i - -- il 1 ' " - 1 ii t - r nV IH V'JSB i "l Willi ii r i BBbVbVbI VudP.i l-f.41 BBKJraTITu IEBKH tEPRSET HMHM - BBBBBBI OB1 - V "W BBBbamAJBh mBBBBBBH BBBBHBkTI JBBBBBBBI BHins mm .. isehimm m Mnsm bs . m bvb sbmm bE as. BBBBBBI flf vTuei9 HBVrCSjB IBHHIHu HNbbtoHri bbbYbbbh H bhbYIbI rbm MBBi IbYbSbwA bYbHbH ibSbbbbH VHbbhbh IbbbYbSI Abbbvbby mbbbbbVi BVbIbVbB HbHbbW IbYbYbYB IbYbbBB bVbbVbh bbbbwB flB H -ft r"n iiiiiTr' iC. " M F Wr i r Bi BP BP WP PL -H bV Ibb VP RHbV. W .bBk ft am - HsVHl bbbm ' H ID - M M nTB bbH K Brn-, r- , fly .bbUbH HbbH It " f v SjBBH HE first man to seo I irowBRWff the superintendent ' I Jf a9 mX wl watchman, who, v ' flfivfl rawJS wltb I)asty faco and ubIUm vaSmi tbo offlcc door and I ,. - dropping his keys ' JnrnW Jl?u' Th0 superintendent, ' SS th, noJse of hi entrance. S !iDCd kealy UP but did not evince t tto7m?nPri8e- Infltead- bo a,td for f S?rt S rCC.Ver h,s brealh and tfaen $. you ve aeea u aeaIn- kg- ervTf ?man n?dded- "laeottev- i Sn v!S? t ,.overy bleBsed nIsht; iSiSlfi Canatand It any longer. hS K! S t0 act as nIt watchman. ! all ,f ,r0UEh ?ayln& hIde and seek III ft1.0n5.w,th a Shost-and ev-' ev-' ST il8 In th0 week- t0- JUBt Plve '' mVhata J coming to me. I'm going." ? rnSrd3 f tbc Perlntendcnt f a uld chanP the watchman's decision. If nneLfcreascd Pay was turned E?nlntcrron In the end the i 2 f fi1le man'8 was was hend- ed over and he lost no time in depart-5' depart-5' 1 superintendent leaned 5 flZ ".Wt his chair. For some I H , v l ad b0Cn bard work keeping B watchmen In the factory, owing to a? I apparition said to bo seen during the night hours. Rogers was the sixth who had recently quit for that reason, .and Mason sighed In perplexity, for he thought It probable that ho would not be the last. Tho keeping of a watchman was getting to be a serious proposition and Mason had not the slightest idea as to where he could find one for the coming night In the end ho called up an employ-2wi employ-2wi asency, witn the manager of which he was well acquainted, slating the facts and asking for a watchman who was sober, reliable and ghost-proof. ghost-proof. Soon the word came back that plenty of men could bo furnished who would fill tho bill so far as sobriety and honesty wero concerned, but they all manifested a decided dislko to on-counter on-counter the supernatural. If he found ( any one ho would report It was get ting well toward closing timo and no applicant for the position had yet applied ap-plied when the telephone bell jingled noisily and tho superintendent answered. an-swered. It was tho employment agency. "Say," inquired his friend, "do you remember Gilbert, Johnny Gilbert who used to go to sixty-two BChool with us Tired Gilbort, we used to call him?" "Sure, I remember Johnny." "You remember he ' never did a stroke of work when he could get out of it which was mostly all tho time?" "I remember." "Well, he Just dropped in here, husky as ever and just as fond of work; but he's honest, and I mentioned men-tioned your proposition to him. Tho ghost part didn't seem to worry him any, but he was afraid thero might be somo work about It I assured him that he needn't worry about that Shall I send him up?" "Sure, hurry him along! It's moot night and I haven't any one yet" Thirty minutes later Gilbert sauntered saunt-ered leisurely Into the office, big. bronzed, selfconfldent, with a large pipe between his teeth. Mason greeted greet-ed him cordially and began by sayng that the ghost part had been greatly overdrawn, but changed his talk when he found that the only thing Gllhcrt feared was a superabundance of vrork. and that ho was not seriously considering consid-ering the other part of the proposition. Being reasonably satisfied as to the work, which consisted of making the rounds every thirty minutes from seven sev-en until six. pressing electric buttons connected with the recording clock as he went, he agreed to try It, and had barely time to make preparations for that night's work. He had mado the first round of the factory and was comfortably reclining In an office chair, emitting huge clouds of smoke in great satisfaction, when his eyes seemed to blur; ho rubbed them as ho glanced toward tho door, but, after rubbing, tho mist, or appearance, or thing, or whatever it was, was even more plain than before, and soon the shape of a man, evidently evident-ly in deep dejection stood insido tho door. It gazed earnestly at him. Gilbert Gil-bert gave a hard puff to send the amoko more out of his line of vision and get a better viow of the Intruder, and for a minute or so they looked at each other. "So you're the phant?" inquired tho watchman at length. Tho other inclined in-clined his head gravely, and there was a long Bilence. "You needn't be at all afraid of me," observed Gilbert, finally; "I'm much more liberal in my views than some people. Sit