St. Landry democrat., 1880-05-15
THE HAUNTED HOUSE.

LaWSy me, Aunt 'LlZabeth, yOl
don fur to tell me dat YOU re gwine t.
lib right here in de Simmons cabin!'
land I'd like to know, Mary Jane
wot fur can't lib here Mrs. Elizabetl
Smith replied, and if her face had no
been coal-black, you would have seen al
angry flush color it at Mary James i'm
pcrtinence. . reckon folks like JOE
and me, wot kin pay our rent, kin choose
our place. De house amt as good as
the one we lef' in Texas, and dere aim
one whole pane oh glass in de kitchen
window, but it's handy farm fur corr
crop, and good orchard. We calklate
to go to Kansas next year, an we lowed
we haint seed any place dis side Stratton
suited us so welli''
- Don't pay much fur rent, guess, -
was the next question:, or rather asscr-
ton.
Its dirt cheap. Only ten dollar,
house, farm, and all. De folks wot
worked it fore we coined, dey didn't
lib in dis house, but in dat one way down
de field. Dey'll hab to turn out bag and
baggage, fur Joe wants all de land fur
his crap
Maybe" Mary Jane replied, with a
snigge, 50 but dere's been tree men fore
you coined, wot tuck de farm, and
wanted all de land, too. Some way it
didn't suit 'em, fur dey gin it up de fust
week, and Lish Potter, he's de man wot
Ibis yonder, he kept it, and l reckon
you'll be glad to glib it up. I'm mon
strous glad, Aunt Elizabeth, you've
coined here, but wish you hadn't tuck
dis Simmons farm
Mrs. Elizabeth was at the end of her
patience. She was portly old woman,
with a towering sense of her own i'm
portance, and looked down with some
thing like contempt upon the speaker.
Mary Jane was distant relative, very
poor and shiftless, besides being weighed
down by a large family of children.
Mrs. Elizabeth's dignity revolted
against these obscure hints which seemed
to reflect against the judgment of her
husband, who had selected the Simmons
farm as the most eligible location in the
neighborhood.
"Why don you speak up, Mary Jane,
stead OBJ jawin' round a ting. Eff you
thinks Joe smif amt a good jedge of rich
sile fur crappin', why you don't know
him, OATS all. Nobody can't trow dust
in his eye, SO you needn't insinivate de
land isn't good. Perhaps / mayn't like
de people, fur I've been customed to tip
top society, black, and white, an Ireck-
on de folks round here amt much,n
with a contemptuous glance at Mary
James shabby attire.
"Well, we amt airifed,' Mary Jane
replied, with an angry toss of her head,
" but dere amt a family round here
would lib in Simmons house eff you paid
'em fifty dollars mont. O, here's Lish
Potter's wife come to see you. Maybe
she kin tell you why folkses don't stay
long in dis here house,
Mrs. Elizabeth was sorely troubled in
mind, but she greeted Mrs. Potter, who
was sharp-faced mulattress, with lofty
courtesy. The visitor looked around GU
riously, sighed deeply, and shuddered,
as she cast her eyes up to the ceiling.
lit makes me shibery ebry time |
comes in dis room,'' She explained.
g You must be monstrous brave, Miss
Sniff to lib here. Pears to me I'd 90
crazy eff had to stay in harnted house
one night
A harnted houser' Mrs. Elizabeth
screamed, her turban quivering, and her
whole portly frame shaking with terror.
Brave and daring about everything else,
he very name Of ghost threw her into a
state of abject terror
Why, do tell, didn't you know it
'fore?' Mrs. Potter's sharp, cunning
ace was fairly beaming at the excite
nent she had produced. Il fought
sbry body knowed bout de Simmons
shostesses. You'se stranger, and it's
shame Mr.. Wiley didn't tell you why
nobody kin lib on dis here place We'se
worked it nigh on to four year, but we Sc
got anoder cabin. Folks come and 90,
out nobody stops.''
. didn't know nothin'," quavered
he frightened woman.
" Tell her bout it, Miss Potter" Mary
Jane cried, rather pleased at seeing her
naughty nlien subdued
" Well, it's awful. Ole Simmons he
build de house ten years ago, and he was
l cruel man, wot used to stick flies and
on pins, and he had great
;hests full of black beetles and snake
kins stuffed. He nebber seed critter
he didn't kill it fur his lection as he
allied it. Well, de Lordlet him run his
curse a-torturin' de dumb tings till his
ime had coined.
" One day he was standin' on de gal
cry up dere looking out, when he heard
noise, and dere jest tween him and de
DOR was a big rattlesnake all in pile
eady to jump. De old sinner seed plain
g couldn't git to de door, so he gin a