The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-04-30

| COX would not give her up alt0gether, so
kept her with her; and every dollar the
girl owned was laid up for the one great
purpose, to bring back her people to
their old home sa.s-sa-'-sa,i.aasH,aa.'
Years passed. Strange enough, you
think, that two true, honestly loving hearts
sh ould be kept apart for years by the want
of dollars and cents. Yet l have known
such things happen more than once in nov.
els If not in real life.
Now comes the unusual part of my story.
Immediately after the property passed into
the hands of Samuel Pierse and his agent,
the negroes were sent, as before stated,
to Georgia, and the house offered for rent.
An Alabamian planter and his family took
it, who were spending the winter in Rich
mond. He leased it, he informed me, for
two years. / was surprised, therefore,
when met him in the reading-room Of one
of the hotels month after and learned
that he had removed to town. "The house
was unpleasant. Very soon after another
tenant occupied it; but only for few
weeks. Another followed, and another.
Strange stories began to be bruited about
of noises and lights unnatural, and not to
be accounted for by any rational theory.
The negroes talked the white tenants
themselves half-ashamed, whispered mys-
teriously, said it was nothing, but present
ly decamped. Shelter was in despair. Sa-
tan himself was in the house, he said
Other people said it was only the ghost OF
old Pierse. To make long story short
things went from bad to worse, until the
house was utterly deserted year after
Pierse's DEATH
So il stood for about five years. In the
meantime Bob Johns had been gradually
taking his place among the reliable thor
ough members of the Virginia bar
helped him to practice, of course; so did
Brady; so did everybody. But he helped
himself most. Earnest, eager, throwing
himself into every cause as if the cause
were his own, and gaining every day deep
r er, more subtle knowledge of the science
l of jurisprudence, Bob Johns bade fair to
7 rank among our highest jurists. He came
, to me one day. as was leaving the office,
t and leaned over the back of my chair in
4 his old boyish way. "Uncle Page" for he
4 had fashion of calling me this when any
thing touched him, "uncle Page wish me
/ joyp'
n looked up and said, chester has re-
v lented?"
"Not altogether She will be my wife
l but she win persist in helping me bring
9 back the servants. God knows when We
e will be able to accomplish it. Hetty hat
a scrawl from uncle Joe, last week, thai
would touch your heart Wen have tC
S struggle hard enough, but we'll get on,
/. don't fear" Neither did ], looking in hi,
{ face.
1 The wedding | learned was to be in
g month. 1t so happened that very night
that was riding out past the Pierse plan
G tation. / called Pine mp to me as we reach
{ ed the house.
a ~ thought, Pine said, 6 that hous,
g was vacant now? ?"
. $50 it's Mars John. Lord save us, Sc,
: dat light in dem winders?''
=! Certainly. Sholter must have a tenan
t in it,"
3! "Not tenant. De house am haunted
dem ignorant niggers say. No truf in dat
e ov course"
every well, Pine, suppose You ride III
i and see about the light. 1t only would b.
S right to give Shelter notice if the house il
= tenanted by vagrants. The furniture i
h there just as Pierse left it,
:. Pine turned sickly yellow
g "Mars' Shelters no friend of mine
K Guess I'll not go If maIster'll xcuse me. ;"
Q There never was more arrant coward,
well knew than Pine. His horse kept il
}. advance of mine afew PAGES out to tn
X country house where was going to din
I Coming home, | was joined by Brady. w
S logged along together, slowly, for the roa'
e was muddy. Arriving near the Piers
house, | perceived the light again, an,
, pointed it out to him. Brady was youn
% man, reckless, and, to be honest excited b
G our hosts champagne.
r "They say that house is haunted, MI
Ii Page" he said; "did you know May
II never die if ! don't go up and have bou
with old Pierse's ghost p
g He turned his horse TO the roadside
IL hitched him to the fence and began (
d cross the field.
Ie "Come back, Fred" | cried But Ii
, would not. "Well then, Pm with you"