ressed
Justice Higginbotham.

"For you, suh. Lentone callin'."

As Judge Higginbotham followed the darky through the door one of
the men sprang to his feet; Jimmy later identified him as Jules
Goldberg, a retired clothing manufacturer. Goldberg snapped:

"What in the world are we afraid of? Are we children? We went
through Antietam, Bull Run, Gettysburg. Those of us who were
rebels suffered in the hell of Douglas prison. I and other Union
soldiers went through the terrible agonies of Libby Prison, where
men died like rats on Bell Island. And now we act like frightened
women at the sound of a telephone bell that may tell us of the
death of one of our comrades. Of course we will die! We will all
die; we have lived longer--"

His tirade was cut short. Judge Higginbotham was coming through
the door. The speaker wheeled about to face him. Some of the
others leaned forward tensely. Justice Higginbotham unconsciously
came to a dramatic halt in the doorway. His features were etched
into grave lines. It did not bear the kind, mild look that was its
wont. He glanced over the faces of his comrades and their
visitors. Jimmy was to carry this scene with him for a long time.

The man in the doorway nodded simply. He took a few steps onto the
porch. He said:

"Morris Miller was found dead in his bed a short time ago. The
report says suicide."

As if impelled by one muscular impulse, every man on the porch
stood up, the one exception being Professor Brierly. They formed a
strange group, men of all sizes, all of about the same age, all of
them either bald or silvery white. One of them, Hiram Fletcher,
towered above the rest, even towered above John Matthews' six feet
of lanky muscular height.

Slowly, wordlessly they subsided to their seats. But James
McGuire, former Police Commissioner of New York, sprang to his
feet. He growled:

"Goldberg is right; we are acting like children. In the name of
God let us face this thing the way men ought to face it and lay
dead the bugaboo, if it is a bugaboo, or face squarely the facts,
if there's really something in it to fear. Let us once and for all
do away with this damnable thing. If it's a shadow let's exorcise
it. If it's something else, let's find out what it is. None of us
believe in ghosts. Well--"

He turned swiftly to Professor Brierly.

"Professor, it's a great break for us that you're here. Won't you
help us, won't you--"

Judge Higginbotham chimed in.

"Yes, Profess