The story-telling ceased while the two friends, each thinking of the same thing, gravely watched the slowly fading fire.
"Come," said Pullen at last, "quit thinking about what may happen, and tell me another ghost story. It's your turn now."
But Manson was silent, for the story-telling mood had fled, and his thoughts were far away.
"Where are you now?" continued Pullen, studying his comrade's face. "With some girl, I'll bet; am I right?"
"Yes," answered Manson slowly, "I was with some one just then, and thinking of a fool promise I exacted from her before I left, and all this ghost-story telling has made me realize what an injury I may have done her by exacting that promise."
"Tell me," said Pullen, "I can sympathize with you, for I, too, have a girl I left behind me."
"Well," came the answer slowly, "this girl has too much good sense to believe in ghosts, and yet, you can't ever tell who does or does not believe in them. The foolish part of it is that I took her to a lonely spot away in the woods one day, before I left, and asked her to promise me that in case I never came back she would visit this spot alone once a year, on that same day, and if I was in spirit I would appear to her, or at least if there was any such thing as spirit life, I would be there, too. She is one of those 'true blue' girls would keep such a promise as long as she lived, I think; and now you understand what a fool promise it was."
"I can't dispute you," answered Pullen, and then they separated.