East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-08-22
"Louder than that said /, hearing no


same time but though the upper part o
the door gave about an inch, the lowel
remained firm, as if fastened by boil
within, few inches from the ground.
please wait minuten said small
voice from about the hight of his knee,
but SO clear, 1t sounded as if it had come
from lips on this and not on the other
side of the door. The speaker, however
was inside, for the voice went on :'Fath
or will 5e here directly, and undo the
bolt he has gone to see that no on,
comes through the door, because it il
open
"NVho is your father ?" said /, address
ing the key-hole.
"Death said the voice." Mr.. Death
"rhe handle took off little of the
unpleasantness of the reply: but still, l
thought, now had better wait till he
comes. Turning therefore, to the fyman,
| said: 'Why didn't you drive in by the
front gate? We should have found him
there
"Ah sir see you doesn't know this
place. No one ever goes in by that door
when it opens of itself. Leastways who
ever does is sure to be struck with death
within the next six months. The
last gent but one as lived here walked
! through one day promiscuuous-like; and
sure enough, he died five months and
seventeen days afterwards The last went
out that way when he was a.leaving
home, and got wrecked within six weeks.
"Probably," L said most people who
die or are wrecked have passed through
an open door many score OF times short
ly before
"Well sir, don't know how it is but
SO it is, and folk about here believe it,
"This was settler. Folks believe it,
What better reason can be rendered for
somo more rational article of popular
faith 1t is unanswerahle. Folks is uni
versal sponsor. Folks is king, pope, and
master of the ceremonies
"Having my logic TINS suddenly chop
ped up for me, there was nothing for it
but to wait for Mr.. Death.
Il hoped, for the sake of the fruit and
flowers, he was not the gardener. While
| listened for his steps, 1 pictured his APP
pearance. There was no doubt now of
house being haunted. had just missed
an interview. The ghost might even
then be somewhere about the place My
reverie was interrupted by heavy step
alongthe passage: then came a pause ;
the door opened, and Mr.. Death began to
apologize for his delay.
81 confess l was rather disappoin ted
He was shortas crab, and as red as lob
ster. With CHEEKY voice, which bubbled
up out of large blue waistcoat, he beg.
ged pardon for keeping me so long at the
door, and offered to show me tho house
and premises at once. His little daughter
for it was she who had first responded
to our knocll-was just like him. Thus
the promised air Of my mystery grew sud-
denly commonplace, and | walked from
room to room engaged in vulgar que
rics about drains and CRATES. But
when we had gone over the building,
and passed into the garden, | recog-
nized the door, and said very well,
the place seems likely enough to suit
me. will see the agent when | get
back to town and let you know whether
l shall take it or not, Meanwhile, L may
as well go back this way ; it is the short
est cut to the station Then, suddenly
lifting the fastening of the front gate, |
pushed it open and passed through. No
protest followed but the man did-care-
lessly enough-talking, still about the
greenhouse, which he hoped, if came,
would repair.
"'Why,' said 1, is not this the forb i'd
den door? The driver would not enter
here because it was open, and now you
walk through as if there was not ghost
in the world
"'IIe is gone, sir replied he in quite
mattcr-of.fact way, as if ho had spoken
of the postman; che passed through three
times this morning, and now he will bo
away for month. 'Tis not often he is
so busy as he was to-day. When he is,
it shows he is off somewhere for while.
You may 60 through the gate safe
enough as long as you open it yourself,
but he can't bear any one to use it when
he is about
WELL I replied, { if come l shall
keep the key and lock him out, unless he
asks 70 be let in
"'Ah, sir he won't wait for that, I'll
be bound. He is sure to come if you
do
"This wa9 positive and pleasant; so l
feed my friend, and made my wag to the
station, determining, as | walked, to
tackle this strange visitant if ever L
took the place.
az did take it, In six weeks we had
packed up all our household stuff, down
to the kitchen mustard-pot, and Pickford
transferred it to the Grange-leaving
charwoman in my old home with a large
perquisite of broken bottles and scraps
Of bass mating. We found the pulse of
life beginning to beat irregularly in our
new house. Fires, mostly of deal splin-
tors and straw, warmed the CRATES por-
tcrs were ooaxing obstinate, angular fur
pituro upstairs; little crowd of washing
stands and limbs of dislocated bedsteads
were waiting for their turn in the hall;
the piano choked up the passage, as if it
had set out to escape from scene of
discord, and had missed turn; while the
| oko;., ,v,tb THAR lona aticL,ner nm eat