Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1868-02-06
THE HAUNTED HOUSE.
BY MARY KYLE DALLAS.

HOucCS RiNH
ty if stories are to be believed
Therefore it may not surprise you te
hear that in q certain portion ol
Staten Island, which shall be name.
less, there stood and still stands al
old farm house, which according to
the belief of the whole village, was
positively haunted.
1t belonged to a gentleman who
though enormously wealthy, YVES re-
.puted to be exceedingly careful, il
not misery, in pecuniary matters,
and whose fondness for money was
so great that he had disowned q
spendthrift son and a daughter who
had married poor man, lest they
should claim assistance at his hands,
and now lived quite alone, melan-
choly and unhappy, as one might
suppose, but as deeply attached as
ever to his money bags.
A more rapacious landlord never
lived. His rents were collected the
very moment upon which they came
due, and nothing troubled him so
much as to be requested to make re
pairs. And this particular house to
which we have alluded to being sur
rounded by several acres of land,
and much the more valuable portion
of his real estate, was naturally the
object of his greatest affection.
1t was a great joy to Moses Pock-
etfull to ride to the bank with his
rents on quarter day-perhaps the
very sweetest he had ever known.
To hear evil tales about your best
and dearest is not pleasant. You
would not like to hear your children
slandered, or your brother, or your
wife. AS you might feel should any
one scandalize those relatives to you,
old Moses Pocketiull felt when one
quarter day Mrs. Ruff, tenant of his
best and dearest house, said as she
took his receipt:
81 shall bear it no longer-I can t,
Mr.. Pocketfull; l must leave this aw-
ful house"
"Awful house!" cried Noses
"Why, what is the matter with it!''
"Matter?' cried Mrs. Ruff. "Oh,
if you only could live here at night
and. day! 1t isn't the repairs, The
garret leaks, and we need plastering;
but l don't wish to move for those
reasons"
"What reasons haze you them"
cried old Pocketfull.
"Well,' said Mrs. Ruff solemnly
me or not-the place is
haunted"
you've gone crazy" said Moses.
''It's haunted, sir" said Mrs. Ruff
And then came stories of noises
heard at midnight, of loaves of bread
and pitchers of milk vanishing as
if by magic--of groans, and means,
and knockings, and at last of an aw-
full object seen by Mrs. Ruff herself
at midnight-a tall spectre, of which
she could not speak without terror
a woman who carried baby in her
arms, both wailing woefully.
"And stay 1 can't, Mr.. Pockesfull,"
said the lady; $50 I'm going to-mor-
row, and shall sleep at my sisters
to-night, for brave that ghost again L
never will"
So, rave as Moses Pocketfull might,
and VOW as he might that the woman
was mad and that no ghost ever
crossed the threshold of one of his
houses, away the Ruf's moved, and,
moreover, the neighborhood was on
the qui vive in regard to the ghost
story. No one perhaps really felt
convinced that anything had been
seen; but the house was under an
evil ban from that day, and Moses
Pocketfull found it hard to let it.
At last, however, a German with a
large family arrived in the place, and
without question hired the house Of
its owner He knew no one and had
never heard the ghost story. and be-
ing fat, rosy fellow with no imagi-
nation, was as safe tenant for a
house full of edd noises as could be
imagined.
He paid a months rent in advance,
brought to the dwelling his frau and
ten children, his chairs, tables. clothes
presses, trombone, piano, and lager
beer kegs, and declared his intention
''never to move Io more SO long as
never vas"
Moses was happy. Alas! week
from the payment of the first ad-
vance the tenant arrived at his land
lords dwelling with his rubicund
face pallid with terror and with anger
flashing in his eye, and standing be-
fore Moses, demanded that he
should
"Gif back de rent and let me GO"
"You must be crazy said Moses.
"Yah," said the German. II
makes crazy ven I lives init a ghost!
Vat for you never tell in dis house OF
yours bees ghost?"
"Pshaw!' said Moses. "These ig-
norant critters have been telling you
lies"
Nobody tells me-" said the Ger
man. 81 goes in mine house and
bees comfortable; I has mine good