The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-11-03
THE HAUNTED HOUSE AT HART.
FORD.
BY MRS. THOMAS J. woRRELL.


ness habits in well regulated house
hold, consisting principally of mel
she escaped, i'll a great measure,
taste for those frivolites which so of
ten neutralize the better qualities o
an equally sensible girl. She mar
ried happily, become a widow som,
seven years after, married again
and, on the death of her second hus
band, emigrated to America. Sh,
was residing in New Y ork when tn,
yellow fever of f9l first made its ap
pearancc. Sharing the general pan
ic, she conceded to the wishes O
American friends and left immedi
ately, with her three little girls, fol
the more salubrious climate of Hart
ford, Connecticut, where she design
ed remaining until the pestilence had
passed away.
This slight sketch is necessary tC
the interest of my story. Every
household, however great or humble
has, believe, its snperstiticus le.
geud If English, its ghost; if Irish
litsTetch; If Scotch, its wrath. Now,
our family legend came down from
my strOng-bearted, healthy grand
mother, who had no nervous fancics,
n" dysr"rt;c ::::5gz;-:iH50, apG mnu
held superstition in the profoundest
contempt, as pertaining only to the
ignorant or diseased imagination.
| She never attributed the strange
phenomena of the Hartford house to
supernatural causes; but as her good.
sound sense and acute penetration
could never present a more tangible
reason for what occurred there, the
legend came down to her more cred
ulous listeners as my grandmother's
story of the Haunted House. In
her own words give it, then, with
out comment or circumlOcution:
On arriving at my place Of destina-
ton | found q handsome, old-fashiOn-
ed mansion, somewhat OH the skirt
of the beautiful, cleanly little town OF
Hartford. There was no other hous-
IS for several squares; and as this
stood some distance from the main
road, surrounded by its pretty Yam
kee garden, it presented rather an
imposing appearance when compar-
cd with the more humble edifices of
the ncighborhood, its symmetry be-
ing only marrcd by curious little
wing attached To the main building.
and which did not appear, from its
more modern architecture, TO have
originally belonged to the rather
stylish old mansion. The family
consisted of Dr. Marston, his wife,
and grown daughter. They did
not profess to take boarders, but, the
house being more cOmmodious than
was necessary for their requirements,
they had advertised for a lady board
er with one or more children. Most
gladly did | avail myself of the offer,
and forthwith prepared to make my
self comfortable iii my new home.
The apartments accorded me were
parlOr and bedroom OH the ground
floor for myself and eldest daughter.
and a smaller slecping-roOm, for the
younger children, in the story above.
Everything was done to make me
happy and contented by my kind
hostess. The Doctors avocation
took him much from home, and ex-
cept at meals, | seldom saw either
him or his wife. The daughter
would sometimes drop into my par
for awhile. She appeared to be an
amiablc girl, but there was an air Of
restraint about her which | could not
reconcile with the natural good
breeding which characterized the
family. However, | was so glad to cs-
cape the fearful scOdrge ofpestilence,
that with my books, my needle
work, and my three little ones, who
claimed no small share of my attcn-
lion, did not feel the want of COM
panionship which stranger ycarns
for in a new home.
The weather was excessively sui
try, and, at my request, Mrs Marston
had removed the carpet from my
slecping-rOom the day after my arri-
val. There was closeness in the
air of the apartment which, | fau-
cicd. was augmented by the presence
of a bright scarlet carpet, which
looked warmer than it really was,
from the intensity of its hue. Every
thing was now to my mind. and !
began TO experience that sense of en-
joyment which comes with the con-
sciousness Of a quiet home even in a
strangers land.
One morning, as | sat in my bed
room, engaged, a. usull, with my
needle, a feeling Of oppression caus.
ed ne to look up from my work,
and, TO my astOnishment. / saw is
suing through the chinks of the
floor a vapor, which, as it rose, form
ed itself into Il sort of column in the
centre of the apartment. / sat
watching it until sense of faint
ness warned me to action, when
rose and stepped out upon sort of
verandah which surrounded my side
of the hOuse-fOr as | told you, my
bedroom and parlor were OH the
ground floor. The outside air re-
vived me, but feeling of curiosity
still chained me TO the spot where
this phenomenon had presented it
self. The windows and doors were
always open except at night, and yet
this cloud of vapOr remained as mo-
tionless as statue. After the first
emotion of amazement had passed
away, crossed to another entrance
to the house and summoned my
landlady to unravel tue mystery for
me if she could. She expressed no
surprise at my recital, merely re-
that they had often been
troubled by the appearance of this
curious gaseous object, but they new
er could discover the cause and as
the Doctor had said that it was per-
fectly innoXious, they had given il
no further attention. | inquired if
there was not q cellar underneath nv
apartment, and [ suggested that
there might be some decayed vegc-
table matter likely to generate such
a miasma deposited there. At all
events / considered it by no means
wholesome. Mrs. Marston replied
that there was cellar that ran for
distance under the
house, but they had never used it,
having a more convenient one in the
wing of the building-which wing /
have before described. Nothing
more was said on the subject till we
met at the tea-table, when inquired
of the Doctor for his solution of the
mystery. He evinced no more sur
prise than his wife at my inquiries
my mysterious visitor.
He said that he could really give me
no satisfactory explanation of the
phenomenon, and wound up the sub
iect in his reserved way by suggesting
not at all likely that | would |
be troubled in the like way again, l
left the table dissatisfied and annoy
cd. | had just fed from palpable |
pes,ience, and this seemed to be the
coming shadow of it. However,
lime WorS On, and saw no more of |