Page:Poet Lore, volume 35, 1924.pdf/505

 ( and converse apart.  adds her herbs to those on the racks.)

Andrew.—You child! That man has been killed or frozen in a Siberian outpost. The doctor has had official confirmation of his death in black and white. Mr. Hans is dead, so how on earth could he show himself all at once here at the Shorfstein?

Granny.—You can’t rob me of my conviction that I heard his voice.

Andrew.—Pshaw! You had a dream some hallucination. I had supposed that you were the one that haunted the woods, and instead you are running away from other spooks.

Granny.—Just listen to the man! Spooks! And I had only to breathe the word, and I might have been the dear spouse of our esteemed laboratory assistant, Mr. Andrew. How many times has this poor spook had to break her basket over the head of this persistent gentleman for his unmaidenly presumption, and how many more times may she need to do it!

Andrew.—Basket, says I! You may thank God for the basket! Once when I accidentally broke the large bottle of liquid bronze, how I longed to gild your basket for you. What a figure you might have cut in the woods! But never mind. You may yet find yourself binding sheaves of sand before you shuffle off, old Granny.

Granny.—And when I do, I shall engage you to turn the bands for me. (She goes away.)

Ann (Showing her sleeves rolled up above her elbows).—Will you look!

Julia.—Calm down a little. Something will happen to you.

Ann (Pulling down her sleeves).—It’s all foolishness, of course! (Laughing hysterically) It’s a sin to call his poor shadow out of the grave. The cracked old thing!

Julia.—But if it were true

Ann (Wildly). But the doctor has an official report of his death, corroborated by all manner of ambassadors and consuls. Without that the old man could not have settled the estate upon him.

Julia.—Hm, if the doctor

Ann (Wringing her hands).—Oh, Lord! (Starting suddenly) Andrew!

Andrew.—At your service, my lady.

Ann.—Don’t you think you could catch up with your master, and tell him to come right back, that something very important