24
G H O S T STORIES
blood-curdling, in
t h a t° a wee'k e a r 1 i e r my eyes had given me material proof that the bronze and lead coffins in the vault had been thrown around by unseen
I eonfess without shame that
I was panic-stricken and took to ray heels. The beaten path across the cemetery was ail too narrow for me. I bumped against the edges of tombs as I went wildly astray, and once my feet became entangled in the roots of a shrub and I was sent sprawling. I had run at least a quarter of a mile before I regained a grip upon my nerves and halted in
“You’re not a child. You’re a grown man—not a child,” I repeated over and over to myself. “Whatever’s happening in that vault concerns Helen, and you’ve got to check up
I tumed around and walked unsteadily back. The phe- nomenon of the subterranean noises was continuing un-
I got down on my hands and knees and placed my ear to the ground. This enabled me to gauge the sounds more clearly. Most, if not ail, of the coffins were rolling and dancing. It was out of the question to believe that human beings were manipulating them. Living men would not hâve been strong enough to tum them over as rapidly as they were
I arose and forced myself to approach the door of the vault. I examined the pad- lock and assured myself that it had not been tampered with. An instant later, I had ceased to cling to the least hope of proving that an everyday, material influence was at work. For, behind the grill of the upper part of the door, a pale cloud suddenly floated.
I thought I made out the face of a woman, but it was only a flash and I could not hâve described the features. The cloud passed clear through the
and then vanished. The more weird than if it had faded slowly.
I escaped from the ceme- ls best I could without yielding to another panic of fright. To affirm my self con- trol, I proceeded to Henry Cullom’s house and conducted m y business with him. Of course I did not tell him what I
Tiyj Y path led straight by the Durkee vault. I stopped and stared at its portico, obeying an impulse I could not explain. I saw nothing peculiar and was about to pass on when, directly under my feet as it seemed, I heard a muffled
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My scalp tingled. I moved sideways with a crazy, stumb- ling motion. The thudding had started again. It sounded like the noise of packing cases being tumed over and over in a cellar. The effect was
coffins were even more grotesquely displaced than they had been the last
frightened that he bolted out of the place and I had diffi- culty in dragging him back to lend me a hand in restoring order.
The longer I thought about the matter, the surer I felt that I should take Helen fully into my confidence, despite lier other trou¬ bles. I had ( Continuée! on paye 64)
