Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-03-05
long she had haG them

long she had haG them
YES Miller replied, but ignorant
women-ea Easily scared by stories"
"They heard no Stories" Anderson
said. There was no chance. We met
them at the station al Martinsbure
and started Immediately on Balt's
launch which he had loaned us. He
had taken our mpedimenta down be
fore, so everything was ready for us.
Mary and Ellen were enthusiastic
when We sailed into the inlet. They
had never been south before They
we're excited by the experience, and
completely satisfied But when we en-
tered the house its damp, chill air re-
PEELED us"
1T would" Miller said. 81 am told
the entire island is jungle. Such
places don't get the sun, and, remem.
Der, your house had stood in that jun
gle uninhabited, for decades
yes" Anderson agreed, ~ ascrbed
great deal to the climate at first,
and maybe it's that, but--after a
while one wonders"
First, then, the girls became fright.
ened?"
IL don't know at first. We all fell
silent. We started fires in every room
but it seemed as though no amount of
warmth could cut that charnel house
atmosphere. And the day went SO
quickly. Black night had trapped Us
before we had time to realize it. |
looked at Molly.
"'If the Jungle could peep in on us
now said, the laughing wouldn be
all on one side
$50 we smiled at each other and
were more cheerful after that until
dinner time. Then Mary, without
warning, burst into tears"
"Homesick in a strange house." Mi.
Ter suggested
I'VE couldn't find out what it was.
She didn't seem to know herself. El.
len, Of course had to see it. Their
enthusiasm and satisfaction were dead.
They wouldn't go upstairs until
we did. We had given them each ;
room, but they said they preferred TO
share one. They hung back from say
ing good night to Molly. This all drove
our minds from ourselves We went 10
bed talking about it. wondering wha
the upshot would be-
"A wild scream awakened me in the
middle of the night In such place It
was doubly startling. Molly was al
ready up. threw on bathrobe and
we hurried to Mary and Ellen. Their
light was burning They lay in bed
trembling and clinging to each other.
They wouldn't talk at sirst--w would
ut or couldn't. Finally we got il out
of them. They had heard something
dreadful happening in the next room.
Some one, they swore had been mur
dered there They had heard every
thing and Mary had screamed. Jim
| know il sound absurd, but those
girls who had never dreamed of the
existence of old Meyer or his Arab
woman, described in detail SUCH
sounds as might have cursed that
mouse seventy or eighty years ago the
night of that vicious and unpublished
murder.
1--WE tried to laugh them out of Their
fancy. We entered the next room--a
large, gloomy apartment on the front,
probably--if Bats story is true--the
room in which the woman died OF
course there was nothing there, but
we couldn't get Mary and Ellen to see
for themselves Nor would they stay
upstairs. They dressed and spent the
rest of the night in the dining room.
And when we came down for break
fast they told us what We had feared,
they wouldn't spend another night
N that house. They were ready even
to pay their own fare home. They hat
cd TO leave Molly, they said. but they
couldn't help themselves. They were
afraid II was then that | sent for
Jake. II Jake didn't owe me so much
if he wasn't so persistent in his graf.
itude and loyalty he would have fol.
lowed them long ago.
Nightmares Nightmares Miller
scotfed.