TRUE TO NAME.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 123, 26 May 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

TRUE TO NAME.

Mary and J dashed into the kitchen and raced to the nearest cliair, with the result that, both arriving? there at the same time, we collided and landed on the floor. "D'did you see it?" g;;~[>ed Mary, when she found breath enough to speak. "See it?" T echoed. "I should think | so. Do you think I '' Here I was cut short by my sister I Jean entering the room and inquiring "See what? 7 ' "A g-ghost!'' Mary and I chirped in unison. "A ghost?" gasped Jean. "Ycs! :J Mary replied. "N'ear the fernery in the backyard. Go and hare a look for yourself:'' ''You pair of sillies,'' scoffed Jean, and with a scornful "Ha, ha!" she made her departure, but was not gone two minutes when she came racing madly into the kitchen and dived under the table. "Oh. oh, oh!" cried Jean, "I d-didn't believe in g-ghosts until I s-saw that!" Muni and Dad were out and not expected home until later in the evening. Jean and I had spent the afternoon at Mary's place, and Mary had come to -spend the evening with us. Jumping off the chair, Mary rushed to the door and turned the key in the lock. "Well, that's that!"' she said. Then the three of us remained silent. The silence was broken by three taps on the front door. Mary and I tiptoed across the room, and nestled down beside Jean, under the table. Silence prevailed again, and thi« time broken by three taps on the front window. After much silent conversation we decided to remove our shoes and creep through to the hall. This we did. When we reached the bedroom door three more taps were heard on the window.

Where was our courage as we groped our way under the bed / Nothing more occurred until we heard three taps on the back door.

"Como on," I said, "prepare yourselves for the worst. We may as well go and open the door. Perhaps it isn't the ghost after all."

"Righto!" Mary ami Jean responded, and with quaking knees we crept out to the kitchen, where we each armed ourselves with a weapon.

"You go first, Chris," whispered Mary, "You're the eldest.''

"All right," I replied, and lifting a tennis racquet over my shoulder stepped forward. I placed a trembling hand upon the key, and in two seconds flung the door open and faced—mum!

"What's the meaning of this?" she spok£ sharply. "I've been knocking my knuckles sore and no one—"

Here mum paused for breath, and, noticing our weapons, burst out laughing and inquired what they were for.

"Oh!" J said, rather ashamed, "we thought you were a ghost!" Then 1 explained what we had seen.

"Come and show me." said mum. between paroxysms of laughter, and 1 led the way to the fernerv.

"It's—it's still there!" I gasped. "Why," laughed mum, "that's a scarecrow your father put there this afternoon. and T gave him an old sheet to make it with."

"What a nice scarecrow!" Marv and •Jean and I whispered, as we made our wav to the house.