e was frank and communicative, with
no suggestion of mischievous concealment.
Nevertheless, he made a firm resolution. As soon as his friends left
he called a meeting of the committee. He briefly informed them of the
accidental occupation of the room, but for certain reasons of his own
said nothing of his ghostly experience. But he put it to them plainly
that no more risks must be run, and that he should remove the dresses
and dummy to his own house. To his considerable surprise this suggestion
was received with grave approval and a certain strange relief.
"We kinder thought of suggesting it to you before," said Mr. Trigg
slowly, "and that mebbe we've played this little game long enough--for
suthin's happened that's makin' it anything but funny. We'd have told
you before, but we dassent! Speak out, Clint, and tell the president
what we saw the other night, and don't mince matters."
The president glanced quickly and warningly around him. "I thought," he
said sternly, "that we'd dropped all fooling. It's no time for practical
joking now!"
"Honest Injun--it's gospel truth! Speak up, Clint!"
The president looked on the serious faces around him, and was himself
slightly awed.
"It's a matter of two or three nights ago," said Grey slowly, "that
Trigg and I were passing through Sycamore Woods, just below the hotel.
It was after twelve--bright moonlight, so that we could see everything
as plain as day, and we were dead sober. Just as we passed under the
sycamores Trigg grabs my arm, and says, 'Hi!' I looked up, and there,
not ten yards away, standing dead in the moonlight, was that dummy! She
was all in white--that dress with the fairy frills, you know--and had,
what's more, A HEAD! At least, something white all wrapped around it,
and over her shoulders. At first we thought you or some of the boys
had dressed her up and lifted her out there for a joke, and left her
to frighten us! So we started forward, and then--it's the gospel
truth!--she MOVED AWAY, gliding like the moonbeams, and vanished among
the trees!"
"Did you see her face?" asked the president.
"No; you bet! I didn't try to--it would have haunted me forever."
"What do you mean?"
"This--I mean it was that GIRL THE BOX BELONGED TO! She's dead
somewhere--as you'll find out sooner or later--AND HAS COME BACK FOR HER
CLOTHES! I've often heard of such things before."
Despite his coolness, at this corroboration of his own experience,
and impressed by
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