Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 128, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 May 1914 — Page 3

VISIONS OF GHOSTS

By CATHERINE COOPE.

For years the old house had stood - within its vast grounds, spectral and mysterious by night, deserted and dilapidated by day. It was a rendezvous of ghosts by moonlight, a place of creeping things by the light of the sun. The children ran fearsomely past it on their way home from the village school, while the adults refused to go within the tumbledown gates for fear of the ghosts that tradition had placed within the spacious grounds. And yet, the gardens were most alluring with their assortment of old: gnarled trees, low shrubbery, And riotous vines that scrambled indiscriminately over roof top or garden walk When a slim wedge of moon cast trailing lights down from the starry heavens the old haunted house assumed the splendors of a midnight fairyland. That ghosts were seen there was affirmed vigorously by most of the villagers, including the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick- maker. They, one and all, spoke-ln whispers, of the spectral figures that seemed to float in the very air about the. old gardens. Of late there had been rumors of weird music coming from behind the barred windows and the monotonous rhythmic chanting of voices. The story of noises had only of late penetrated the village intellect.. It was the .“young minister himself who first whispered to his good wife a tale of dull music having reached his ears as he passed by the haunted house on his way to the parish church. She in turn spread the story, and more than ever the place was given a wide berth. It was the two strangers who were stopping at the quaint village inn who first expressed skepticism as to the actual existence of the ghosts. They doubted most emphatically the nightly appearance of the wraiths, but were far too tactful to express their opinions save to one another. However, when the moon was high in the heavens and the village had gone to sleep, Calvin Blake and Jimmy Rogers went out for a stroll. They did not want to disturb the peace of the scene by getting out their great touring car from the garage at the inn. They, went out on-foot. They were not discussing ghosts nor even romance tradition when Jimmy clutched Calvin's arm and turned white under the beams of the midnight moon. “Look! By Jove, Blake —I had no intoxicant for dinner, but I swear I see a couple of spooks there behind that clump of bushes!” Blake laughed uproariously, then stopped suddenly. Two appalling spectacles arose from the shrubbery, emitted weird, sepulchral groans, and vanished into the very air, or so it seemed to the men who beheld the flight. The two men, petrified for the moment with something akin to fear, stood still and gazed blankly at each other. Are we sober?” Blake was the first to regain speech. “That is the question,” laughed Rogers, quickly recovering and feeling the normal warmth of his blood rushing back In his veins. “I seem to doubt our condition. Most certainly we saw something moving In the haunted garden and from my childhood visions of ghosts I take It that what we have seen resembled spooks.” “Very closely. If I ever see anything like a phantom again if. will be me for the pledge! Let's go back to the inn." ~~ In the broad sunlight of the next day the two skeptics viewed the apparition of the preceding night as a freak of imagination. They decided, nevertheless, to watch again at midnight. There was sufficient of adventure in the situation to appeal to them. “We Will go straight into the old garden tonight—and wait,” Blake suggested, and slipped his revolver into his pocket “Spooks may not possess anything shootable, but I'll bet we can give them a scare.” Accordingly they emerged from the inn at-11 o’clock and made their way toward the haunted house. Even imaginary ghosts have a way of upsetting the nerves, and It was not without quickly beating hearts that Blake and Rogers entered the garden and took seats on the ancient front porch. They were hidden by masses of vines from the garden paths. The night was dark and cloudy and enhanced the fearsome silence. “Shucks!” muttered Blake softly. “Ghostly meetings are not exactly thrilling. I feel groggy.” “Ssh!” warned Rogers. I heard a noise!” His voice was a trifle husky. “My spine feels as If cold water were dripping from it” Both men held their breath. A wraith, making wild passes with its arms, came silently around the corner of the veranda. A moment later it was joined by a second ghostly apparition, and the two moaning and walling circled the house. When they reached the veranda a third time Blake put his on the in his pocket. Neither man had been able to make a sound, so loud was the beating of his heart, so tense his breath. 1 When the ghosts linked arms and went slowly, stealthily down the garden path toward the shrubbery walk.