down. Don't stand there. You hero every night?" Another Inclination was the reply. "I get two dollars a nlghf remarked re-marked the watchman. "How much do you get?" The figuro shook Its head despondently. despond-ently. "Not a solitary red." translated Gilbert; Gil-bert; "of course. I might have known. What are your hours?" Thero was no reply. The man puffed thoughtfully. "Say, don't you have any other way of expressing yourself?" he Inquired after a long pause. There was a Bharp rap. "That's better," said Gilbert, approvingly. ap-provingly. "We'll get real chummy after a bit; you can rap once for 'no' and three times for 'yes;' I bellevo that is the correct procedure. Now, the question Is, how long are you on the job hero?" By dint of repeated questioning Gilbert finally found out it was from dusk until dawn. "Good," he exclaimed, enthusiastically, and then ho remained In deep thought for a long time. When he finally glanced up the ghost was still sitting there watching him, and the clock told him it was timo to make tho rounds He rose to his feet, and the ghost did the same. "Say," he said. "I d6nt know your name, but I'll call you Sam for short I'm going to make the rounds, and as you've nothing better to do you might as well come with me." Tho two proceeded. "Thl3 is tho first button I have to push," remarked Gilbert, suiting the action to the word; "not real hard work, but it necessitates necessi-tates getting up out of the chair and walking around every half hour. Come on." Together they made tho rounds, Gilbert pointing out all tho stations and chatting cheerfully until they returned re-turned to tho office. This procedure was kept7 up all night, the apparition disappearing with the dawn. Tho next night and the next It was repeated, but Gilbert was not so talkative; for long periods at a time he seemed to be thinking over something. Late ono night, in lookng out through a window, Gilbert thought ho saw a man lurking In the darkness near some plleB of lumber. A fine rain was drizzling and ho disliked to go out into It and investigate. Personal Per-sonal fear had no place in his makeup, make-up, but personal comfort was a largo consideration. "Now, you see Just how it is, Sam," ho said; "I think thero is a fellow sneaking around tho lumber piles. It's mighty muddy and dlsagrceablo for mo to go out thero and investigate, hut It won't bother you at all. You won't get muddy and tho rain will just sift through you without doing any special damage. You're a good fellow, Sam, Just slide out, and.if any ono is there stand besido him a minute and I reckon that'll be alL" Tho ghost made no move. "I'm asking this as a little personal favor. Sam." ho appealed, puffing out a cloud of smoke. Tho ghost dodged the smoke In evident dislike, but made no other move. Gilbert watched him nnd puffed another an-other cloud straight In his misty face. The gho9t retreated and Gilbert followed fol-lowed him up, puffing lustily. "You'll get out there and do as I say," he announced, an-nounced, decisively, "or I'll make your life, or whatever corresponds to It miserable." After some side-stepping tho phantom, phan-tom, with an expression of resignation, passed out to the lumber pile. Two minutes later Gilbert heard a bloodcurdling blood-curdling scream and, with his eyes glued to a window-pane, saw a dark figuro making wildly from the place. Ho was laughing boisterously when his gloomy companion returned, and ho tried to slap the phantom on the back, but only succeeded in passing his hand through him. without in any way lightening tho lugubrlousness of hlB countenonce. As they went back to the office Gilbert was wrapped In thought Reaching It, ho sank comfortably com-fortably back into a chair. "Sam," said he, pointing to tho clock, "You sec that clock? It's JuBt 3:10 now and I don't havo to mako tho rounds again until 3:30. I feel as though I really needed a llttlo snooze, but I don't want to oversleep. When It getB to 3:30 you rap good and loud and wake me up, and wc'llgo and tend to our job." A somewhat defiant look came in tho face of the specter, bo ho added the caution. "Remcmbor, I've got tho old pipe and plenty of tobacco; as long as we are going to bo together you might as well be accommodating." accommodat-ing." Promptly at 3:30 came waking raps and Gilbert got up and stretched. "That's pretty fair," he said, in mild commendation, "but you should rap a llttlo louder. ThiB is awful confining work for us here and I need all tho rest we can get" With moro opportunity for rest Mr. Gilbert's brain became more active and when they started on the round the next night there was a certain anxiety In IiIb manner which was explained ex-plained when they approached tho first station and he made no movo to press tho button. He stopped and turned to the phantom. "You come here, Sam," he