Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-04-25
MlscEnANg.
BREAD-BAK1Na;
And the Three warnings.


mothers, when there were brick oy.
ems in the land, that Mr.. Hubbard
bought his house; and bought it
very much against his wifc's will.
1t was o lonely house, and reported
to be haunted. 1t was next to a
graveyard, which, though unused,
was not cheerful, and which had like
wise the reputation of ghost.
However, Mr.. Hubbard did not be-
lievc 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 at his purchase,
81 got it cheap, and it is good one.
You will like it when you get there.
If you don't, why then talk"
So the house was bought, and into
it the Hubbard family went. There
was scarcely q chance for ghost 10
show his face amid such q family Of
boys and girls. Mr.. and Mrs. Hub.
bard counted ten of them, all noisy
ones.
Having once cxpostulated and spok.
en out her mind as to the house, Mrs,
Hubbard gave up the point. She
scrubbed and secured, tackled down
carpets and put up curtains, and
owned the place was pretty. As not
ghost had appeared for 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 al last, and baking
day came about. In the press OF
business, they had great deal OF
bakers bread and were tired Of it.
Mrs. Hubbard never enjoyed set
ting batch of bread to rise as she
did that which was to be eaten for
the first time in the new house. "Fol
| cannot get up an appetite for stuff
that nobody knows who has had the
making of" said Mrs. Hubbard, "and
all puffy and alumy beside"
So into the oven went the bread
and out it came al the proper time
even and brown and beautiful az
loavcs 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.
cd in. Tommy was four and wher
at that age We are prone to believe
that anything will bear our weight
Tommy, therefore, anxious to inspec,
the newly-made bread, swung him
self off his feet by clutching the edge
Of the bread-tray, and over it came
loaves Tommy and all.
Mrs. Hubbard flew to the rescue
and picked up the loayes. All were
busted and put back in the tray bu
one. That lay bottom upward under
the table.
"a bothering child, to give me sc
much trouble !" she said, as she crawl
ed under the table to get it. 90
Ah-dear, dear, dear-O-O my
And there ON the floor sat Mrs
Hubbard, screaming, wringing he
hands and shaking her head. TIL,
other children screamed in concert
Mr.. Hubbard rushed in from the gar
den where he was at work.
"What's the matter, mother 7" HI
gasped. Mrs. Hubbard pointed I.
the bottom of the loaf lying In he
lap.
"Look there and see!" she said
sTt is a warning. William, am go
ing to be taken from them ALL"
And he looked; and he saw ,
deaths head and cross bones, as plain
ly engraved as they could possibl!
be.
at is accident" said Mr.. Hubbard
"Such queer cranks do come, yo'
know"
But Mrs. Hubbard was in
troubled state of mind, as was natur
al. 1Thc stories about the haunte,
house were trne," she said; "and tn
spirits have marked the loaf. / An
afraid 1t is warning" And tn
loaf was put aside, for even Mr.. Hub
bard did not dare 10 eat any oft.
i Mrs. Hubbard got over her frigh
at last, hut the news of the awful,
marked loaf spread through R.
and the people came to Mr.. Hub
bard's all the week to look at it. !
was deaths head and cross-bone
certainly; every one saw that at
glance, but az to Its meaning, pcopl
differed. Some believed that It wa
q warning Of approaching death
some thought that tho spirits wante'
to frighten tho Hubbards away, an,
get possession of the house again, 81
, to themselves. This latter supposi
tion inspired Mrs. Hubbard wit
courage; finally, being q bravo VIC
man, shc..adopted the belief, and whe
another baking day arrived, put he
loaycs into the oven oncc moro Pre-
{ pared for crOss-bones, and not to b
+ frightened by them. Tho lOave
, baked as before. They came on
brown and crusty as Mrs. Hubbar
: turned each i'm her hands. Their
were no cross-bones visible, but o
, the last were sundry characters Q
letters. What, no one could tell, ur
til there dropped in for chat Gel
tain printer Of the ncighborhood .,
customcd to reading things bacl
! wards.
"By George" said he, "That is CT
!, rious. That is curious--resurgal
t resurgam; that is what is on the los
: -l-resurgam."
"Ncll, ycs," said Mr.. Hubbard, b.
ing obliged to admit it. "Bnt it
not 90 bad 40 crOss-bOncs and skull
MRS. Hubbard shook her hea
'Its even solemncr," said the lit
woman, who was not as good q lii
: gnist as bread maker. II feel con-
dent, William, that I shall soon
rcsurgamed, and what will these do,
4 children do then p
4 And now that tho second loaf ~,
before her eyes, marked even MOI