Avon Fantasy Reader No. 12 — page 113: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

> outside Evans says to me, ‘Did you sce the end of that paper?” ‘No,’ I | says, ‘only it was torn.’ ‘Yes, it was, he says, ‘but it was wet too, and > black!” Well, partly because of the fright we had, and partly because that music was wanted in a day or two, and we knew there’d be a set-out about it with the organist, we didn’t say nothing to anyone else, and I suppose the workmen they swept up the bit that was Jeft | along with the rest of the rubbish. But Evans, if you were to ask him » this very day about it, he'd stick to it he saw that paper wet and black at the end where it was torn.” . After that the boys gave the choir a wide berth, so that Worby was not sure what was the result of the mason’s renewed mending of the tomb. Only he made out from fragments of conversation dropped by _ the workmen passing through the choir that some difficulty had been met with, and that the governor Mr. Palmer to wit--had tried his own hand at the job. A fittle Jater, he happened to sce Mr. Palmer himsclf knocking at the door of the Deancry and being adinitted by the butler. A day or so after that, he gathered from a remark his father let fall at breakfast that something a little out of the common was to © be done in the Cathedral after morning service on the morrow, “And ) Vd just as soon it was to-day,” his father added; “I dou’t see the use » of running risks.” ~ ‘Father, [ says, what are you going to do in the ~ Cathedral to-morrow?” And he turned on me as savage as I ever see ~ him—he was a wonderful good-tempered mau as a general Using, my poor father was. “My lad,’ he says, “Vil trouble you not to go picking up your elders’ and betters’ talk: it's not manners and it’s not straight. What I'm going to do or not going to do in the Cathedral to-morrow is none of your business: and if T catch sight of you hanging about the place to-morrow after your work's done, Ul seud you home with a flea in your ear. Now you mind that.’ Of course I said | was very sorry and that, and equally of course 1 went off and laid my plans with Lvans. We knew there was a stair up in the corner of the transept which you can get up to the tron, and in them days the door to it was pretty well always open, and even if it wasn’t we knew the key usually Jaid under a bil ol matting: hard by. So we made up our minds we'd be putting away music and that, next morning while the rest of the boys was clearing off, and then slip up the stairs and watch from the tri- forium if Uiere was any signs of work going on. “Well, that same night | dropped off asleep as sound as a boy does, and all of a sudden the dog woke me up, coming into the bed, and thought I, vow we're going to get it sharp, for he seemed more tright- ~~ ened than usual. After about five minutes sure enough came this ery. ' Lean't give you no idea what it was like; and so near too—nearer than Id heard it yet--and a funny thing, Mr. Lake, you know what a place this Close is for an echo, and particular if you stand this side of it. Well, this crying never made no sign of an echo at all. But, as ¥ said, it a} 4 comicbooks.com