Blake raised his hand swiftly and a loud report echoed through the silence. The ghosts screamed- .and - would have darted into the darkness, but Blake and Rogers, their courage fully returned, ran swiftly after them. A hot pursuit followed, in which one ghost tripped, on a gnarled branch and went headlong to the ground, while the other fled with a degree of speed that made the athletic Rogers pant Blake stooped over the fallen wraith and picked it up in his arms. He breathed heavily when an inert but warm, living girl and not a phantom was revealed to his touch. The head fell back against his shoulder and Blake became tangled in . the masses of white chiffon that hid the face. Rogers in hot relief captured his ghost when she would have slipped beneath a lifted door that led to the cellar of the old house. , “No you don’t —little wraith!” he cried jubilantly, and caught her in an iron clasp. “You can’t give me the slip like that.” The second ghost did the only satisfactory thing and fainted in Rogers’ arms. He carried her out to a small patch of moss green garden, where the moon emerging from a bank of fog, revealed Blake trying vainly to lift the veil from the face of the ghost he had captured. “Don’t dare take off my veil!" commanded the indignant voice of the ghost. “I will haunt you for a thousand years if you do.” “I am not in the least sure I would mind being haunted—in this case," Rogers heard Blake reply. The wraith in his own arms was stirring , faintly, with signs of returning consciousness. He heaved a sigh of relief. “My ghost!” he cried triumphantly, “is a woman." , “You’ve got nothing on me,” laughed Blake; "so is mine!” “When you two are finished discussing us,” came a muffled voice, “we will be glad to return to our haunts." Rogers and Blake held fast to their prey. “You will return to no haunt-—until we get a good look at you both. Jimmy said. , Indignant sniffs came from two ghosts. “And tell us what all this monkey business means! Frightening all the village out of its wits with your moanings and weird flights in this old garden.” Galvin Blake laughed. The ghosts liked the laughter. They sighed resignedly. “If,” said one of them, "you breathe not a word to any one we will tell you all about—us." “Not a word,” promised Rogers. “We are writing and composing an operetta—for. a contest—” said the ghost “Absolute concentration was necessary so we conceived the Idea of taking possession of uncle's old homestead and playing the part of haunts —while we accomplish our work.” "We are supposed to be in Europe,” confided, the second ghost “This seclusion was absolutely necessary If we were to accomplish anything. The old house Is cozy inside, but we had to stop up all the cracks and muffle all sounds. The only air we get is at night, when we come out to haunt the garden.” Both ghosts laughed softly. Both mortals joined them. ’The only promise we are going to ask in return for keeping your secret —until the opera is finished—is that you permit us to add two more ghosts to village tradition—just sometimes—when you are taking your airing.” “We have been just a trifle —lonesome,” admitted one phantom. Some months later, when the operetta had taken the prize, the money had to be divided between Mrs. James Rogers and Mrs. Calvin Blake. Ghosts and Cupids and mortals seemed happily mingled, and If the village lost Its traditional haunt, what did It matter? (Copyright, 1914, by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.)

Quite True.

"Yes, my friends,” exclaimed a lecturer, “there are many excuses for the glass. The sick man says he must have his glass to make him well. The shivering taximan must have bls glass to make him warm. The sweating mechanic must have hie glass to make him cool. “But they lie, friends. Don’t believe the workman who Bays he can’t work without his glass. I defy anybody to mention to me a workman who cannot work as well and better without his glass as with IL” A voice in the back of the hall made Itself audible: “I’ll tell yer one!" "I defy you to do so," said the lecturer; “I defy you, sir!” he roared. Then the voice observed: "The glazier can't do without his glass." i.; The lecturer continued his oration at a decided disadvantage.—London TitBits.

Base Signal Aids Umpire.

