The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-06-12
Selett STORY.
THE HAUNTED OVEN.

that Mr.. Hubbard bought his house. and
bought it very much against his wife's
will. II was lonely house, and reported
10 be haunted 1t was next to grave
yard, which, although unused, was not
cheerful, and which, likewise, had the repu.
tation of having a ghost However, Mr.
Hubbard did not believe in ghosts, and
was too cheerful to be depressed by warn.
ings, and never intended to be lonely.
"MH. Hubbard" he said, when his wife
shook her head over the purchase, ~ got
it 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. Howard counted ten of
them, all noisy ones.
Having once expostulatcd and spoken
out her mind as to the house, Mrs. Hub.
bard gave up the point She scrubbed
and secured, tackled down carpets and put
up curtains, aud owned that the place was
pretty.
As not ghost appeared for n week, she
made up her mind that there we're no
such inhabitants, She even began not to
mind the tombstones. So the house got
to rights at last, and baking day came
about ln the press Of business, they had
great deal Of bakers bread, and were
now tired Of it, Mrs. Hubbard never en-.
joyed setting batch of bread to rise as
she did that which was to be eaten for the
first time in the new house.
"For | cannot get up an appetite for
stuff that nobody knows who had the max
ing Of, said Mrs. Hubbard, 'and all puffy
and alumy besides
So into the oven went the bread, and
out it came at the proper time, even and
brown, aud 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.tay. glorious
proofs of her skill and the excellence of the
oven, when Tommy Hubbard bounded in.
Tommy was four, and when at that age,
VIC are prone to believe that anything will
bear our weight. Tommy, therefore anx-
ious to inspect the newly.made bread
swung himself of his feet by clutching
the edge of the ead.tray, aud over il
came, loayss aud Tommy and all.
Mrs. Hubbard flew to the rescue. and
picked up the loaves. All were busted
and put 10 the tray again but one. That
lay, bottom upward under the table.
"a bothersome child, TO give me so
much trouble~ she said as she crawled
under the table to get it, A-0-ah-
dear, sister-oh-0-my-"
And there on the floor sat Mrs. Hub
bard, screaming, wringing her hands, and
shaking her head. The children scream.
ed in csneert. Mr.. Hubbard rushed in
from where he was at work.
Whats the matter, mother" he gasped.
Mrs. Hubbard pointed to the bottom Of
the loaf lying in her lap.
"Look there and sec - she said. at
is warning William; am going to be
taken from them ALL" And he looked;
and he saw death 1. head and cross. bones.
as plainly engraved as they possibly could
be-
at is accident" said Nh. Hubbard.
Some queer cranks do come you know. "
But Mrs. Hubbard was 10 a troubled
state Of mind, as was but natural.
"The stories about the haunted house
were true, she said, "and the spirits 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 IL
Mrs. Hubbard get over her fright at
last but the news Of the awfully marked
loaf spread through r., and the people
came to Hubbard's all the week to look at
it. il was death s.head and cross.bones,
cortainly-every one saw that at glauce,
but as TO It's meaning, people differed.
Some believed that il was warning of
approaching DEATH Others thought that the
spirits wanted to frighten the Hubbards
away, and get possession Of the house again
all To themselves.
This latter supposition inspired Mrs.
Hubbard with courage. FINALLY, being
a brave woman, she adopted the belief; and,
when another baking day arrived, put her
Ioayes into the oven once more, prepared
for cross-bones and not to be frightened
by them.
The loaves baked as before. They
came out brown aud crusty as Mrs. Hub.
bard turned 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 drop.
ped IN for chat certain printer of the
neighborhood accustomed to reading things
backwards.
"By George !" said he, shat is curious.
That is curious--r.c-s-u-r.g.a-m--res
gam that is what is on the loaf-resuream.
at is what they put on tombs, ism I il2''
asked poor Mrs Hubbard, family.
well, yes" said Mr.. Hubbard, being
obliged to admit it. "But il is not so bad
rs cross,bones aud skulls"
Mrs. Hubbard shook her head.
"lts even solemner," said the little
woman, who was not as good linguist as
bread maker. II feel confident, William,
that | shall soon be resurgamed aud what
will these poor children do then 2"
And now that the second loaf was be.
fore her eyes, marked even more awfullv
han the FIRST, Mrs. Hubbard grew really
pale and thin, and lost her cheerfulness.
"a have presentment," she said, over
md over again, "that the third baking
will decide who the warning belongs 10.
belieye u i meant lpF ne, and time win
'how. Don't ypu sec how thin am
vrowint, Sst