to shout
"Musther Penrod" and various warn
ings; but the stable remained StOlidly
urresponsive. Finally she delivered
real ultimatum, and when it proved in
effectual, retired permanently.
Certainly her voice had reached the
physical ear Of Penrod, but it conveyed
no meaning; his mind had not heard
it. Periods self was in horrible cav
ern in the Rocky mountains with Har-
old RamOreZ.
Like many another good soul moved
to attempt the transmutatiOn of vision
into manuscript, this author was not
aware how frail and treacherous are
the processes of the alchemy. The fact
that words are fixed symbols Of things
concerned Penrod little; he thought
that the words he set upon the paper
meant all the things he heard and felt
anu saw, Ill eye, uS ilC WHY
things which so stirred and thrilled
him that his hand had begun to trem-
BILE as it sped, faster and faster, across
the pages.
He shook with horror of the awful
refuge discovered by Harold Ramorez +;
he saw a green vapor shimmering in
its sinister hOllOws; he heard the
shrieking of the canon wind across the
cavern's mouth, saw 1t lifting and toss
ing the white hair and beard OF q
dreadful figure which lay there, naked
torn and drenched. He fled toward
the green vapor in the depths, only to
| turn back, shuddering with CHASTITY
/ suspicious, while out Of the darkness
hundreds of eyes-eyes without bodies
ewes without faces-looked at him and
, began to come closer, and closer, and
closer.
t When such situation Is thus con
l ceived and developed in such an au
! thor, it seldom proceeds toward con
! valescence; but rather the symptom:
l become more and more malignant in
| definitely, relief being obtained only
e after the author has had night:
i sleep. So 1t was but natural that Har
e old Ramorezs suspicious concernin,
Y the green vapor turned out to be vel
y founded. The vapor proved, indeed, II
be the ghost of the unfortunate Oh
e Man who had suffered so greatly afte
It arriving at the cavern, and on tn
e Journey thereto, and also, owing to tn
h Vaccinations Of Mr.. Wilson, for SIX
t teen long, previous years.
o And, with the typical inconsistent
n Of all ghosts, this one had undergone
o complete change of character sine
passing. Forgetting every former Il
l. and all gratitude, 1t seemed who'll
lie inimical to it's former benefactor, an
e. assuming the position of terror-in-chle
1t of O place upon which, in life, 1t ma
Id pronounced an unfavorable Opinio
n and for which it had shown no attacf
ment whatever, it now appeared I
have no affairs to call it elseWher
It nor any purpose In existence save
,o unsettle the reason of one who ma
~ shown it nothing but kindness. 70
Id in truth, Harold Ramorez feared 1
m might go midland Periods mOut
m opened and his eyes bulged fearsome
he as he wrote.
Id And that very instant the flame
m his depleted lantern died absOlutel
90 Harold Ramorez himself was not lie
nm in more complete eclipse. lnstln
ke brought Penrod to his feet at boun'
i'm and, as he looked out over the side
IL the sawdust box toward the open DOC
Cd his state of mind was one that need'
Ier the immediate reinsurance of sunshir
nv And bright, warm, July afternoon su
cd shine was what Penrod fully expect
to see.
nj Instead. he looked into Egypti
ng night.
nm Therefore it is not surprising tn
m when Penrod emerged from the STAB
m very few seconds later, breathl
inc somewhat disccncertedly, he bore
on both hands, ready for all emergency
ing an overweighty but certainly form
rse able weapon, which had come to
ose hand as he slid down from the sa
the dust box.
1t was an ak.
hut There was no moon; there were
av- stars; there was no light in heave
the there was no light in neishbo