The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1925-07-15
CHAPTER |
Which Things Happen Near
Barking Creek

The wind howled dismally round a
nse standing by itself almost ON the
bres of Barking creek.
The house seemed deserted. Every
hdow was suffered; the garden
uncared for and a mass of weeds !;
gate leading on to the road, ap-
rently feeling the need of a deficient
hinge, propped itself drunkenly
what once had been flower-bed
few gloomy trees swaying dismally
the wind surrounded the house and
mpleted the picture-one that would
We caused even the least magma
Re of men to draw his coat little
khter round him, and feel thankful
lat it was not his fate to live in such
place.
But then few people ever came near
Tough to the house TO realize it's sin
ter api earance. The road-it was
tile better than a cart track-which
Used tie gate, was out of the beaten
bay; only an occasional fisherman or
rm laborer ever used it, and that
fnerally by day when things assumed
eir proper proportion. and it was
erely an empty house gradually fall
g to pieces through lack of atten-
ION. AT night they avoided it if pos
Pile; folks did say that twelve years
30 some prying explorer had found
be bones of a skeleton lying on the
Oor in one of the upstairs rooms with
mildewed rope fixed to one of the
yeams in the ceiling. And then it had
(een empty for twenty years.
4 Even now when the wind lay in the
east or northeast and the tide was set
dng in, there were those who said that
lou could see light shining through
PIE cracks in the shutters in that room
lpstairs, and that, should a man climb
p and look in, he'd see no skeleton,
lut body with purple face and star
hg eyes swinging gently to and fro,
ind tied by the neck to a beam with
rope which showed no trace OF
nildew. Ridiculous, of course: but
hen so many of these local supersti-
ions are. Useful, too, in some cases;
hey afford privacy from the prying
ttentions of local gossips far more
heaply and effectively than hig'.
rails and bolts and bars.
SO, a. any rate, one of the two men
rho were walking briskly along the
ough track seemed to think.
admirable" he remarked, as he |
aused for moment at the entrance |
the weed-grown drive "Quite adj |
lirable, my friend. A house situated
this ne is, is an acquisition, and |
hen it is haunted in addition ii be-
ONES godsend"
He spoke English perfectly with !
lght foreign accent. and his com
anlon nodded abruptly.
From what | heard about ii
fought it would do" he answered.
'ersonally | think it's damnable
'ot' but since you were so set against
ming to London, | had to find some
here in this neighborhood."
i VIII explain my reasons in due
urse, said the first speaker shortly.
lou may take it from me that they
ere good. What's that?"
lie swung round with a little gasr,
ntchlng his companions arm.
Nothing" cried the other irritably.
II a moment or two they stood still.
erlng into the dark underground.
mat did you think it was?"
l thought | heard bush ereaking
l-as if someone was moving" he
H. relaxing his grip. ut must have
en- 'iie wind. | suppose"
ne still peered fearfully into the
'oiis garden. until the other man
eyed him roughly toward the house.
VI course 1t was the wind" he NUT
eu angrily. 'For heavens sake.
puei, DON'T get the jumps. If you
= INSIST on' coming to an Internal
We IKE this. to transact little per-
.uy. normal business you must ex-
:. lew strange noises and sounds.
get indoors; the others should
here by now. II oughtn't to take
we 'haL an hour, and you can be on
'ru again long before dawn"