Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-10-13
The Haunted Oven.

Ii was in the days of our grandmothers,
when there were brick ovens in the land.
thst Mr.. Hubbard bought his house, and
boughtit very much against his wife's will.
Ii was lonely house, and reported to be
haunted II was next to q graveyard.
which although unused, was not cheerful,
and which, likewise, had the reputation of
ghost. However, Mr.. Hubbard did no,
believe in ghosts, and was too cheerful to
be depressed by warnings, and never in
tended to be lonely.
Mrs. Hubbard" he said, wnen his
wife shook her head over the purchase,
u got it cheap, and it god one. You
will like it when YOU get there;if you don't,
why, then talk
So the house was bought, and into If
the Hubbard family wen. 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 eypostulated ard spoken
bard gave up the point. She scrubbed
and secured, tackled down carpets, and
put up curtains, and owned that the place
was pretty.
As not ghost appeared for week, she
rnsde 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 it.
Mrs. Hubbard never enjoyed setting a
batch of bread 10 rise as she did that which
was to be eaten for the first time in the
new house.
''For l cannot get up an appetite for
stuff that nobody knows who had the max
ing 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,
and 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-trsy, glorious proofs OF her
skill and the excellence OF the oven, when
Tommy Hubbard bounded in.
Tommy was four, and when at that age,
we are prone to believe that anything will
bear QUA 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 few 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 ne so much
trouble." she said as she crawled under
the table to get it. "Ah-O-ah-dear'
ster-ob-O-my-"
And there on the floor sat Mrs. Hubbard
screaming, wringing her hands, and shaK-
ing her head The children screamed Id
concert Mr.. Hubbard rushed IN from
where he was at work
whats the matter, mother Z" he gasp
ed.
Mrs Hubbard pointed to the bottom Oh
the loaf lying in her lap.
"Look there and see J" she said. III
Is warning, William; l am going 70 Dc
taken from them all.
And he looked; and he saw q deaths
head and cross-bones, as plainly engraved
as they possibly could be.
ut is an accident, said Mr.. Hubbard.
'Some queer cranks do come, you know
But Mrs. Hubbard was in troupieo
state of mind, as was but natural.
The stories about the haunted hou'e
were true" she ssld; 'and the spirits nave
marked the loaf. am afraid it Is wafn-
ing"
And the loaf was put aside, Tor even
Nr. Hubbard did not dare TO eat any ~
H.
Mrs. Hubbard got over her fright q,
last, but the news of the awfuily "A
loaf spread through R, and tne ~
pie came to Hubbard's au INC
look at it. 1t was death's-head and c'oS'.
bones, certainly-every one saw tna' -
glance; but as to its meaning, peopie
differed. Some believed that 1t was
warning of approaching death; ~ o,nels
thought that the spirits wanted TO ifiSn'e.
tn. Hubbard's away, and get possession o'
the house again all to themselves;
This latter supposition inspired "i,.
Hubbard with courage. Finally. being
brave woman, she adopted the belief; ano' o.
whsn another baking day arrived Pu' ~,
losves into the oven once more, piep :.
for cro..-hones and not to be frightened oy
them.
The loayss baked as before. Iney 80
out brown and crusty and - ME- Au :.
turned sash In her hands thee