The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-08-19
THE HAUNTED INN.

MY horse nau cast SnOc, ana, stop
ping about sunset at 4 blacksmith's
cabin in one of the most savage passes
of the Allcghanies, a smutty-faced,
leathern- aproned fellow was soon en-
gagged in putting his feet in order to en-
counter the tlinty roads of the noun
tains, when the operation was inter-
rupted in the manner here related:
''Pardon me, sir" said u middle-aged
traveller, riding up to the smithy and
throwing himself from his horse, just
as the shaggy-headed vulcan, having
taken the heel of my nag in his lap, was
proceeding to pare off the hoof prepa-
tory to fitting the shoe, which he had
hammered into shape and thrown upon
the black soil beside him. "Pardon
me-" repeated the stranger, raising his
ad-brimmed beaver from a head re-
markable for what the phrenologist
would call the uncommon development
of "idealty," revealed by short locks
which were parted over q pair of mel
ancholy gray eyes, "nlatters of mo-
ment make it important for me to be a
dozen miles hence before nightfall, and
you will place me, sir, under singular
obligations by allowing this good fellow
to attend to my lame beast imme-
diately.'
The confident and not ungraceful
manner in which the stranger threw
himself upon my courtesy sufficiently
marked him as a man of breeding, and
I, of course, complied with his request
by giving the necessary order to the
blacksmith. His horse was soon put
in travelling trim, and leaping actively
into the saddle, he regained the high
way at q bound; checking his course
then II moment, he turned in the stir
rups to thank me for the slight service
had rendered him, and giving an adj
dress, which | have now forgotten, he
added that if ever should enters
valley, I might be sure ola cordial wei
come from its proprietor.
An hour afterward l was pursuing
the same road, and rapidly approach
ing the end of my days journey. The
immediate district through which was
travelling had been settled by Germans
in the early days Of Pennsylvania
scattered community that had been
thrown somewhat in advance of the
more slowly extended settlements. In
populousness and fertility it did not
compare with the regions Oh the east
ern side of the mountains; but the i'm
mense stone barns, which, though few
and far between, occasionally met the
eye, not less than the language spoken
around me, indicated that inhab-
itants We're Of the same ori gin with the
lower country. One Of these stone
buildings, an enormous and ungainly
edifice, stood upon hill Immediately
back Of the Wolfswald Hotel-a mis-
cradle wooden hovel where I was to
pass the highland while descending
the hill in the rear of the village, I had
leisure to observe that it presented
different appearance from the other
agricultural establishments Of the kind
which had met with during the day.
The massive walls We're pierced here
and there with narrow windows, which
looked like loop-holcs, and clumsy
chimney had been filled up by some
unskillful mechanic against one Of the
gables, with rrodigality of materials
which made it's jagged top show like
some old turret in the growing twilight.
The history of this grotesque mansion,
as subsequently learned it, was that
Of hundreds of others scattered over
our country, and known generally in
the neighborhood as "Smith's," or
''Thompson's Folly" 1t had been be-
gun upon an ambitious scale by per-
son whose means were inadequate to
its completion, and had been sacrific ed
at u public when half finished in ord er
to liquida.e the claim of the mechanics
employee upon it. After that it had
been used IS a granary for while, and
subsequently,, being rudely completed
without any reference to the original
plan, it had been occupied as q hotel
for few years. The ruinous inn had,
however, for long period been aban-
doned, and now enjoyed the general
reputation in the neighborhood Of being
haunted; for ghosts and COLLINS are
always sure to take a big house off a
landlords hand when he can't get any
other tenant.
ave have no room for mynheer,"
said mine host, Peter Schmidtson, lay
ing his hand ON my bride, as I rode up
to the door of a cabaret near this old
building, while three OF four waggoners,
smoking their pipes upon bench in
front of of the house gave grunt of
confirmation to the frank avowal of
Peter. I was too old stager, however,
to be so summarily turned away from
an inn at such an hour, and throwing
myself from my horse without further
parley, I told the landlord to get me
some supper, and we would talk about
lodging afterward.
It matters not how I got through the
evening until the hour of bedtime. I