psychic phenomena, and I may say that I do," said David.

"How do you explain it, then?" she persisted.

"I explain it by saying it is a phenomenon which can not be explained,"
he evaded cleverly.

"But that doesn't get us anywhere, does it?" she protested vaguely.
"Does it--does it explain anything?"

"It does not get us anywhere," he agreed; "but it gets me out of the
difficulty very nicely."

"I know a good ghost story myself," said Nevius. "It is a dandy. It
will make your blood run cold. Once there was a--"

"I do not believe in telling ghost stories," said Miss Landbury.
"There may not be any such thing, and I do not believe there is, but if
there should happen to be any, it must annoy them to be talked about."

"You shouldn't say you don't believe in them," said Miss Tucker. "At
least not on such a dark night. Some self-respecting ghost may resent
it and try to get even with you."

Miss Landbury swallowed convulsively, and put her arm around Carol's
waist. The sudden wail of a pack of coyotes wafted in to them, and the
girls crouched close together.

"Once there was a man--"

"It is your play, Mr. Barrows," said Miss Landbury. "Let's finish the
game. I am ahead, you remember."

"Wait till I finish my story," said Nevius, grinning wickedly. "It is
too good to miss, about curdling blood, and clammy hands, and--"

"Mr. Duke, do you think it is religious to talk about ghosts? Doesn't
it say something in the Bible about avoiding such things, and fighting
shy of spirits and soothsayers and things like that?"

"Yes, it does," agreed Nevius, before David could speak. "That's why I
want to tell this story. I think it is my Christian duty. You will
sure fight shy of ghosts after you hear this. You won't even have
nerve enough to dream about 'em. Once there was a man--"

Carol deliberately removed Miss Landbury's arm from her waist, and
climbed up on the bed beside David. Miss Landbury shuffled as close to
the bed as propriety would at all admit, and clutched the blanket with
desperate fingers. Miss Tucker got a firm grip on one of Carol's
hands, and after a hesitating pause, ensconced her elbow snugly against
David's Bible lying on the table. Gooding said he felt a draft, and
sat on the foot of the cot.

"Once there was a man, and he was in love with two women--oh, yes, Mrs.
Duke, it can be done all right. I have done it myself--yes, two at the
same time. Ask any man; they can all do i