Grand Forks herald., 1917-02-26

too distinctly for it to be any fancy. "
she said firmly.
"well, perhaps there was a real
straw hat" 1 said. Its q hot night:
and very likely somebody did come
on to the lawn and threw his hat
you had looked further on the lawn,
you'd have seen him sitting or lying
on the ground. and probably smoking
"a quite harmless real man."
And where 10 he?" she said.
HE has had plenty of time to 60
away" said I. =.
She shook her head as il that did
not satisfy her. either; and We went
- few steps farther on the lawn.
| All at once 1 had an odd feeling,
quite strong, that there was some
thing wrong with the lawn. I thought
that must have caught some OF
Aiice's fright; and just as felt 1t she
shivered.
did not say anything; I turned
quietly round. and we walked of the
lawn. 1t took rather an effort not to
jump out of it at the entrance; chill
ran down my back. and had a hor-
rid feeling that something, something
beastly, was behind me-coming after
me. Ahce gasped and gripped my
arm hard.
Once we were clear Of the entrance
the feeling stopped, as though the
away from it pretty quickly.
We had gone about twenty yards
when Alice said in voice that had
gone shaky again: There is some.
thing wrong about that lawn. am
sure of it. l felt it-oh. ever so dis.
tinctly."
well. it's natural that you should
fSyo6 nj ,v,I,@
denly come upon the body Of a muir
dered man. But you saw for yourself
that the lawn was absolutely empty,
said L.
1 did not see that anything was to
be gained by telling her that had
caught some Of her fright, and found
the lawn creepy. too. II 1 did. shed
never come into the garden at night
!! without feeling uncomfortable.
| Eyes; saw that 1t was empty
she said, after a pause: but she did
not say 1t az II she found that fact
at all satisfying.
We walked on out Of the garden
going 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 hack to my house in q
quite contended frame Of mind. Alice's
fright had forced my hand and set.
tied things for US. 1t had for the
time being put the ghost trick out
Of my mind. In fact, one ghost had
laid the other; and 1 was very glad
that 1t had. In spite of the fact that
/ had spent the night before travelling
across Europe. l was long while
getting to sleep. had to think about
Alice.
When, blushins and smiling, she
met me in the garden next morning
she looked perfectly adorable. We
lost no time in finding secluded cor.
ner: and we were very happy in it.
We had plenty of things to talk
about; but our talk was rather jerky
and interrupted. 1t must have beer
nearly an hour before we got to the
subject of her fright the night before
She was still quite sure that she had
seen a straw hat lying on the lawn
and that it was not real straw hat.
At last I said carelessly. without
thinking: "Then l tell you what II
was. 1t wns Judgment on you.''
"A judgment?" she said, looking
puzzled. s
"Yes; a Judgment on you for the
fright you gave mo.
me? Give you fright?" she said
looking more puzzled.
eyes: when you played the ghost
the night slept at Number g." said
She happened to be sitting on m,
knee. She jumped up and stared a,
me. blinking, RS If she couldn't believe
her ears. ;,
"You-you-was It you?" she STAN.
mered: and there was fine flush or
her face; and her eyes began to
sparkle.