Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-09-12
An Old.FashiOned Ghost.

"Table-tippingsa and nonsense! Pooh!"
said Aunt Patty. II can tell you
great deal better ghost story than that.
When l was young they had the real
thing-ghosts in winding sheets !"
"Oh, did they? And did you see
one?' asked both her nieces at once !;
and both alighted like two robins on the
seats nearest Aunt Patty.
"There, don't press so close You
are not deaf, l suppose ?" said the spin
ster, going on laboriously with her
darning.
1t was the quaintest of old.fashioned
rooms where they sat. The floor was
covered with white, sparkling sand, &C.
cording to custom Inherited from " old
colony days, and the walls were stained
q dull red.
Antique chests of drawers, filed with
mysterious treasures, stood on two sides
OF the room, and in the corner licked
the tall. ancient clock solemnly, as be.
came q sentinel who had called the
"All's we'll !" of the hours to dead
generation. Large vine. leaves futtered
at the open windows "roses in at the
lattice yearned tip-toe, and good-mor-
row babe sweet Threats sang in the
high naples that threw their greenness
in over the dull red.
"Well. about the ghost? You haven't
told US, said Irene, eager-eyed and i'm
patient.
Did you see it?" asked Eunie.
Aunt Patty pursed her mouth. "Well,
no" she said but can tell you who
"Who, then, Aunt Patty ?" said both
at once.
1t was young man who was en-
gagged to Mrs. Bill Bradley, our neigh
Dor. Don't you ever tell of it, girls.
The young mans name was Huntoon.
and he lived over here in Eastfield.
Mrs. Bradley wasn't the queer thing
then that she is now, but full of life,
merry as a cricket, and handsome as a
wax doll.
She was brought up in Dea. Hun
toon's family-he was Johns father,
the deacon was-and she was engaged
to John before his mother died. But
Mrs. Dea. Huntoon died when Lyddy
(that's Mrs. Bradley's name was eight
cen.
Before Lyddy and John were quite
ready to marry, the deacon himself took
q second wife, and it was the Widow
Crane OF Dorset. She was one of your
hlgh.feellng danes, and she told John
one day that she was surprised to see
him so taken up with that girl when he
could do SO much better for himself.
But John said that he was doing as we'll
as he wanted to, and went off whistling
Hail Columbia.
"She said something again of the
same purport, but here the deacon in.
terfered, and told his wife that Johns
mother approved the match when she
was alive, and that John thought the
world OF his mother, and she'd better
let it drop.
"' Is that the case said she that had
been the Widow Crane of Dorset. as
serene as the moon and smooth as deep
water. Is that the case? I thought
his mother could not have been aware
OF the attachment. Well, she must
all right
"She could put on the most graceful
way You ever saw, and now she began
to make deal of Lyddy, and treated
her like London doll. and John was
pleased enough with the change.
Well, things went on so for some
time. Lyddy was spinning and weav-
ing linen (for girls had to make their
own outfits out of the flax in those days) :,
making it up into sheets and pillow
beers, aud piecing her bed.quilts as
merry as lark. 1t had got to be Octo.
Der, and they were to be married on
Thanksgiving Day evening.
All at once John grew so melan-
choly that everybody noticed it. He
looked like death whenever he saw
Lyddy, and avoided her all he could.
She had gone away from tho deacon's
then.
FINALLY John let it drop that he had
seen ghost. and that was all they could
get out OF him. She that had been the
Widow Crane of Dorset took his part,
and said they shouldn't tease him, and
she coaxed and fused over him. and
was always getting him something good
TO eat, but he still looked as though his
heart was broken.
One Sunday morning the whole vii.
lage Of Eastfield was thrown into aston.
lshment by seeing notice on the meet
lng-house door that intentions of mar.
rage between John Huntoon and Han
nah Crane were hereby made public.
=" haven't told you that the Widow
Crane had daughter, but she had.
Lyddy was Just about frantic, but
she wouldn't 60 to the deacon's after
the punishment, and Huntoon didn't
seer. to dare to go to see her, and as
soon as could be after the punishment
he was married to Hannah Crane.
=" A spiritless thing was Hannah. COM
pletely under her mothers thumb.
one day, when Lyldy was wander
ing about, hall-crazy, she came upon
john Huntoon, sitting on a log in the
woods, with his head on his hands
She Was SO startled that she screamed
just tie least bit, and he looked up.
. Lyddy," lie groaued. don't
a'ome here Nobody was ever so wretch.
ed as am =