' A base signal for baseball fields to aid the poor umpire at a baseball game has been Invented by Stephen H. Wills. The invention is expected to terminate the famous disputes between opposing players and the umpire on whether the player touched the base before being tagged out. The jipparatus makes an electrical contact. which sound ..the alarm and raises the signal when a baserunner touches fr reaches the base. This Is accomplished by having the baseplate or" bag hinged and raised at one edge bya spring; when the runner touches it, it la depressed, giving the warning.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

SAM CRAWFORD DISLIKES ROWDY TACTICS

ReWfi for the first time the truth about why Sam Crawford, the slugging outfield veteran of the Detroit Tigers, refused to jump to the Feds when they tackled him upon the arrival of the world touring teams in New York. When the big liner docked, several Fed leaders were waiting at the gangplank to buttonhole the unsigned big leaguers as they came off the ship. A Fed manager singled out Crawford In the throng and set out to reach his ear. Between him and Crawford several women were standing. The Fed magnate did not wait for a chance to walk around them, nor did he ask them to let him walk through to see Crawford. No, as soon as he spied Crawford, he plunged into the midst of the little group of women, football fashion, and with a sort of breast-stroke swimming movement of his arms, swept them aside and sidled up to Crawford to whisper something

COACHING RULE TOO DRASTIC

Managers Birmingham and Callahan Oppose Order Restricting Coachera at Third Base. The new rule prohibiting coachers from touching a runner rounding third will be repealed before another season, if the rules committee will listen to Manager Birmingham. The Nap nabob is opposed to the new rule as it now stands. He has the support of Manager Jimmy Callahan of the White Sox. Both declare the rule is too drastic, and predict It will reduce the art of coaching to a mere formality. "There la sound excuse for a rule which bars tackling runners and the

Manager Joe Birmingham.

use of similar tricks at third base to prevent a putout,” said Blrmy. "I will admit the new rule was designed to cover just such cases, but the umpires are Interpreting It too strictly. There can be no harm in a coacher stepping forward and touching a runner as he comes into a base. Signals and Instructions are often given In this way.”

McGraw's Influence.

Because Branch Rickey said there should be no poker playing by his players, the scribes set up a loud guffaw about Sunday school methods. Then Frank Chance and John McGraw laid down similar rules and the same scribes Immediately saw the wisdom of it

Miner Brown Is Optimistic.

Miner Brown has high hopes that the St Louis Feds will win the pennant Branch Rickey and Miller Hug-, gins, his fellow managers In the same town, don’t even dare hope, much less «ay so in public. -

Sam Crawford, Hard-Hitting Tiger.

in his ear. But Crawford had seen the act out of the corner of his eye. “Don’t you talk to me, you rowdy bum!” he exclaimed as he shoved his big right hand in the Fed’s mid-section and jammed him with a bang up against the iron railing. Only the fact that so many people were present,. including Crawford’s wife, prevented him from showing the objectionable individual in more forcible manner what he thought of a man that would use rough and ready tactics of that sort The Fed later managed to say a few words to Crawford about his Federal league proposition, and other Federal leaguers also spoke to him. But the die was cast Whatever Crawford might have done, otherwise, his mind was made up that he didn’t want any Federal league business just as soon as he saw the Federal's ungajlantry exhibited In such a striking manner.

HIGH SPOTS TO LAMP

For the fanatic who sits In the lookout there are a certain number of high spots to lamp in the early stages of the conflict which will have an Important bearing upon the two races. For example: What effect 40 years and 18 campaigns will. have upon Hans Wagner? What effect 39 years and 18 campaigns will have upon Napoleon Lajole? What form Joe Wood will assume after a long lay-off season and a complete separation from his appendix? What assistance Ed Walsh will be able to furnish Russell, Cicotte and Scott? What machine morale Hank O'Day will be able to Instil Into the Cubs? How Griff's new pitchers will be able to help out Johnson and Boehling? Whether Koney, Mowrey and Harmon will more than supplant Robinson, Wilson, Butler and Miller? How well McGraw has been able to plug that gap at third with both Shafer and Herzog missing? ... '

Daly Gives Advice.

