West-Jersey pioneer., 1878-06-20

my AriehuS LOOK ner TO Ashley, and, with {
feeble half consciousness, she seemed to clins
to the place. The kind, motherly tones o
her lovers old nurse appeared to soothe her
she was calmer in her presence, and hel
friends soon deemed it advisable to leave
her in the charge of the old lady. There
she had remained for years, knowing nc
one, caring for no one-existance weary
blank.
had often thought should like to enc
my days in some such place as Ashley, fal
away from ''the toll and moil' of the strug
CLING, restless, working city, for had made
good bit of money, and always meant to
wind up a life of hard work in quiet
country village, and to possess house Of
some pretentions of my own; for although
| was in the cheese and bacon line, come
of good family, the branch of the Brown.
to- which l belong being of an old aristoc-
"a. But am afraid family particulars
which might be endurable at my own table
after the second bottle, will scarcely be suit.
able for cosmopolitan readers.
| Well, know you want to hear about the
ghost; and if you will allow me to tell my
story after my own fashion, will soon fish
it up from the bottom of my inkstand.
One cold, freezing, snowy December even
ing was sitting in my snug little parlor in
front of a CHEEKY fire. 1 had had my second
tumbler of whiskey punch, and finished read
ing the Times. After gazing at my draw
ing of the manor, or haunted house which
ever you please, and thinking how should
like to own such a place, and that if it were
mine would soon send the ghost to the
right about, on taking up the Supplement
to the Times, with the intention, for lack of
better employment, Of running my eye over
some OF the mysterious announcements
which figure in the second column, my eye
fell upon the following advertisement:
''To be Sold by auction (unless previously
disposed of by private contract), at the
Three Trouts,' Ashley, on the Gath of
December inst, at the hour of noon, all
that capital mansion, messuage, or dwell
ing house, commonly called or known by
the name of Ashley manor, ETC."
The Havana l was smoking dropped from
my lips. The sale would take place in a
weeks time. took few hasty turns up
and down the room, another glass of punch
an extra cigar, and finally look at my
banking account. | threw myself into my
easy chair, and, to speak metaphorically,
put on my thinking cap;'' the result of my
cogitations was, l determined to run down
to the sale, and if the figure was not to
high, to become the purchaser of the
Haunted House." and landed proprietor
like my ancestors-but a-hem! that is neith-
er here nor there, though family matters
will creep out.
The sale was poorly attended; it was a
fiat, dreary piece of business from beginning
to end; and even the landlord of the 'sThree
Trouts'' said he did not care for landed Jobs
as consumed no wine; not but that few
red-nosed men of the genus who, arrayed in
shabby suits of black, always hang about
sales, and who had put in an appearance,
would have drunk every drop in his cellar;
but the company looked anything but
''warm" from pecuniary point of view
and the supply of wine was limited.
''The reserved bid, gemmen," said the
auctioneer, burly man, with a blatant
voice, sis two thousand pund! and that's
dirt cheap! The property includes the ma
nor-house, demesne, and pleasure grounds
and fifty acres of as good land as ever grew
blade o'gross-as fine land, l may say, as
any in the country! Now, who will oblige
us with a bid? Who will make venture
for this desirable property? Come, gem
men, look alive! All the bids as yet has
been ridiculous-now I've named the re-
served bid, let's come to businessr'
But no one looked alive. The red-nosed
men looked mournfully at the empty de-
canters, and silently shook their shabby
respectable heads.
"Come, gemmen," continued the auc-
tioneer, "this is rare opportunity-capi-
tai shooting and fishing in the neighbor-
hood-good society-and all going for an
old songH'
The red-nosed men shook their heads
and looked as if they did not care for fish
ing, and were also proof against the charms
of "good society,"" At length one of them
inquired. in thin, quavering voice, "What
about the ghost?"
"Oh, We'll knock him down with the rest
of the property" promptly replied the auc-
tioneer, glad of the opportunity of crack
ing joke, and roar of laughter greeted
the discomfitted questioner, as with another
look at the empty decanters, he skunk out
of the room.
"Ghost or no Ghosts,' said the auction
eer, putting the shoppers into the decanters,
1--WE shall make no more dead men without
we get on faster than thisu' The red-nosed
sighed, they could not see that joke. "Now
for positively the last time;;" desperately
shouted the knight of the hammer; "for
positively the last time; will no one make a
bid ?" and the hammer beat impatiently on
the table.
''Two thousand and ten," said I. quietly
rising from my seat. Mr. Sellers opened
his eyes very wide, and lifted his hammer
in an interrogative Manner as if he scarcely
credited his sense of hearing.
No one bid higher, and was the owner
of the Haunted House.
"Allow me to congratulate you, my dear
sir" said the legal gentleman, who attended.
''The ghost is all humbug, of course"
"Oh, is it?" broke in the company gener-
ally, and the shabby genteel in particular.
sBut it is amazing" continued the law
yer, chow the name of it's being haunted
has interfered with the sale of the property;
of course you are aware it is part of the
Langley Estate; can assure you, you will
find it a most desirable, compact, and ele-
CANT property, and at small outlay capa-
of great improvement"
IL Al.