Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1869-05-15
three Warnings.

1t was in the days of our grandmothers,
when there were brick ovens in the land.
that Mr.. Hubbard bought his house; and
bought 1t very much against his wife's
will. 1t was a lonely house and reported
to be haunted. 1t was next to a grave
yard, which, though unused, was not
cheerful, and which had likewise the
rel utation of ghost. However, Mr..
Hubbard did not believe in ghosts, and
was too cheerful to be depressed by
warnings, and never intended to be
lonely.
"Mrs Hubbard" he said, when his
wife shook her head over the purchase,
Il got it cheap, and it is good one.
You will like it when you get there. II
you don't, why then talk"
So the house was bought, and into it
the family went. There was scarcely a
chance for ghost TO show his face amid
such family of boys and girls. Mr..
and Mrs. Hubbard counted ten of them,
all. noisy ones.
Having once expostulated and spoken
out her mind as to the house, Mrs. Hub
bard gave up the point. She scrubbed
aid secured, tackled down carpets, and
put up curtains, and owned that the
place was pretty. AS not ghost APP
pearcd tor Il week, she made up her mind
that there were no such inhabitants; she
even began not to mind the tombstones.
So the house got to rights at last, and
baking day came about. In the press of
business, they had great deal of bakers
bread, and were now tired of it.
Mrs. Hubbard never enjoyed setting a
batch OF bread to rise as she did that
which was to be eaten for the first time
in the new house.
''For | can not get up an appetite for
stuff that nobody knows who had the
making of" said Mrs. Hubbard, "and
puffy and alumy besides"
So into the oven went the bread, and
out t came at the proper time, even and
brown and beautiful as loves could be-
Mrs. Hubbard turned them up on their
sides as she drew them forth, and they
stood in the long bread tray, glorious
proofs of her skill and the excellence of
the oven, when Tommy Hubbard bound
ed in. Tommy was four >; and when at
that age we are prone to believe that
anything will bear our weight. Tom
my, therefore, anxious to inspect the
newly-made bread, swung himself off
feet by clutchng the edge of the bread
tray, and over il came, loaves and Tom
my and all.
Mrs. Hubbard flew to the rescue and
picked up the loaves. All were busted
and put in the tray again but one. They
lay bottom upwards under the table.
"a bothering child, to give me so much
trouble p she said, as she crawled under
the table to get it. "A-O-ah-dea
dear, dear, dear-oh-my-"
And there on the floor sat Mrs. Hub
bad, screaming, wringing her hands and
shaking her head. The children scream
cd in concert. Mr. Hubbard rushed in
from the garden, where he was at work.
"What's the matter, mother ?" he
gasped.
sMrs. Hubbard pointed to the bottom
of the loaf lying in her lap"
"Look there and see y she said, at is
a warning, William l am going to be
taken from them all"
And he looked and he saw deaths
heaC and cross.boncs, as plainly engrav-
ed ms they possibly could be.
at is an accident" said Mr.. Hubbard.
'Such queer pranks do come, you know" {"
But Mrs. Hubbard was in a troubled
state OF mind, as was but natural.
"The stories abont the haunted house
were true" she said Sand the spirits
have marked the loaf. am afraid it is
a warning"
And the loaf was put aside, for even
Mr. Hubbard did not dare eat any of 1t.
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