The Bozeman courier., 1927-07-08

'It is haunted she repeated with en-
phasis.
Gabrielli, always impressionable, leaped |
to the suggestion.
Who, in Floridian night, has not felt |
haunted?-the air like a scented kiss, !
heavy with jasmine and orange flowers,
softly heavy; the sky luminous as though
sprayed with gold dust and hung with
golden lanterns; the gentle lap Of the
phosphorescent waves against the piles of
the wharf; fish, flashing a backbone OF
gold here and there-and yet through all
the Softness ran clear and Stridently
eerie voice of melancholy.
The honk, honkl of waterfowl, gigan-
tic with outspreading wings Tapping to
nest in the mangrove swamps; the hoot
and screech of owls; the dry rattle Of
palm leaves when the breeze shook them;
most of all the shrill, long cry Of cat
creature which rose at intervals from the
forest-all combined to give this feeling
Of something strange and unnatural
Victor GaOrielli shivered, too, but he
liked it, He was literally on tip-toe.
Don't, please-be still Just a mo-
ment," Alison laid a hand on his arm.
IT want to think. Yes, Of course it's
haunted. But we are the ghosts. At
least am. Oh, will you please go away
and leave me? want to be alone. I
want to think out why I'm a ghost.
must have come back for some purpose.
Oh, Victor, go away and leave me alonel"
The young man subsided under this
urgent appeal, thrust his hands into his
packets and in a sulky, hurt mood
strolled down to the end Of the pier.
Alison was graphing with an idea which
was almost too big for her.
'T wonder" she unused, "if I am
dead? No, Of course I'm not dead. I
mean, even If were there'd still be me
what Uncle Roddy calls the conscious
ego But suppose I arr merely a con-
scious ego? I've never been in this place
before-yet know it. I think know
what Blue River is like. I've dreamed Of
actly like There was man they
, talked to with their hands. I remember
! him. He made a doll for me out Of a.
a-what was 1T, I wonder? 1t ratified
! when you shook it. Perhaps it was q
: gourd. I wonder why I haven't thought
I Of him before?"
A sense of being hypnotized took pos.
session Of her. She felt swayed by it, up
lifted, curiosiy ethereal. Her earliest con-
t scious memories were OF the old house In
Kent where she had been born and where
( she had lived, barring school days anc
j holiday travel until the death Of hel
father sent her to share the home oi
= Roderick Blair near Oxford.
q Gabrielli did not leave her alone FOL
: llong. He came dashing back, forgetfu
!, Of her plea for solitude.
o "Oh, say, aren't you going to have
:, look at the launch? It's jolly old tub
What a priceless life Straker must lead
: There are two chaps in charge and ont
!" of 'em told me Straker goes all the wa,
ldown to the keys in 1t by the INLAND
b water route and that perhaps he'll TAX
e us If he likes us. Original sort Of fel
e low, that boatman. The others older
= and he's deaf mute"
''What?" Alison asked sharply.
y Deaf and dumb, talks with his finger
! i like this-see? You didn't know kneV
= - the deaf and dumb alphabet, did you?
- NO" Alison replied, her voice shakin
little. "But I'm not surprised. Ap
4 parently there isn't must that you don
T. know"
es III.
~ ~ It seemed that now Alison did nc
- - want to inspect Miles Straker's launch.
ad She had been frightened in a plas
III like this. so frightened that the mel
m thought OF 1t now caused her breast
ne heave, and it was all she could do |
ae keep down a strangled sob. She wante
h- to scream, to run hither and thithl
al calling out for help.
n Instead, she clenched her hands an
gh lips and by exercising every ounce