Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-12-04
The AbandonedRoom
: By Wadsworth Camp.

ldHNC, Dul lllC SOuIldi NLll4N -
gained no strength, forced on them
more and more an abhorrent sense
of intimacy. This crying from an IN
finite distance filled the room, SEEM
ing finally to have its source in the
room itself After it had sobbed
thinly into nothing, its pulsations
continued to sigh in Bobby's ears
They seemed timed to the renewed
ard eccentric dancing of the amor
phous shadows.
Graham Strengthened and placed
the candle on the bureau. He seemed
more startled than he had been at
the unbelievable secretiveness OF a
dead man.
You heard it," Bobby breathed.
Graham nodded.
What was it? Where did you
think it came from?" Bobby de-
handed 1T was like someone
mourning for th{s-this poor devil. ="
Graham couldn't disguise his
effort to elude the somber specter
Of the room, to drive from his brain
the illusion OF the unearthly moan
ing.
1T must have come from outside
the house." he answered. There's
no use giving way to fancies where
there's a possible explanation. 1t
must have come from outside-from
some woman in great agony Of
mind"
Bobby recalled his perception of
woman moving with a curious
absence of sound about the edges
of the stagnant lake. He spoke of it
to Graham.
Il couldn't be sure it was a wo-
man, but there's no house within
two miles. What would a woman
be doing wandering around the
Cedars?"
AT any rate, there are three wo-
men in the house." Graham said,
katherine and the two servants,
Ella and Jane. The maids are bad
ly frightened. 1t may have come
from the servants quarters. 1t must
have been one of them
But Bobby saw that Graham
didn't believe either of the maids had
released that poignant suffering.
1T didn't sound like a living
voice" he said simply.
Then how are we to take it,"
Graham persisted angrily. Il shall
question Katherine and the two
maids"
He took up the candle with a
stubborn effort to recapture his old
iorcefulness, but as they left the
room the shadows thronged thickly
after them in ominous pursuit; and
it wasn't necessary to question
Katherine. She stood in the corri-
dor, her lips parted, her face white
and shocked.
What was it," she said. THAT
nearly silent grief"
She put her hands to her ears,
lowering them helplessly after a
moment.
where did you think it came
from?" Graham asked.
From a long ways of" she an
swered. Then II thought it must
be in the room with you, and !
wondered if you saw"
Graham shook his head.
"We saw nothing. 1t was prob
ably Ella or Jane. They've been
badly frightened Perhaps a night
mare, or they've heard us moving
around the front part of the house
| am going to see"
Katherine and Bobby followed
him downstairs. DR.. Groom and
Paroles stood in front of the fire
place, questioningly looking up
ward. Paroles didn't speak at first,
but DR.. Groom burst out in his
grumbling, bass voice:
Whats been going on up there?'
did you hear just now queer
crying?" Graham asked.
NO"
you, Paredes?"
I've heard nothing" Paroles
answered, except DR.. Groom's dis
quoting theories. It's an uncanny
hour for such talk. What kind of
a cry-may | ask"
Like a woman moaning" Bobby
said, "and, doctor, Howells has
changed his position"
What are you talking about?"
the doctor cried.
He has turned on his side as
Mr.. Blackburn did," Graham told
him.
Paroles glanced at Bobby.
"And how was this new mys-
terry discovered"
Bobby caught the implication.
Then the Panamanian chung to his
slyly expressed doubt of Katherine
which might, after all, have had its
impulse in an instinct of self-pres-
ervation. Bobby knew that Graham
and Katherine would guard the fash
ion in which the startling discovery
had been made. Before he could
speak for himself, indeed, Graham
was answering Parades:
This crying seemed after time
to come from the room. We en-
tered"
But Miss Katherine called you
up" Paroles said. 81 supposed she
had heard again movements in the
ROOM"
Bobby managed a smile.
You see, Carlos, nothing is con-
,sistent in this case"
Paroles bowed gravely. 9
at is very curious woman
should cry about the house
THE servants may make it seem