Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-08-22
THE HAUNTED OVEN.

THE HAUNTED OVEN.
1t was in the days of our grandmothers
when there were brick ovens in the land,
that Mr.. Hubbard bought it very much
against his wife's will. It was lonely
house, and reported to be haunted. It
was next to a graveyard, which, although
unused, was not cheerful, and which,
likewise, had the reputation of a ghost.
Mr.. Hubbard, however, did not believe
in ghosts, and was too cheerful to be de-
pressed by warnings, and never intended
to be lonely.
"Mrs. Hubbard he said, when his
wife shook her head over the purchase,
II got 1t 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 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
out her mind as to the house, Mrs. Hub
bard gave up to the point. She scrubbed
and secured, and nailed down carpets
and put up curtains, and owned that the
place was pretty.
As not ghost appeared for a 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 at last, and baking
day came about. In the press of business
they had great deal of bakers bread,
and were now tired of 1t. Mrs. Hubbard
never enjoyed setting batch of bread to
rise as she did that which was to be eat
en- for the first time in the new house.
| "For cannot get up an appetite tor
stuff that nobody knows who had the
making Of" said Mrs. Hubbard, land all
puffy and alumy besides
! So into the.oven went the bread, and
out it came at the proper time, even and
brown, as beautiful as loaves 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
ed in.
Tommy was four, and when at that age
we are prone to believe that anything
will bear out weight. Tommy, therefore,
anxious to inspect the newly-made bread,
swung himself off his feet by clutching
the edge of the bread tray, and over it
came, loaves and Tommy and all.
Mrs. Hubbard flew to the rescue, and
picked up the loaves.. All were busted
and put In the tray again but one. That
lay bottom upward, under the table.
"a bothering child to give me SO much
troubleI' she said as she crawled under
the table to get it. "Ah-O-ah-dear
-oh-O-my-"
And there on the floor sat Mrs. Hub
bard, screaming, wringing her hands, and
shaking her head. The children screnm-
ed in concert. Mr.. Hubbard rushed in
from where he was at work.
"What's the matter, mother?' he
gasped.
Mrs. Hubbard pointed to the bottom
OF the loaf lying in her lap.
sLook there and see!" she said. sit is
warning, William. I am going to be
taken from them ALL
And he looked: and he saw a deaths
head and cross-bones, as plainly engraved
as they possibly could be.
sit is accident" said Mr.. Hubbard
"Some queer cranks do CONF, you
KNOW
But Mrs. Hubbard was in a troubled
state Of mind, as was but natural.
1.-The stories about the haunted house
1r-aro %r,,n - che co;1. Itan1 tho 70
have marked the loaf. am afraid it is a
warning"
And the loaf was put aside, for even
Mr.. Hubbard did not dare to eat any of
it.
Mrs. Hubbard got over her fright at
last, but the news of the awfully marked
loaf spread through R, and the peo-
pie came to Husbands all the week to
look at it. It was a desths-head and
cross bones, certainly every one saw
that at a glance; but as to Its meaning,
people differed. Some believed that it
was a warning of approaching death;
others thought that the spirits wanted to
frighten the Hubbsrd's away, and get
possession of the house again all to them
selves. .a4s's.s 81
This latter suppositien inspired Mrs.
Hubbard with courage. Finally, being
brave woman, she adopted the belief;
and, when another baking day arrived.
put her loaves int the oven. once more,
prepared for Cross bones and not to be
frightened by them.
The ioaves baked as before. They
came out brown and crusty and as Mrs.
Hubbard turned each in her hands,
there were no cross bones ylsable, but
on the last were sundry characters of let
tiers. What, no one could tell, until
there dropped In for a chat certain
printer OF the neighborhood, accustom-
ed to read things backward.
"By George!'' said he, "that is curious
that is -e-s-u-r-g-a-m-resur-
gam; that is on the loaf-resurgam."
"It is what they put on tombs. isn't it2
asked poor Mrs. Hubbard, family.
"Well, yes" said Mr.. Hubbard, being
obliged to admit it, 'sBut it is not so
bad as cross-bones and skulls"
Mrs. Hubbard shook her head.
at is even solemner," said the little
woman, who was not as good inguist
as breadmaker. I feel confident, Viii /
liam, that I shall soon be resurgamed,