Tom Daly, once a leading National league catcher, who la coaching the Yankees’ pitchers, says the secret of good box work Is putting the ball over or near the corners of the plate as often as possible. Daly goes back Into .baseball history to prove that the greatest pitchers were those who mastered control and always kept the batsman In the hole. He says that a curver who gets two strikes on a batter with as many pitched balls, holds the whip hand, whereas the boxman who finds himself In a fix with "three and two” usually comes to grief when he puts the next one over. "Get a grip on the man at the plate right off the reel," says the veteran coach, “and he’ll do the worrying, not you.”

Tenney Starts Factory.

Fred Tenney, one time the beet first baseman In the game, and who has been engaged In the shoe business In Lynn, Mass., has severed his connection with bls old firm, and Is going to erect a big factory of his own In Paris, Me., to make a different brand of shoes.

Wallace Shows Speed.

Bobby Wallace, despite his years, is said to be showing more speed and life at shortstop with the Browns than any of the younger members of the team, and la counted upon as likely to be the regular shortstop despite his years. Wallace was out most nf last asasesL. because of a had arm

GOOD STORY ON KLEM

HOW "HIB UM PS” LANDED ROY THOMAS OF QUAKERS. Credit for Terin "Catfish” Given to Al Bridweil, Shortstop on St Louis Federal!—Expression Brought Tin Can. * ' Rill Klem, umpire In the National league. Is a prolific source when It comes to stories and rapidly Is taking the place of Tim Hurst —formerly of the American league—in this specific respect This is told on Klem .by “Red” Dooin, the scrappy manager of the leading Phillies. “Klem was umpiring a series for us at Philadelphia and our teams were having considerable trouble with his decisions. He - seemed to have an off day or perhaps we had. But anyhow, nothing went right It got so Bill began canning men from the game right and left We didn’t dare to even open our faces or out we’d go. "Roy Thomas was playing center field for us then. As most everybody knows, Roy was one of the most peaceable players who ever wore a uniform. He never caused any trouble for an umpire. “On this particular day Thomas Vowed to himself he wouldn’t even look at Klem. He was bound to stay In that game no matter what happened. Perhaps Klem knew this. “Anyway Thomas was called out on strikes and we all thought the third one was rather high and wide. But Thomas didn’t say a word. He turned abruptly from the plate and started back for the bench with Klem after him. Evidently Bill was looking for Roy to start something, but Thomas kept bls face straight ahead. “They walked this way about 30 feet Still Roy kept his peace. Fin-

Umpire Bill Klem.

ally Klem drew closer and whispered, so Roy could hear: "‘lf I had a million dollars I bet I could lick you, Thomas.' “Roy paused and turned hall around. “ ’lf you had five million dollars you couldn't begin to* pay your debts.’ "Up went Klem’s arm. ‘Get out of the game,’ he yelled. This was just what he wanted. So Roy went There’s another player who Is mild by nature on the St. Louis Feds. His name is Al Bridweil and he’s some shortstop, too In all his years of big league ball playing he has been fired from the game exactly three times. Klem has had the honor of forcing every dismissal. It seems they were both In the same minor league years ago, and graduated at the same time to the National—one as umpire and the other as shortstop. In this minor league the players had started calling Klem “catfish” whenever they were especially peeved. Naturally the term didn’t suit Klem. It jarred bls nar ture. Every time the expression was used a dismissal from the pastime would follow. This became known In the National league when Klem arrived. Evidently he believes Bridweil tipped It off. Only three times In three years has Bridweil raised even the slightest commotion when Klem is around. These three times brought him the tin can.

Attention of Recruits.

"If young players who sit on the bench would pay more attention to what Is going on in the field they would soon develop Into regulars," said Pitcher Jack Warhop of the New Yorks, the other day. "A colt can learn more Inside stuff on the bench than when actively engaged on the diamond. Some of these young fellows are Inclined to be thoughtless, and that is one of the reasons why they tail."

