Show DINSMORES DINSMORE'S FOLL Y t. t v. SS By Byi i I CRITTENDEN T tl MARRIOTT 1 1 L. L I ry T T Illustrations by Irwin Myers 1 Copyright Service 1 CHAPTER VIII VIII VIII-Continued Continued d 13 13 The music started up imp o again and the he whole throng begun to dunce dance They danced In lu the oddest sort ol of way too I dual don't mean that they danced In an uld old fashioned way WHY Any Anyway Anyway Anyway way but old old fashioned would have been odd odd even even odder than the fact that hat they were dancing at all ull I luncan ancl an Eighteenth Eighteenth century century ghost dancing the he the turkey trot or the rile tango No Nu NoThey They danced the tile right dances lances even if the they hey did dan dana them theta to ragtime But what I 1 couldn't understand was ryas the care they seemed to take to ro ke keep p within u a sort ot of triangular space They did it almost almust as accurately as If they hey were following lines on un the floor Tm rm mentioning all ali this now Just lust n nI as I mentioned It to Josephine later when she said I ht bid d dreamed the tile whole thing Fancy un anyone olle dreaming a triangular dance dunce It If Isn't done dOlle you know 1 I watched and wondered The muskwa musk music was wad wa catchy and my own awn feet feel begun began begano to o keep ste stel to It IL With terror I 1 realized that In another minute I would probably find myself out In the middle of the tile throng On Ion tiun I J did not Dot minn SU so very much To dunce dance with Eighteenth century century spooks at an on century century hall would be something to ru tell about about If II I 1 sur sur- vl ed ived of course If the ghosts didn't blight me rue where I stood stolid the tile minute I appeared Then I looked down clown at 81 my wrapper and at my ray less feet and decided to nave mercy on the tile ghosts nud not nut scare them then to death I 1 was beginning to feel quite flippant about this time The Top fact was I didn't believe elleve that they were really trul truly ghosts Dont Don't ask fisk me what 1 I did believe I Iwas Iwas Iwas was too excited to believe anything 1 didn't trouble to bunt for lons Ghosts were good enough for me Then Ihen all of a sudden something happened Several things happened In n fact First I saw Perkins just as natural us as when wilen 1 l had seen hl him a few hours before Be He wasn't in Eighteenth Eight Eight- ent een ry costume and und be wasn't dancing Ge lie was watching the daners dune dane ers rs and thrusting his long neck out and drawing It hack back again as It he were un an automatic doll It was perfectly per per- i l that be should hould be bethere there here but hut there no ne was Then suddenly I realized that he was watching some sume one among the flaD lancers ers III Ills His neck was swinging r In tun tune to the music buthis hut but his ils lu head ad was turning so that his e eyes es could range slowly dong the moving couples If H didn't take long to discover er who tie ie was watching And when I did discover I nearly dropped f He lie Ie Wit was watching the ghosts ts that thai Jose Josephine and I 1 hurl had seen on un the lawn There they hey were dressed to tet the very er minute fin In I-i I Eighteenth Eighteenth century clothes of ot course I knew the man Instantly and I 1 was pr pretty sure of the woman II I could not he quite sure tar fur I couldn't see her face rale el clearly Almost she seemed to he be hiding biding It IL Then something drew my Lay e eyes eyet e to where ft a little In lri front of Perkins mid and to one side hull half a tJ dozen big plants plants- In n tubs tulls stood close e to tu th H floe apex ot of the fit triangle Some uric one WitS was crouching he hl tween ell those e plants I couldn't see t who It II sis or fir whether It II was tvis a u moan man ghost hosl or n II woman ghost t. t but hur I could see that flint It wa was surge one As I watched the che couple that I Ier tr kitH kiss was trims watching danced up to tu the n very rj point of fir the and ha balancing n ns as if hesitating which way wayt t to go The woman womans hark back WH was teas to lr i Perkins anti and lip he was ruining craning hl his lung long nock neck every ery which h way fI as If In nn an ef pf effort fort forr to see gee her face 1 I dont don't think he saw uw It He lie Inove i l have ha time tinge For or it at fit t that moment IlIO some something thing tutu happened The Tile stun mUll ling between the plants was us pushing out Into the tIe room I saw him hint distinctly and I dl didn't nt understand why other 1 people didn't tee see him hair too on hut But lut u ap up i parr they didn't He lie took one stop step then Iwo two then with u rush he lie fairly himself upon the couple that Perkins was watching lie He graphed grabbed the mart man wit with It one hand and flung him aside And then grubbed grabbed the e woman with the or other her hand ant and h hugged ea h her r. r And sloe she hugged him hatch hack For a 0 moment they stool still plainly