The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-12-30

"Hello, doctorw he said. 81 needed
company ana Just your company. II
you would only drink wlnel"
A broken pipe in the laundry made
II necessary TO call a plumber from |
Hartley. and TO get quick service, II |
was agreed that we should send a car |
for the man and his helper.
The day was pleasant, and for the |
sake OF the drive l went with the |
driver. The plumber was a fat man
of the comic type. I thought he must
be the embodiment Of all the plumbers
Jokes They seemed to have created
him he was the product of the comics.
even asked him II he were sure he
had all his tools. thought he would
be sure to send US back for a wrench.
He was amiable. laughed at anything
or nothing and was saved from being
a nuisance only by an abounding ami
NAL optimism which was infectious.
Driving through the Hartley house
| grounds. we came TO the pool, and the
plumber-named Harkins-chuckled
| Thus far, whenever he or something
/ tiSt uihuSth hiiiit ht hoh iuuthNhs ANVW
he chuckled as II In recollection of an
experience richer or deeper than any
he had been talking of.
"That place is going to he remem-
bered by me-" he said "I have been
out here only once since the night
made bet l was not afraid to sit on
the bank here for IN hour. They've
got good many stories of this place
In town. l had been drinking little.
don't do II steady, but once in while
get out. You've got to do II to keep
the house going happy. Give the wife
something to talk about. My wife
would rather scold me than eat, and
she lcves her food.
1--WE were at the White Pigeon, hav-
ing n good time but thinking of going
home, when some one started on this
Hartley house story. Everybody had
something to say, and said that there
was no ghost that could scare me, at
least no ghost that ever was within a
hundred miles OF Hartley. That's
where l made a fool of myself. I've
got to admit that's where l made a
fool of myself.
81 bet FIVE dollars / would sit an
hour on the bank at this place. l for
got all about the dogs, or I'd not have
made the bet. Anyway, they didn't
! bother me. We got an automobile and
drove out here. The fellows left me
at the pool and went mile back.
They were going TO take my word for
1t. / was to stay an hour and then
start walking back. At the end of an
hour they would start toward me and
pick me up. They had beer and sand
wlches. had a couple of bottles and
some cheese and crackers.
81 wasn't afraid of that place. I'm
not afraid of any place unless ! get
to thinking about this one. II was
! along In October. A hoot-owl was
: somewhere back of me, and there was
a whippoorwill up toward the house.
! I'm used to hoot-owls and whip
poorwills, but / hadn't drunk more
than half bottle of beer before even
t these things began to sound different
"The current of the river kept knock
| ing at the big rock at the up end OF
I the pool, and you began to think that
: things were reaching for you out OF
the dark. I'd have given ten dollars tc
: quit, but got so that / didn't want to
a move. felt safer sitting still.
: "Then I began to hear things that
j don't suppose were making a noise al
r all. 1t may be II was rabbits In the
). bush. nearly died when l heard {
n cry about fifty feet back of me. die
v hear that i guess ferret had got {
e rabbit. You know how rabbit crie'
; like baby.
O II was sitting in the open, and
l. thought I'd feel better II got my bacl
: up against something. So I crawlet
over to some bushes and sat down be
= hind them.
,. maybe I had been there a half al
e hour. feeling scary and uncomfortable
when heard a regular yell. Their,
e wasn't any fooling about that i
n sounded like some one being hurt bu
& yelling not so much because of tn
Is hurt as because he was mad.
n you've heard fellows talking abou
]. their hair standing on end. / neve
1t knew what It really meant before, bu
II my hair Just stood right up. I fel
e like some one was trying to scalp me
d. and I was goosefesh all over.
h ut had been dark on account o
Ie clouds. but just then the moon cam
l. out and lighted up the place. Ther
J. was man standing on the edge OF tn
Ie pool. Just about where had been sii
ting. He was leaning with both hand
Y. on a cane and standing perfectly still
c. He didn't seem like a man. He locke
re like one. but you had feeling that h
f. wasn't one.
b. II don't want ever to be so scare
D. hgain. l didn't know who had yelled
NJ hut I thought this man had, and
didn't think he was a man. ! though
lie he was ghost. I'm not saying wha
I'd think now. but II ! had to, I'd sa
I'd that l saw the ghost OF this place
a and anybody that wants TO laugh ca