Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-12-16
Mrs. Bllkins' Sign.

Mrs. Bllkins' Sign.
:
Far up on the Atlantic coas. ther
eeooa. years ago, two fine mansion
built by British Tories, VITO had in
tended 10 become great landed propri
etors and &c gather huge tenanir,
afonnd them. Bu. having been tlissat
isfei with the result of tho Rcvolu
tionary War, they had returned to Eng
land, leaving for the use Of anybod,
who cho:e to occupy it. the propert,
they could not sell.
y few cf their vorkmen and servant
re,naiued i'ri.ia aud suor number
OF fishermen - Al.c fr- lined them
and forc.ed c tp'i-t' .o:uny in tn,
grand houses wnlc' hpj. u course
been stripped G s>,r} ia q that coult
be carried over tne lea.
The houses soon suffered for want O.
repairs The hinges grew riokety ani
creaked; the loose clspboards tapped
in the wind, and. owls and bats reared
their young il the garrets, adding theil
hootings aad Eatterings TO the othel
wild noises.
Soon two or three CT the families
built little board houses near by, and il
was noised abroad that the Howard
Mansion " and the vaughn Mansion
were haunted.
Then everybody heard uuearthly
knockings and groanings, and when q
good, sturdy ghost was said to have
been actually seen promenading the
broad halls and staircases, there WAS 6
general stampede. Families slept in
their boats, or in sheds, till they could
put up better shelter, rather thar
remain in the old mansions, where
their fears gave them no peace.
Some Of the squatters proposed
building from the materials of the
mansions" bat keen Yankee, who
had eet up saw-milI near by, assured
them that the only way to get rid of the
ghosts was to burn the houses up, and
volunteered, if there was no objection,
to do the work for them. Instead oil
this. however, he pulled them down,
used the lumber, and sold new boards
for building tho little houses of the
fishermen. The ghost was six feet high
and so was the Yankee.
AS there were no schools or churches
near enough for tho people to attend,
we need lot wonder that they were su.
perstitious and ignorant.
While the men worked hard portio on
of the year, the greater part Of their
time was spent in lounging about theil
boats, or at miserable tavern q mile
up the ceast.
The only person of real energy in
this fsherman's settlement at tha time
of which We write was Molly An Hull
q gaunt, homely girl, who could fish,
row boat, or hoe potatoes faster thar
any OF the men. She might have beer
seen in the o0ing almost any morning,
while the men were all sleeping, fishing
with her fathers old pea jacket on he,
back and somebody's else tarpsulin hat
on her head.
Notwithstanding her homeliness and
rough ways. her energy, kindness to
the poor, and strong filial affection
made her heroine there. She had
supported her aged parents ever since
she was fifteen years old by incessant
and hard toll.
Near the Hull shanty was a deep
gorge in the lofty ssnd-hills, down
which a stream poured in torrents at
certain seasons. People often wished
to cross this stream. So Molly Ann
tied tin horn to stunted pine tree
on both sides of the stream, and at the
first blast of the horn, she flew to he,
boat and rowed men, and even horses
over in her boat for ten cents each.
All the girls of Squatterville, as the
place was playfully called. married at
soon as they grew up, except Mary
Ann. The idle fellows were afraid oi
her. They knew she would want them
ont of their beds in the morning, and
make them work as she did herself.
Bat her day came at lasti
One winters night, vessel was
wrecked just off the coast, and Molly
Ann, hearing the signal of distress,
reused the men aud went out with them
to endeavor to save the passengers.
Several were saved. and from among
them she took home to her fathers poor
cottage O great, brawny down East
sailor, whose hands were frozen, and
also wee little pink-and- white tailor,
who said he had como from Liverpool
to America to get into business as q
'aberdasher.