revealed In to the hissing lI lights and I saw their faces It was Mr Broxton and Miss lIss lahert There could be no doubt about It i I knew them Instantly Mr Braxton dressed like the others exactly exact exact- I ly nor yet et as I had lend last Insl seen teen him Hut But It II was be he all right And yet I knew as well as I knew anything that Mr Draxton was lying In a room Su ill c. c h rile HIP other part of the building with n II broken arm orm three okon hi-okon ribs Ih rind mid nn an ankle le In splints And Aud he hc seemed to enjoy that hug sot sol so I And so 80 did dIrt she I IMy My heart sank like III end lead rind and I suppose suppose sup RUt pose my mouth ml c open I 1 knew I stood spellbound I couldn't have ha moved ed or sIm spoken ri en n to sn save sa e my lilY life When I told this to Ju Josephine she sheIn shein In insisted isted that It proved that I Wl wits was ju lust just t having u a nl nightmare Arid Anil I don't dont think she meant to In insinuate that torme tor fur torme me a nil I to be he able to would II he be hea bea a nightmare in III itself It wouldn't wU t be hp bea hea a u hit bit like Josephine tu to tn irit innate any anything anything thing like that Ji In I Is always O sweet pet and nice ft Its It's I who am tint the rh spiteful member 01 oi th the I lu family It Ii I 1 were spellbound the rile ghosts hn t were not nut or ur If the were Ihl came from frum under the spell mighty With one fine accord III they thing Hung then them selves Delves el e at ut Mr Ir I the flit II tie he was wm Hugging It II wits Wilt the file mos mos- thing I ever er saw sate men wadi jumping at ut one Ime 11 Mr Ir r toll Braxton wHit wait for them tie He was too I wise e for that limit He lie lust I Irth rth dived rl between the rhe plants and And Andt he took tank Miss Labert with him The hussy y 1 J And Perkins dived eel after them I Fan nn Fancy Fancy cy Perkins diving I 1 P But ut he did This broke m my spell s too I burst t through the doors with twills a 0 shriek lele Lek All the ghosts faced toward rime me For Fut un an ill instant tm I saw all nil their faces transfixed trans trIms transfixed fixed with rage and fury fury r i i i o M r rJ rf ri J i f s I Happened I Screamed Happened a Whole Covey of Ghosts Happened is the word I think Then the lights went out and ond 1 I was left In utter darkness without a soul near near except except the ghosts of course and they weren't what you'd call real company This was too tan much for me I shrieked again and fainted for the first time in my life fife When I cum carn came too I was lying on H a sofa in the ballroom nail and somebody was bending over me I did lid not open olen my eyes at once lace but 1 I could see through h my eyelids that the room VII was dimly lighted with a n soft golden glow that rhut was very different from the harsh white refulgence that had filled tHIN It a 8 moment before It was er very verj soothing and for a B moment I was wu content to lie perfectly still just lust as 8 It ii ItI iiI I were asleep Then very close to me I 1 felt relt some one olle stir aril ami heard a II aman's amans amans aman's mans man's voice speaking under hi his breath Poor little girl Irl he mar ur It h was nn an outrage to fright ht frighten en yon vou so Oh you ou little darling 1 J Then Chen the first t timing thing I 1 knew v a n pair ot nl mustached lips lip swept my m. forehead Naturally r I 1 hl began url to open olen my m. e eyes es esIt It seemed to he nigh time rime Then I decided to walt wall a n little Never Ne mind mural what 1 i derided decided to wait wHit for I lust just waited Then I h heard Josephine's 01 voice e 0 away way o off IT as If It at III r the he ha ballroom II door III and II I I knew there wouldn't he hean heany henn an nn any encore So I opened my e eyes e slowly ii and nl looked up Where twi hc rt- rt Am I IT I asked plaintively As nearly nearl as mis I could ct this was WH what one ought taught tn to soy say when n one on unites comes out nut I of ot a 11 i faint Mr li oi yes It wa was Mr tr Ur axton who wits was standing beside rue nit Mr Mr Brim turne turned quickly I hack tench fr from frum the door choir toward which hp he was looking Pont be he frightened he hp said Bald IJ ilL Its It all 1111 rl right J. J lit Im 1111 not frightened d I said Not Vol III now anyhow though I was for tor II a while Then I sal al nl up rill and looked shout meThi me The Thi 11 room looked lu lust last t Il as It II had looked the before ilIO was no nu sign ol a R ghost III e Mi Ili 11 xIu n in III hl his shirtsleeves c was standing tI b b. me use and Josephine sand and Mrs James were hurrying across th room toward inward me rue Mi Mt Braxton turned back to Jose Jose- phine to I 1 hefted heard Miss re scream he explained and und ran In 10 Into into to tu see Iee what was the twitter matter and und found her fainting on the flour Mrs Irs James laumes and Josephine had come curve up UJ h by this time lime both very ery curious Josephine sat sut down beside