The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-03-07

L
and bet there is something terrible IL
here and then some animal jumped ou
from back in there and bit him where
the ottomutick bullets had wounded hin
and he said Oh some animal Is bittina
ME right in my wonds Oh now 1t Is
biting me where my leg got broken
"Soon the old man died and went tc
meet his Maker Well said Harold
wonder what / 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"
"Musthcr 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 me? Yer
father an mothers away fer dinner
an sos Miss Marg'rut an I'm not goin'
to wait all night, so if We want amy
thing tent We better c'min an eat It..
rs the last I'll cahl YET"
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
unrtSponsive. Finally she delivered n
real ultimatum, and when it proved in
effectual, retired permanently.
Certainly her voice had reached the
physical ear Of Penrod, but 1t convened
no meaning; his mind had not heard
1t. Periods self was in a horrible cav.
orn Ia 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
and saw, In his minds eye as he wrote
things which so stirred and thrilled
him that his hand had begun to trem-
bic as 1t sped, faster and faster, across
the pages.
lie shook with horror of the awful
refuge discovered by Harold Ramorez;
he saw green vapor shimmering in
It's sinister hollows; he heard the
shrieklng of the canon wind across the
cavern's mouth, saw 1t lifting and toss
Ing the white hair and beard of
dreadful figure which lay there, naked.
torn and drenched. He fed toward
the green vapor in the depths, only to
turn back, shudderlng with CHASTITY
suspicious, while out of the darkness
hundreds Of eyes-eyes without bodies
eyes without faces-lOoked at him and |
began to come closer, and closer, and
closer.
When such situation is thus con-
ceived and developed In such an au-
thor 1t seldom proceeds toward con-
valescence; but rather the symptoms |
become more and more malignant in |
definitely, relief being obtained only |
after the author has had a nights |
sleep. So 1t was but natural that Har- |
old Ramorez's suspicious concerning |
the green vapor turned out to be well |
founded. The vapor proved, indeed, to
be the ghost of the unfortunate Old |
Man who had suffered so greatly after
at the cavern, and on the |
journey thereto, and also. owing to the
Of Mr.. Wilson, for six
teen long, previous years.
And, with the typical inconsistency
Of all ghosts, this one had undergone a
complete change of character since
passing. Forgetting every former tie
md all gratitude, 1t seemed wholly
to its former benefactor, and
the position of terror-in-chief
If place upon which, in life, it had
pronounced an unfavornble opinion
md for which 1t had shown no attach
nent whatever, 1t now appeared to
rave no affairs to call 1t elsewhere,
loi uhy puIpOSS III cAiottuCC Sdfc W |
the reason of one who had
'hown 1t nothing but kindness. For,
n truth, Harold Ramorez feared he
night go, midland Penrod's mouth
opened and his eyes bulged fearsomely
is he wrote.
And that very instant the flame Of
lis depleted lantern died absolutely.
Iarold Ramorez himself was not left
n more complete eclipse. Instinct
rought Penrod to his feet at bound;
nd, as he looked out over the side of
he sawdust box toward the open door,
lis state of mind was one that needed
he immediate reinsurance of sunshine.
md bright, warm, July afternoon sum
hine was what Penrod fully expected
0 see. III
Instead, he looked into Egyptian
light. |,
Therefore 1t is not surprising that
hen Penrod emerged from the stable, .
very few seconds later, breathing | /
omewhat disconcertedly, he bore in {
9th hands, ready for all emergencies, /
n overweighty but certainly formid- /
bic weapon, which had come to his /
and as he slid down from the saw B
ust box.