, down the stairs and up again.
"H'm that's strange," he mut
tered. "No. 13. I'll swear the
hotel keej) sai3he hadn't 'a 13 in
the house.- One three, thirteen
as I live:
He opened his 'own door and
walked in. All looked the same
except the room seemed to have
dwindled in size.
"Well, it's mighty dern queer,"
mused the traveler as he lighted
a cigar and walked to the win
dow. "Ahem, ahem- oil ho,- ho
ha, ha!!!"
The sound came, unmistakably,
from the room next to his, and
the shadow on the curtain reveal
ed that of a tall, slight person
with something wrapped around
his head, who seemed to be danc
ing a jig in the middle of the floor.
The noise grew apace. The3j
were grewsome and queer. The
traveler's cigar dropped to the
floor unheeded ; his hands clutch
ed the sill and he stared in amaze
ment. What was the matter with
the man. Was he mad?
He rushed out of the door and
peered down the hallway. There
were No. 12, No. 13, No. 14, plain
as day. But 13 was dark and no
sound eminated from it.
He routed out the hotel keeper.
"I thought you didn't have a No.
13 in this house," he angrily an
nounced." "JVe haven't, we haven't," pro
tested the irm keeper, in surprise,
"But you have. Come, and seq
for yourself. And there's a mad
man m it, too.
Thoroughly alarmed, the man.
followed the traveler up the stairs
again ; two stalwart men servants
bringing up the rear, armed with
pick ax and hammer.
."No. 13" there was the door
in full vieW. The hotel keeper
gasped, and as ,the traveler
turned to verify his assertions, the
door opened noiselessly, and a
bony hand reached out and near-'
ly touched his arm; a hoarse, low
laugh drifted out to the four
frightened men. Then the door
closed again and all was still. -
"It's there. Break in the door."
As the traveler was about to
suit the action to the word, the
thick-set, quiet man who had en
tered No. 14 when No. 12 en
tered his room, came rushing into
the corridor clothed-in his night
robes.
"What do you mean by almost
waking the dead with those un
canny cries," he hissed at the
traveler, who fell back in dumb
astonishment.
"I" answered No. 12, when he
caught his breath. "I've made no
sound. It's No. 13."
"No. 13," whispered the thick
set man. "But there isn't any."
"Look for yourself," replied the
traveler, pointing to the door.
The sound of mirthless laugh
ter came from within the room
and the dancing movements were
repeated over near the window.
I can t stand tpis. I must
know what it is," said the hotel
keeper. He tried the door. It
Would not respond.
Come bring that ax and break
it in," he ordered, turning to the
traveled