Page:Weird Tales Volume 3 Number 2 (1923-02).djvu/25

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THE TRANSPARENT GHOST

dollars and old Goudy. the old hoodoo—of the Damn—Black-Raven he spoke of his wealth and his adventure's! and how he had cheated the best of them out of their money! maybe old Goudy didn't know what he was talking about, eh Doctor Daily old Boy.?

The Doctor's brain swam. without the trouble and pain of dissolution, he had been changed in to a ghost—a very much alive ghost, a invisible! Transparent ghost with a sense of humor, a fine appetite. and a love of action and excitement.

But just at that moment a troubled look came be fore his eyes and A thot dismayed him; was this Transparent permanent, or would it pass away in a few hour's or a day. leaving him plain Doctor Daily, friendless, and flat broke? or would it prove it be a "Future brilliant with possibilities". that could not apply to a merely temporary state of invisibility. the Doctor looked into the mirror again By gazing very closly he could just discern the faint outlins of a human figure—he held his hands close to his body they, too seemed shadowy and indistinct; but when he held Them out at arm's length, they were quite palpable.

He left cafe, deciding that he would go up to the Black-Raven and formulate his plans there, in the morning quiet as they were all down by the river looking for his body, He got on the next car with easy assurance what matter if my pockets is empty? I have no need to fish a nickle now.

As the car swung along the Rock River he saw a crowd of wemon and men and children congregated on the bridge at the spot from which he had leaped the day before there were men in boats and along the bank searching for his body. The humor of the situation struck the Doctor and he left the car to watch them for a while. Tiring of that diversion, he went across to a policeman standing near the bank of the river close to the brigge. hal-o. "Officer." he said "I'm Doctor Daily'S ghost I jumped off the bridge there yesterday. morning I wish you'd tell them to stop looking for my body. They cant find it and there no use going to all that trouble The Officer stood as if he was paralyzed, and the Doctor laughing took the next car up to the Black-Raven

The big Gambling room over-looking the river was deserted save for old Goudy and he sat in a corner and nursed his knees, a worried expression on his face. on one of the Gambling table's lay the morning papers Doctor Daily, glancing over them, saw the account of his own suicide, and he now understood why old Goudy was worried. it was hinted that the unforunate young Doctor had been in financial difficulties for which a certain fashionable gambling house was primarily responsible, and as old Goudy nursed his knees the Doctor meditated in silence. and the Doctor wondered if he might not find an opening way up at the top of the black raven just then the manager entered in the room quitly. "Well? queried Goudy Have they found docks body yet? "No," "I'mvery sorry! I had no idea that Doctor Daily would take it to heart as he did or I'd not have carried the game so far," Well, you better be sorry; snapped jones. "And on the Anioux seat as well! jake and bill johnson. and several others were Talking abut the way you got Docks money this morning and they're mad clean thru. jake and bill swears you'rea cheat and the rest are suspicious so the beet advice I can give you Goudy is to get rid of all your loaded dice and all of them marked cards, and your tables with the seret drawers, and all those tricks of the trade and you better be do it quick! for a moment Doctor Daily sat stuned by jones revelations he had never even imagned that Goudy was not on the square and that he had been the victim of a cheat Doctor Daily sprang suddenly to his feet He grabed the papers from the table and threw them down on the floor He jerked the picturs from the walls overturned chairs and stands and then He begain to groan like some one in great pain V'I've come Back to get even with you Goudy you old raskel you beat me out of all my money and he threw and ink stand theu the window just mist Goudy’s head "Well for heavens sake!" exclaimed Goudy Junes what is that any way It's Doctor Daily's ghost! said jones "I heard two men talking aboutit in a store a few minuts ago it's doctor Daily ghost for sure—" thay all staredaghast just then the telephone rung and a voice which they all recognized as the Doctors "Hello central 102 plese. Hello. is this you Gray come up to the Black-Raven right away! and tell Bob And Tuffy Smith to come too what for you say Gray oh Goudy would like to see you men he called up a bunch of the men that Goudy Had cheated out of thear money Goudy tried to leave the room but unseen hand pushed him buck, and unseen lips uttered a sharp command Sit down Goudy you cant get a way from me for I'm Doctor Day ily ghost


The Second Installment of This Charming Story Will Be Published
in the Next Issue of WEIRD TALES.




Prehistoric Discoveries in America

THE nearest thing to evidence of a really remote ancestor on this continent is the Nebraska tooth, which is supposed to have belonged to an anthropoid ape that lived in Nebraska 1,600,000 years ago.

Then we have the Trenton man of New Jersey, who is not considered to date back any farther than the last glacial epoch. Last winter we heard of the discovery in Patagonia of a man's skull from the teritiary period. That would have been the most ancient human relic ever found, and would have upset the science of paleontology and all previous conceptions as to the comparative recentness of human life in the two Americas. However, the authenticity of that skull was disputed and the "discovery" petered out.

The origin of the American red race, including those nations which created marvelous civilizations in Central and South America, is a conundrum of science. Savants disagree in their guesses. Some are boosters for the Bering strait approach, others talk darkly of a marine migration across the Pacific from Malayan stock, others insist on the separate classification of the red man from the brown man. There is a tradition that North and South America were peopled by Atlantean refugees from the long series of convulsions in which the "lost continent" of Atlantisis supposed to have been submerged.