Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-04-22
UNDER GRO n2 s 52S5 : ASs
BY J.JEFFERsoN FARJEoN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
By JEFFERSON FARJEoN
Copyright. 1929. BY Central Press Association. Inc.

| yourself. I don't s'poshe the other
feller cid it for fun"
There was another pause. The
ticking Of the clock on the mantel-
piece suddenly became audible. The
prospective caretaker seemd more
and more impressed.
Didn't they never find him?" he
inquired.
",E amt turned up yet" said the
junior clerk.
What about the man before
him?"
There wasn't one, for months"
why not?"
Couldn't get anyone.
"WelI-the last one they could get.
What happened to him?" persisted
the visitor. I'D like to know"
He ran away"
Ran away. Well, that's funny.
Did he say why?"
Yes. E said he couldn't stick it."
well, p'r'aps this other feller ran
away, too? This last feller?"
That's what we think"
"Ail right, then"
rs it al right, then? The first
teller lived to tell the tale. Where's
the second Teller? All! There you
are, you see"
Seems a bit nasty" muttered the
visitor. But. look here! If the
first teller lived to tell the tale,
what sort of a tale did he tell?"
The junior clerk bent forward a
little, and lowered his voice.
Its not for me to say, if you
know what I mean" answered, "but,
if you've got to know some time, why
not before than after? Coornber
'Ouse is 'aunted!"
GO on"
eyes, you'll say Go on after
you've spent a night or two there?
There's a banging and a booming,
and the furniture gets thrown about
Tim tellin' what I've 'erd, mind
and goodness knows what else"
"P'r'haps it's not ghosts" suggest
ed the visitor. "P'r'haps it's some
thing else. There's lots of other ex-
plantations"
We'll, if you al find another ex-
PLANTATION, p'r'haps someonen take
the place! 'Ow'd you explain
He paused. Temptation beat him.
"'Ow do you explain a 'eadless
e1ephant?"
"My!" murmured the visitor. 81
wouldn't like thatl"
The headleSs elephant interfered
for a moment with the converse
tional flow. If the visitor was wor-
lried about it, so was the junior clerk.
We'll, but, 100 don't e~xaggerate a
bit?" he argued with himself. After
a short pause, the visitor remarked
that he wasn't surprised the house
remained empty, with all these
stories about; and he added the mild
comment that perhaps n shouldn't
spread the stories. That touched the
Junior clerk on a raw spot.
Ct was only tellin' you for your
own good" he retorted. "And
any'ow, everybody knows. Why, Mr.
Spriggs 'imself II be the first to tel
you. E don't believe in keepin' II
back, because e hays it isn't fair tt
'ooever wants to take the place
Come to that. I believe there's mre'r
one would ave took it, if the boss
'adn't put in is word of warmth"
"Really?" replied the visitor
stroking his bushy moustache. We'll
I don't suppose the owner'd thank
him for that"
"The owners in Canada" said the
Junior clerk, land as 'e's got plenty
Of 'ouses, it don't matter to i'm. It's
livin' in a 'ouse that matters, no.
ownin' it,"
The Junior clerk did not realizs
that this was the only really wise re-
mark he had made during the inter
view.
A diversion was created by the
entrance. through the creakinf
swing doors, of a very old man. The
old man glanced sharply at the visi.
tor, passed him, and entered a dool
marked Strictly Private"
"Was that him?" inquired the WIS.,
itor.
Yves, that's Mr.. Spriggs," nodded
the Junior clerk. But you never
stop i'm. e goes through. and ther
you go to i'm, and then you get In"
1 Two minutes later. the mild mar