remarked, anxiously, "and knock good and hard on this button; don't bo afraid, slam right at it" Ho raised the big pipe meaningly as the specter hesitated, and finally a" sharp rap was given on the button, which pushed It In and registered at the electric elec-tric clock For two nights Gilbert mado the rounds, but Insisted on the phantom turning In all signals, approving or disapproving his efforts according to the force with which the buttons were struck. After this he took up his abode in the two most comfortable chairs in the office, remaining there all night and delegating to tho ghost tho prosaic duty of turning in the signals sig-nals and of watching, with rigid instructions in-structions that he was not to be disturbed dis-turbed except In case of dlro necessity. BJl.M.J.,'jKJaFWBBBaB 3tt The specter wag also charged with the duty of keeping prowlers out of the yard behind, but after one or two exploits ex-ploits in this direction they were no longer troubled in this way. Thus for a long time matters ran smoothly, comfortably and profitably for Gilbert, and satisfactorily to the company. From time to time tho superintendent su-perintendent would ask how he Ukea the work. "Fine," he would reply. "Just about work enough In it for mo." Which was strictly true. The question, ques-tion, "Seen anything moro of the ghost?" would bring the answer. "Say, ghosts don't bother mo a llttlo bit!" which was also strictly true, and much more than the ghost could say !n regard re-gard to Mr. Gilbert But there came a morning whon. Gilbert Gil-bert was called to the office. "What's the matter with your watching. watch-ing. Gilbert?" demanded tho superintendent superin-tendent "I don't know of anything the matter mat-ter with it" Mason pulled out several record sheets and spread them on the table. "Look here, and here, and here," he said, pointing to various places where different stations had at somo hour heen omitted. Gilbert knitted his brows. "That clock must bo out of " Tho superintendent interrupted meaningly. "Don't let it continue to be." And Gilbert understood. That night he was Impatient for Sam's appearance, which was unreasonably unrea-sonably delayed; and when he finally did appear it was to slouch In slowly and shiftlessly. Gilbert looked at him narrowly. Was he mistaken, or was the ghost thinner and more transparent transpar-ent than of old? Certainly his movements move-ments wero far from being as confident confi-dent as they once were, and there waB a worn look about him. "Sam you're not looking well," he remarked finally. The Bpecter passed one hand first over his chest and then across his brow with a weary gesture, "you must need some kind of a tonic, though I'm blessed if I know what It is." Baid Gilbort. anxiously. But the ghost only looked more languid than ever. The evident run-down condition of the specter worried Gilbert and he H could not sloop. Ho got up and wont H the rounds,turnlng in tho signals him- self, the ghost following him wearily. It was ten minutes after one ween Gilbert allowod himself, to drop into a nap, hut it was only a fitful sleep and ho soon awakened with a deep H sense of uneasiness. Ho glanced quick- ly round. Tho grost's chair was empy. Ho looked at the clock. It pointed to H one twenty-five. It was not yot time 1 H for tho round, so Sam could not bo ( H away on that errand. Ho sprang to J his foot, straining "his eyes eagerly through tho air for some Indication of IH tho ghost's presence, but thero was IH none. And at ono thirty he made tho rounds alone. On tho third morning H after this, Gilbert, with haggard face H and heavy eyeH, Bhuffled into Mason's IIbbI The superintendent looked up in dls H may as he sank heavily into a chair. H Had this man of iron nervo finally giv- H en out under tho ordeal? If so, IH where could ho ever hope to find an" H other watchman?" iIbbI "It's tho ghostr he asked. H "Ycb," roplled Gilbert dully, "it's thi H ghost" EbbI "He's finally worn you out?" oIbbI "Worn me out?" echoed Gilbert IbH "worn me out7 Man alive, he's ll quit! Cleared out! Failed! Abscond- ll edl Or dissolved I don't knowkhlch. HhbbI For these last threo mortal nights I'd SH had to stay up all night and turn in ll every blooming signal. I tell you I fiH can't stand It It's too much work. It's H injuring my health. If you provide me IH with another ghost say, ono three H sizes larger and more chunklly built IH I'll tackle that job again. But single- M handed well, not for vTohn." H "I really don't know'here a ready- H mado ghost can be procured on short , jH notice." said Mason. V, ( H "Neither do I." retorted) Gilbert, "or M I'd have had him beforo'ihis. But If H you can't get another ghost, you'll get H another watchman; that's my last H word." SH And Mason found it much easier to H get another watchman, for the ghosf H has not been seen since. H