The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-03-15

Your servants will be sure to hear the
ghost story. They will see visions and
dream dreams. You may have to do
good deal of the work yourself. BY the
by, there is an old housekeeper, Mrs.
Weevil, who lives in the lower rooms"
"Could we not get rid of her ?" said.
"She might tell the servants"
81 am afraid that would be easier said
than done," he answered. "She has
some claim upon the family. But they
say she is a quiet old soul, who interferes
with nobody. You might warn her,
you know"
"Well," said, 'let us write to the
agent, and see what can be done"
The result of all this was that, week
or two later, on placid afternoon early
in the month of August, drove up
with my children, servants, and luggage
before the deep porch of one of those
moderately sized country houses which
abound in the County of Surrey. 1t
was to be my home for the next twelve
months-servants and ghosts permit
ting.
For once, description and the expecta-
ton that followed hard upon it were,
felt, abundantly justified. My earthly
paradise was paradise indeed; and
joyfully, on the evening of our arrival,
l sat and wrote to my husband of our
good fortune. The house was beautifully
situated, and was itself picturesque,
with its deep porch in front and the
neat balcony that surmounted it. 1t
was an irregular building, and its red
brick walls were half smothered with
ivy and clematis. Beyond the garden
in front was broad lawn, bounded by
the grand old beeches and elms which
form belt round Lord BIS estate.
During. the first few weeks, nothing
happened to Change my good opinion of
the house.
There was one circumstance did not
like but I persuaded myself it was
trivial and to be affected by it, proved
ultra sensitiveness besides, had been
warned beforehand. Two of the lower
rooms were occupied by an old woman.
She was pensioner, was told, of our
landlord. Many years, ago she had been
housekeeper to some relatives of his,
who lived in the house, and she had
lived in it ever since. L wished to see
her and have some conversation with
her. I disliked, in the first place, that
any one of whom 1 knew nothing
should be in my house and in the
second place, was anxious to warn her
to keep the ghost story (whatever that
might be) secret. My three English
servants were north country girls. 1
had taken good care that they should be
utter strangers to the neighborhood; but
1 knew, if the possibility of seeing
ghost were suggested to them, they
would promptly make the possibility
certainty, and then my troubles would
begin.
sent polite message to Mrs. Weevil
asking for an interview, and she came
to my room. She was not proposes
sing woman. Her age might be some
where between sixty and seventy, and
as she dropped an awkward courtesy on
entering my presence, felt she was
giving me homage which she did not
pay willingly. said understood she
had permission from the owner of the
house to occupy certain rooms in it.
eyes, ma'am," she said; "but not
from the owner as is the owner of the
'ouse now, ma'am.',
She manifested, thought, certain
ill-concealed sulkiness as went on to
ask her If she could not be induced to
find accommodation for herself in some
of the cottages on the estate, so as to
give us the house to ourselves. She
stubbornly refused.
No, ma'am," she went on to say.
am an old woman as has lived here
for nigh twenty years, and never gives
trouble to no one. 1 only wished to be
let alone; and means to stay, ma'am-
yes, means to stay"
saw that it would serve no purpose
at present to try to dlssuade her, and as
did not wish to quarrel with her 1
changed the conversation. / said i
understood there were some foolish
stories current about the house being
haunted, and hoped, whatever she
thought of 1t, that she would say moth
ing to my servants on the subject.
"If your servants III let me alone,
ma'am, I'll let them alone. I has no