Smyrna times., 1932-09-28
WEEKLY STORY
AROUND TABLE
Reading to While Away Time
Under the Evening Lamp
When Days Work is Done
INTERESTING READING
THREE WAYS TO DO IT"
BY Rose Meredith

eyes at the ardent young man who
wanted to marry his daughter, so
Anthony, you are asking for my
Amp"
"Yes, sir" said Anthony, Il love
Ann. and l want to marry her."
well, then. there are three
things you must do before | will
say yes to your question:" said
James Farnaham gravely.
"Will you spend a night in the
haunted house? Then. will you find
out who is smuggling liquor into
the town, and lastly. will you pay
up every debt that you owe before
you are married?"
Fright" said young Anthony firm
ly. Il will do all those things in
proper order and report to you. May
! speak to Ann before | go?"
'Of course" said Farnaham, ex-
tending his hand. please stay and
have supper with US and spend the
evening, too. Anthony"
Three things to do" thought An
thony later on that night, as he
slipped out Of his window. slid down
the rainwater pipe to the ground,
and shook himself. I've certainly
had my suspicious of the old house.
and as for the identity of the rum
runners. why | believe that the two
matters are connected-and If !
guess those two riddles, and win
the reward, | can finish paying up
my few debts, and Ann and | can
start with money in the bank and
not debt to our names !"
The old haunted house, as it was
called. occupied a quiet back street
not far from the little creek that
entered the sound where the tide
was going out.
Anthony Ware thought of all of
these things as ne went up on the
broken front porch of the old house.
The tide was coming in and An
thony really expected something
might happen that night when the
tide was high. So he tiptOed
through the the old house on rub
ber-sOled shoes. not hearing a sound
until after he had been sitting in
darkness for en- hour.
Brave as he was, Anthony felt
the hair lift on his head, when
those limping footballs began away
off somewhere in the kitchen, and
came nearer and nearer. He had
slipped into tiny cupboard in what
was known as the sitting room. and
it was all that he could do to stuff
himself in there and close the door
before the footballs came very close
they seemed tO circle the room
and then went off again, and after
awhile he heard them upstairs
prowling into every room. and
then. at last, they came down
again and went out the back door.
He has gone to the creek to meet
someone" said Anthony. and he
went to the kitchen loft and hid
himself in a dark corner by the
window where he could see the
creek in the queer light of a wan
ing moon. He remembered stories
that he had heard of how the vii
lage constable and some of his men
had hidden near the creek. and ali
they discovered was old Oscar
Johnson bringing home a load of
lobster pots filed with crawling
black shapes. And now. old Os-
car was coming up the creek. his
flat-bottomed boat piled high, with
lobster-pOts. The old man stopped
at the old place and unloaded his
pots into a two wheeled cart that
was behind the house, and trundled
it out of the yard and down the
shop. After that it was quiet again
for a long time, and then came the
sound of oars and paddles and an
other boat, loaded with square.
deep boxes. wrapped in newspapers.
There were four men working there.
From his window in the kitchen
loft, Anthony Ware watched the un-
loading of the boxes until all of
ii had been transferred to the
cellar and all the men disappeared
down there. Then Anthony. slipping
from place TO place like a ghost.
locked the trapdoor in the kitchen.
and locked the outside door, and
fled noiselessly down the street to
the constable's house and reused
him. Then they went and arrested
the guilty men who were sorting
out the bottles in the cellar
In the morning, when James
Farnaham opened his kitchen door
to come outside he found Anthony
sitting there waiting for him.
"Well?" said Mr. Farnaham.
Il came to receive my answer to
last nights question" said An.
thOny.
"Did you spend the night in the
haunted house"
Just came from there"
"What about the smuggling?"
Anthony told him that the guilty
men were in Jail.
"And | suppose the reward you