Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-04-20
Bread.Baklng. and the Three Warnings.

l
were sentenced and suffered the extreme
penalty of the law.
Bread. Baking and the 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 it very much against his wlfes Will.
| 1t was a lonely house, and reported to be
haunted. 1t was next to a graveyard, which,
| though unusued, was not cheerful, and
| which had likewise the reputation of ghost.
| However, Mr.. Hubbard did not believe in
| ghosts, and was too cheerful to be depressed
by warnings, and never intended to be lone
ly.
AIRS Hubbard" he said, when his wife
shook her head over the purchase, al got it
| cheap, and it is good one. You will like 1t
when you get there. If You don't, why then
talk"
So the house was bought, and into 1t the
Hubbard family went. There was scarcely
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 ont
her mind as to the house, Mrs. Hubbard
gave up the point. She scrubbed and secured,
tackled down carpets and put up curtains,
ghost appeared for a week, she made up her
mind that there was no such inhabitants: she
even began not to mind the tombstones. So
the house got to right at last, and baking
day came about. In the press of busines 5,
they had had great deal OF bakers bread d,
and were tired of it.
Mrs Hubbard never enjoyed setting n
batch of bread to rise as she did that which
WAS to be eaten for the first time i'll the new
house.
"For l cannot get up an appetite for stuff
that nobody knows who has had the making
Of" said Mrs. Hubbard, 'and all iputfy and
alumy. besides.
So into the oven went the bread, and out
it came at the proper time, even and brown
and beautiful as loaves could be. Mrs. Hub
bard 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 bounded in. Tommy was -four, md
when at that age we are prone to believe that
anything will bear our weight. Tommy,
therefore, anxious to inspect the newlymade
bread, swung himself off his feet by clutch
ing the edge of the bread-tray, and over 1t
came, loaves and Tommy and ALL
Mrs. Hubbard flew to the rescue and
picked up the loaves. All were busted and
tom upward under the table.
"A bothering child. to give me such
troubler' she said, as she crawled under the
table to get it. 80 ah-- dear. dear, dear
90 my"
And there on the floor sat Mrs. Hubbard,
screaming, wringing her hands and shaking
her head. The children screamed i'll concert.
Mr.. Hubbard rushed in from tho garden
where he was at work.
Whats the matter mother" he gasped.
Mrs Hubbard pointed TO the bottom of the
loaf lying i'll her lap.
Look there and see"' she said. at is a
warning. William l am going TO be taken
from them all"
And ho looked and saw deaths head and
cross-bones, 'as plainly engraved us they
possibly could be.
at is accident" said Mr. Hubbard. ''Such
queer cranks do come, you know"
But Mrs. Hubbard WIS III a troubled state
of mind as was but natural. "Ihe stories
about the haunted house were trne, She
said ''and the spirits have marked the loni.
l am afraid it's warning" And the loaf
WAS put aside, for even Mr. Hubbard did not
dare eat any of 1t.
Mrs Hubbard got over her fright at last,
but the news OF ihe awfully marked loaf
spread through R, and the people came
/
was death's-head and cross-bones certainly;
every one saw that at glance, but as to its
meaning people differed. Some believed
that it was a warning of approaching death;
some thought that the spirits wanted to
trighten the Hubbards away, and get pos
session of the house again, all to themselves.
This latter supposition inspired Mrs. Hub
bard with courage; finally, being brave
woman, she adopted the belief; and when
another baking day arrived put her loaves
into the oven once more, prepared for cross
bones, and not to be frightened by them.
The loaves baked as before. They came ont
brown and crusty As Mrs. Hubbard turn
ed each in her hands there were no cross
bones visible, but on the last were sundry
characters or letters. What no one could
tell. until there dropped in for chat a GER
tain printer of the neighborhood, accustomed
to reading things backward
'By George" said he, that il curious.
That IS curious -r-e-s-u-r-g-a-m, resufgam;
that is what is on the loaf -resurgam.'
well, yes," said Mr.. Hubbard, being
obliged to admit it. "But it is not so bad us
cross-bones and skull"
Mrs Hubbard shook her head '.it's even
solemner." said the little woman, who was
not as good linguist as bread maker. 81
feel confident, William that | shall soon he
ren do them
And now that the second loaf was before
her eyes, marked even more awfully than the
first, Mrs. Hubbard grew really pale and thin,
and lost her cheertulnoss. Il have pre-
sentiment" she went over and over again,
that the third baking will decide whom the
warning belongs to. | believe it is meant for
me. and time will show. Don't YOU see how
thin nm growing"
AND though Mr.. Hubbard laughed, he also
began to he troubled. The third baking day
WAS one of gloom. Solemnly AS at funeral,
the family assembled TO assist i'll the drawing
Five loaves came out marklcss; but one re
manned
Mrs Iubbard's hand tremblcd but she
drew it forth. she land 1t on the tray; she
turned it softly about At last she exposed
the lower surface. On 1t were letters printed
backward. PLAIN enough to read this time,
and arranged thus:
DIED April I'd,
Iamented by
her large iamily.'
at is me. cried Mrs. Hubbard. 81 am
to go to morrow. This il the LIST. do feel
faint Yes, do. II liz awful, and su sud
dem" And Mrs. Hubbard tainted away inc
the arms Of the most terrified OF men and
husbands
The children screamed, the sat mewcd.
til. dog bnrked. The Oldest boy Inn ion the
doctor People ilockcd to the Iluhbnrds.
The lonf was oxninined Yes, there was Mrs.
Hubbards warning her call 10 quit tins
world.
She lay in her bed, bidding goodbye to
her family and friends, her strength gong
last She read her Bible, and tried not t"
grieye too much Tho doctor shook his
head The clergyman prayed with her. No
body doubted that the end was mt hand, for
people were very superstitous IN those
days.
They had been up all night with good Mrs.
Hubbard. and dawn was hrenking, and with
it she was sure she must go; when, clntteImg
over tho road and up to the door, calne II
horse and on the horse came IL man, who
ahghted. lie ratified the knocker and rushed
in. There was no stopping him. Up stairs
1 i l-.-IL