Ide the hie and hugged me Ole What happened clear deir she asked Happened lIed I l screamed Hap ItI Happened A whole whale covey ey of It ghosts hap hilI Tile They were dancing In here heie ii and I 1 I turned furred on un Mr l r. r rind and you ruu were with theta them I I I Then I remembered his Ills expression a Ill he lie graphed grabbed Miss bliss Labert and tore tort her away II from her partner ii mill and mud h 1 hugged ec her and I shrank away uway from frum him Why you ou villain l' l I cried U What I were wele you flU doing cluing wil with II I that hat girl This settled things for fOl Josephine and Mrs James s. s Looking hack back on 1111 It I dont don't wonder It would have hn things for for most must people Josephine hugged me Ole tighter There there Edie Ellie she said You Yon Im have e been heen wall walking In III your sleep 1 and have hJ hail had had a abad ahad had bad dream 1 Come Conic to bed tint lets let's get fur 1 It all ail Rut Hilt I tore myself loose and stood up A A dream m I 1 I cried d h hysterically sterll J lIy Nonsense Fh Don't Dont nt you suppose I know wh-Mi wh Im I'm awake I I saw the these e ghosts as us plain as ns anything and find Mr Brag ton run was anion among them He LIe LIens was ns I 1 LI U Ur Uras was as 1 one lie couldn't have been hn dear Vou Sou know yourself tout that Mr Braxtons Braxton's ankle Is s sprained He tie couldn't dance to save su riis nis life I dont don't know how he hp ever er got Jot In here Josephine turned 1 to Mr Braxton How Ilow lid did you vou net get In here Mr Braxton she risked asked Mr Braxton shook his head brad leaven Heaven knows he said I 1 Ju lust Just t had find to come conic And I not got here somehow I dropped my crutch somewhere somewhere- Oh here It II Is He Ile stopped and ond picket Dicker up the crutch from the floor Then Tr-en he staggered If you'll excuse me ladles Indies he faltered I 1 think thin I Ill I'll stet eel hark hack to my room 1 I-I I I feel feel pr rt queer qUler Then he fainted 1 1 He lIe Just toppled down nn on the floor and la lay still ind whit white e. e That settled It I 1 I came out of or n my hysterics right away and aud set to work to look out for him His faint falm didn't last long Iong And about the time tie came cause to Perkins came In In yawning and anel rushing rubbing hK hl e eyes es and pretending to be half-crazy half with curiosity the curIosity the villain I However er I let him get n away nay ay with It IL I had hart other things to worry about besides rl Something preposterous preposterous was going on In Folly und rind I meant to find out what It II was Rut hit 1 I knew I wouldn't find out ont by hy asking questions So I Just let Perkins Perl help Mr Jr ton away to his room and then I let Josephine and Mrs James lames lead lean me away to mine Tomorrow would be he another day al ul already ul ready yet I J CHA CHAPTER IX Life Lite as everybody has hns known for fora xa 11 a long Ions time Is Just lust one darn durn thing Irig ii after af t. t ter another Rut Hilt sometimes It II really seems us as If it were a n whole hunch of r darn clarn timings things one on top of another I II certainly did lid this time rime I slept like a log loc 11 after ft er I once Jot got cotto gotto to sleep hut but I waked up early to a abrand abrand brand new set of troubles Josephine was still sleeping and Mrs James s seemed to ho dolny doing the same I 1 didn't mind I wanted soli soil rude So Su ns os quietly as BS I could I slipped led Into my clothes and hurried downstairs clo and out on to the lawn mind and straight to the place pue where lose lose- e- e and I laid had seen the tile two ghosts hosts the Ule night before helme I wanted to tu know whether they hud hod left any uny sign of ot th their lr presence whether presence whether the they hud hIli blighted the tile grass where the they trod or the limbs of the rhe tree free from which the white effulgence hull hud shone lawn down II upon r them hem From Front a u distance lr e everything looked quite as us it had the flu Ills hist time Iliac I hud find no flU rived the hut hilt t as I drew nearer r I noticed enticed something white on oil time the ground find when I vas WIlS quite glint clu close e eI I saw It If was n fI hunch bunch of ot leister Enster lilies broken en and crushed I remembered then theu thin thai the woman of the rile night ne tJ fore had lu lust just such worn orn t n bouquet ut ul hut het and that I hail had seen It drop t when rho III mun hugged tier her The nil mines lilies were crushed II as its If trampled beneath n is good hart hard I solid foot font nit not u a 1 foot font b. by I meows menus I looked up lip Into Ilse tree and though I did nut not see are f ant signs of fl burning I did set see Alit I the h hurl hark wets was ripped rind the rhe brunches more Inure oi III I. I less ell broken Somebody or 01 something hind had been hellI up imp there there swine some something thing real relli not lor n a ghost hll r Ti TO BE Of CONTIN U. U |