Moran Sticks With Dooin.

Pat Moran will continue his duties as coach for Charley Dooin’s pitchers, in spite of the story that be had been given a place on President Toner’s umpire staff. It seems that the story sent out from Wilmington of Pat’s appointment was merely a vaporing originating in loosened tongues following the banquet tendered the head of the National league on the occasion of his visit to the Phillies’ training camp.

fl IV HENRY HOWLAND *7 a V''' HFar up on th* River of Use there stands A stately city and fair; And below ft are shallows and rapids and curves And whirlpools that strain on the steadiest nerves. And many go blundering there. While a few stanch vessels pass upward and on, W Stemming with L splendid force .' Ejfc-. I The current that terribly strong, _> But tomorrow may gllde llke the Ult z of a song. Serene in its beautiful course. Ah, mark how the powerful packet proceeds, With a rush and the roaring of steam. Spreading waves that are high and that hiss in their might Where many a boatman is swept out oC Nght ' —■ 4,:*s And left to float down with the stream! And the timbers of many a pitiful wreck Are strewn on the rocks and the shores. And many a boatman is calling for aid, And a few are undaunted and many ‘ afraid. And many lean limp on their oars. The banks of the river are barren some times, - . Or gracefully sloping and green. And the winds that blow over them often are wild. And now and then fragrantly scented and mild, . With orchards a-bloom on the scene; And ever the river is winding about. And the'bars are forever unknown. For the channel keeps changing by night and by day. And the streams that flow in tempt the many away. While a few journey upward alone. The city men call by the name of Success Is a beautiful city to see, With domes that are lofty and gilded and) bright And walls that are graceful and splendid, and white, And proud vessels moored at the quay; But never from unexplored regions above. Whence the waters eternally flow. Has ever a craft floated down on the -stream, To be moored where the columns and cupolas gleam For those who toil up from below.

Terrible Predicament.

"My husband has threatened to sue me for divorce," sobbed the beautiful actress. "Cheer up," said her manager. "Nearly every actress has been sued for divorce.” "I know, but think what the public will say. I have always tried to be all that aXwife should be. Now no „ body will believe It.” "If you’re Innocent, why don’t you fight the case?” • ‘ . 8 “That’s the trouble. I’m afraid If I fought the case they wouldn’t give him the divorce."

PICKED THEM UP.

did your parents ever happen to gtvo you all those names?” "They didn’t give me all of them. My step-parents helped.”

Willing to Extend Sympathy.

"Tea,” he said, after explaining t»< his wife that the lodge meeting had been a very Important and a some what protracted one, thus making it impossible for him to get heme a minute earlier than he did, “and there were two fellows there who made the worst fools of themselves you could imagine. You couldn’t find two worse -jehumps in a row of counties dear across thia state.** *T suppose not," she replied. "Who was the other one? Fd like to sympathize with his wife."

Tho Cruel World.

Beflore him flowory pastures sprssd. Bs bears a glad brook flow along. And from a branch above bls bead There falls a sweet June ebower of soon There is mDd fragrance In the bresm iMh mows nrom orcn&ras rsr swsjFe The arasta* cows bsosath the frees I Asa bates peacefti! while they may. Bte Bmbs art straight sad yotmg and Me gaaae fbrth from undhnmed eyes. BuL thtektag that the worMFs goam wrong. Be sees a far-off ekrad and state.

Strange Neglect.

’"Thui i*s one thing, though,” said the stranger, "that I. can’t understated." "Wbatfs ttstr asked the old sot-4 tlsr. . vwmtal here has assuredi me that this Is the garden spot <rf the. state

Couldn't Lose the Chamce.

-My husband always remembers my; Mrtbday and our wedding annivar■ary." -I shook! think you would postttvoty ham him.- replied the other woman.)

"And vbat” asked the Sunday school teacher, "Is your name?” "Arthur Henry Brown Williams I Greon Joyce Brown Corwin." ‘ "Gracious! How