aches and cream."

Still I sat in darkness, and he went on:

"Now, my sister won't move out there for a day or two, so
to-morrow, promptly on schedule time, you lead your domestic fleet
over the sandbars to that house and point with pride to its various
beauties--are you wise?"

"But, Great Scott, man! it's not mine!" I gasped.

"Roll a small pill and get together," admonished Bunch, with a
seraphic smile. "Can't you figure the trick to win? All you have
to do is to coax your gang out there and then break the painful
news to them that you've suddenly discovered the place is haunted
and that you're going to sell it and buy a better bandbox--getting
wise?"

"Bunch," I murmured, weakly, "you've saved my life, temporarily,
at least. Where is this palace?"

"Only forty minutes from the City Hall--any old City Hall," he
answered, "It's at Jiggersville, on the Sitfast & Chewsmoke R.R.,
eighteen miles from Anywhere, hot and cold sidewalks and no
mosquitoes in the winter. Here you are, full particulars," and
with this Bunch handed me a printed card which let me into all the
secrets of that haven of rest in the tall grass.

Bless good old Bunch!

I offered to buy him a quart of Ruinart but he said his thirst
wasn't working, so I had to paddle off home.

That evening for the first time in several weeks I felt like
speaking to myself.

I was the life of the party and I even beamed approvingly when
Uncle Peter tuned up his mezzo contralto voice and began to write a
book about the delights of a country home.

It was a cinch, I assured myself, that the ghost story I had
broiled up to tell on the morrow would send my suburban-mad family
scurrying back to town.

Many times mentally I went over the blood curdling details and I
flattered myself that I surely had a lot of shivery goods for sale.

I couldn't see myself losing at all, at all.

So me for Jiggersville in the morning.

CHAPTER II.

JOHN HENRY'S GHOST STORY.

When the alarm clock went to work the next morning Clara J. turned
around and gave it a look that made its teeth chatter.

She had been up and doing an hour before that clock grew nervous
enough to crow.

Her enthusiasm was so great that she was a Busy-Lizzie long before
7 o'clock and we were not booked to leave the Choo-Choo House till
10:30.

About 8 o'clock she dragged me away from a dream and I reluctantly
awoke to a realization of the fact that I was due to deliver some
goods wh