The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1920-09-03

;ngly. His charm Of manner never
seemed more positive and active.
"Helo. doctorP' he said. 81 needed
company and just your company. If
you would only drink wine !"
A broken pipe in the laundry made
II necessary to call plumber from
Hartley, and to get quick service, il
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 went with the
driver. The plumber was a fat man
Of the comic type. 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 If 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
nuisance only by an Astounding ami
NAL optimism which was infectious.
Driving through the Hartley house
grounds, we came to the pool. and the
plumber-named Harklns-chuckled
Thus far, whenever he or something
else amused him, he had laughed. Now
he chuckled as If in recollection Of an
experience richer or deeper than any
ha had haan foIIyin0 of
THAT place is going to be remem-
bered by me-" he said. II have been
out here only once since the night ]
made bet was not afraid to sit on
the bank here for an hour. They've
got a good many stories of this place
in town. had been drinking little
don't do II steady, but once in while
get out. You've got to do 1t TO keep
the house going happy. Give the wife
something to talk about My wife
would rather scold me than eat, and
she loves her food.
"We were at the White Pigeon, hav-
ing 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
hundred miles of Hartley. That's
where made fool Of myself. I've
got to admit that's where | made a
fool of myself.
81 bet FIVE dollars I would sit an
hour on the bank at this place. 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
II. 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
witches. ! had couple of bottles and
some cheese and crackers.
81 wasn't afraid of that place. I'm
not afraid of any place unless I ger
to thinking about this one. 1t was
along In October. A hoot-owl was
somewhere back of me, and there was
whippoorwill up toward the house.
"rm used to hoot-owls and whip
poorwills. but I hadn't drunk more
than half a bottle of beer before even
these things began to sound different.
"The current of the river kept knock
ing at the big rock at the up end OF
the pool, and you began to think that
things were reaching for you out of
the dark. I'd have given ten dollars to
quit, but got so that didn't want to
move. ! felt safer sitting still.
'Then began TO hear things that
don't suppose were making noise at
all. II may be 1t was rabbits In the
bush. nearly died when heard a
cry about fifty feet back of me. / did
hear that. / guess a ferret had got
rabbit. You know how a rabbit cries
like baby.
II was sitting In the open, and !
thought I'd feel better If got my back
up against something. So crawled
over to some bushes and sat down be-
hind them.
Maybe had been there half an
hour, feeling scary and uncomfortable,
when l heard regular yell. There
wasn't any fooling about that. II
sounded like some one being hurt but
yelling not so much because Of the
hurt as because he was mad.
you've heard fellows talking about
their hair standing on end. never
knew what It really meant before, but
my hair Just stood right up. felt
like some one was trying to scalp me.
and was goosefesh all over.
1T had been dark on account Of
clouds. hut just then the moon came
out and lighted up the place. There
was man standing on the edge Of the
pool. just about Where I had been sit
ting. He was leaning with both hands
on a cane and standing perfectly still.
He didn't seem like a man. He looked |
like one. but you had feeling that he
wasn't one.
81 don't want ever TO be so scared
again. didn't know who had yelled. !
but thought this man had. and !
didn't think he was a man. thought |
he was a ghost. I'm not saying what |
I think now. but II had to, I'd say |